[Tealeaf]

The State of Califonia - which has an obesity problem even worse than that of Hyndburn - is now considering shutting down and banning takeaways. I believe it was the first state to ban smoking in public places; nearly everyone else has now followed suit.

Imagine the impact, therefore, should the first act of the new Accy and Districts Council be to shut down all junk food outlets within its jurisdiction. It would show imagination - joined up government between a local authority and the NHS for instance - and would give maximum publicity to the area. The immeadiate impact on unemployemnt would be negligable (we all know that most "employees" of junk food shops also sign on) while in the longer term it would result in vast new inward investment into an authority getting its act togeather.