Fast food ads could be banned on buses and trains in Brighton and Hove

They voted to ask Brighton and Hove Buses and train operator Southern to scrap adverts for fast food and energy drinks across the local transport network.

And they called for an audit of fast food or energy drink adverts at bus stops, on council-owned hoardings and in any council building.

They also want to lobby the government to “take down junk food adverts” in a similar manner to the ban on tobacco advertising.

The vote followed a debate at the Brighton and Hove City Council meeting on Thursday.

Councillors were told that 14,000 children and more adults were overweight in Brighton and Hove. By the time children started secondary school, 15 per cent were seriously overweight and had tooth decay.

Labour councillor Amanda Evans proposed a motion at the meeting of the full council and said: “Advertising targeting children and families is very clever and insidious.

“All jolly music and primary colours, it’s designed to present the worst kinds of low-nutrient, high-chemical, high-fat, high-sugar food as yummy, fun and essential to wellbeing. It’s designed to have kids pester their parents to let them have it.”

Cllr Evans said that she liked a piece of cake and a glass of wine as much as the next person but it was a “slippery slope” into fast food and energy drinks that damaged people’s health.

Labour councillor Amanda Evans wants the adverts scrapped

She said bans worked, citing Transport for London which banned junk food advertising in 2018 and a peer-reviewed study published this year by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

It showed, she said, that consumption of food high in fat, salt and sugar fell by 1,000 calories a week per person and there was a 20 per cent drop in sweets sales.

Conservative councillor Garry Peltzer Dunn broadly agreed with Cllr Evans but could not support a proposed audit of the food and drink that was sold in council-owned premises.

He said there was little the council could do because it owned the freehold of 170 shops and could not ban sales without amending their leases.

He said: “I understand, coming from the heart, why the request was made. From my head, I’m saying we can’t use the information. Should we waste money on what would be a pointless exercise?”

Councillors voted to pass the request for an audit of fast food and energy advertising to go before a future meeting of the adult social care and public health sub-committee.