General Chat

Obese people who refuse to exercise could have their benefits cut under controversial plans being considered by a flagship London council.

The report, published for Conservative-led Westminster City Council by think-tank the Local Government Information Unit (LGIU), points out obesity costs the NHS £1.5bn every year and comes ahead of responsibility for public health being transferred to local councils.

'A Dose of Localism: The Role of Council in Public Health' suggests GPs should prescribe exercise as treatment for some conditions - and councils could monitor patients, rewarding those who take activity while restricting payments such as council tax and housing benefit for those who do not.

The report suggests oyster-style smart cards, used to access gyms and leisure facilities, can provide councils with data on whether benefit claimants take exercise - with the council using a 'carrot and stick' approach to penalise those who do not.

Yes, because I for one would never set foot in a gym, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't be prepared to exercise... might be cycling, or walking or 'stepping' or zumba at home...so how would they know I was not 'trying' to lose weight ?

Also there are plenty of overweight people working /or able to work who are not given a job because of prejudice, they may be healthier than 'her next door' who is thin but will need more days off work because she smokes and gets constant chest problems because of it....

How do you measure who is obese? Is it when you can't bend, or get through doorways, or will it be reliant on ATOS to say :-0

Rose swore! she said ATOS!!!!

I read that in the Telegraph and although I would certainly force some off their bums into taking excercise there are so many people who are obese for medical reasons. So it is complicated.

For me the annoyance is the obese parents who set the example of obesity is OK for their kids that need sorting out PDQ.

Breaks my heart to see fat (not chubby) little ones munching on sausage rolls in their push chairs (they don't seem to walk) which I deem child abuse.

*waits for bricks to come hurtling my way*

Completely unenforceable IMHO

What about patient confidentiality? How many doctors have the time to chase up whether or not exercise advice is being taken up, how much form filling time will be taken up and paid for by councils and will the council employ extra weight and measures staff for the weigh ins :-(

Ludicrous idea ...I thought this government was opposed to the Nanny State!!! Daft init :-S

I'd have to say that parents who smoke in front of their children are also setting a bad example health wise, if benefits are cut to fatties who refuse to excercise , they must also be cut to smokers who refuse to take prescribed measures cut down or stop surely?

;-)

stupid idea by stupid people,
what about fattys n smokers who have worked all there lives n paid taxes only to find themselves out of work n refused benefits when they paid into the pot for years,

*blows a smoke ring*

I never smoke near grandson, hiding from him is a bloomin' pain...lolol All I hear is "where are you Nanna?"

Which costs the most to DWP/NHS?

Obesity
Smoking
Drug addiction

Exactly, it's unworkable on all counts...

I have spoken to the manager of our local leisure centre who is totally opposed to what I have said but I think there should better provision made for the obese.

I love aqua-aerobics and would go every night if I thought I was not going to have to walk past sniggering little gits to get from the changing room to the pool and to go back to the changing rooms.

Many obese people have not had the confidence to even approach the pool, where they are bette supported whilst exercising. They need to be made welcome.Maybe one night a week,or even an hour or so.

We who were fat kids never had the chance to develope the social side of sport,Fat boys who never got to play for the team at school are never going to join the local team and keep up their fitness because itis pleasurable.

I would like to see team sports for us.It would not be very skillful and a doctor would need to be on hand,and why not,they want to put their money where their mouth is occasionally,so that we big 'uns can gather socially and play to our own level like everybody else does.

All the time exercise is made to look like a duty rather than a pleasure it will be very hard to persuade people to begin to try it.

....has no-one noticed this:

" rewarding those who take activity while restricting payments such as council tax and housing benefit for those who do not."

Attacking the poor again!!! The report seems to assume all overweight people live in council houses and are on benefit!!
So, one presumes there are no overweight wealthy people.
Perhaps they should set an example and reduce the lunch allowance of certain MP's - like Pickles :-P

Oh - and they don't even bother to take into account illness - like hypothyroidism (or maybe only the wealthy suffer)

I couldn't even consider going to the gym. Thanks to Hampshire County Council cutting the funding, buses are every hour to my place - and the last one home is 6:15.
Perhaps the assumption is, that as I'm 'scum' I suppose walking 2 miles home in the dark shouldn't be a problem

I am not exactly trim...lolol I have the luxury of not giving a damn if anyone sniggered at me, they'd just get told what I think in no uncertain terms.

If we remove anyone with a health problem that promotes weight gain, anyone with mobility problems, anyone post op for 6 months and of course anyone who has a terminal illness. This leaves the GPs with, presumably, obese people who could exercise to some degree. I'm sure there are some who would like to exercise and much admiration for them. They should be supported in getting actual exercise without feeling stigmatised.

However, there are going to be a percentage who are frankly, lazy and wouldn't make an effort if you paid them. These are the ones I would penalise not for what they are doing to themselves but for what they will be doing to their families.

I don't wish to offend but I probably will. I have seen documentaries where mothers feed their kids takeaway junk food every meal. Even babies are given chips and burgers. I could scream at the TV or when I pass by fast food places and they are sat in the window seats. It's wrong, wrong, wrong. Education? where is it?

Going to stop now before I say something I shouldn't

well one of our local swimming pools - a very large one, is only open to Muslim women one evening a week

now if they can do that for Muslims, why can't they give sessions to obese people as swimming would be a safe and less dangerous way to start exercising

its terrible that they may lose benefits because they are obese and dont exercise ,
who the hell do these people think they are? will people lose benefits because they smoke,or have heart problems due to bad lifestyle choices? we pay taxes for 40yrs the goverment gives it away in aid to countrys that dont want or need it,and any Tom,Dick or Harry can come into this country and walk straight into a hos and get health care,the health care we have all paid into.

this country is the laughing stock of the world :-(

Fully agree with you about feeding young children junk food, Sue. Apart from anything else - it's expensive.

My children NEVER had a McD when they were young (after the age of 14 I had little say), but my daughter has never taken the grandchildren to a McD's, and, when an aunt (on the father's side) did, daughter erupted.

My grand daughter (aged 10) loves food, and can eat for England, but she's as thin as a rake - because she doesn't eat junk food all the time.
When her baby brother woke the family at 5am, she made some italian bread for her school lunch :-D

I think the first thing the government should do, is remove corn syrup from processed food, then stop lying to us about homogenised milk, trans fats, and all the other things they've declared 'good' for us over the years, but is, in reality a load of bull poo!

Don't forget this is Westminster my dears ;-)

I understood that the main problem with this ridiculous idea is that they will require confirmation of Obesity from the person's GP. GP's can't do that because of Patient Confidentiality...so I suppose they'll find a way 'round that next :-(

Big Brother telling us what to do....where will it end one wonders.

Absolute disgrace I am obese and because I am obese potentially if I wasnt working I would loose out on benefits or tax relief if I didnt loose weight when will it be recognised that being over weigh is the same as drinking, smoking and drug taking along with depression etc that is treated completely differently??? It makes me soooooo mad hey why not shut all pubs and restaurants that'll stop us binge eating and drinking grrrrrrrrrrrr :-D

Friend went into Boots at lunchtime to get her (prescription) drugs.

She had to wait while 3 heroin addicts were given their methodone.

So, as Sue says, whose addiction/lifestyle choice is worse?

well they've already covered the fags over in supermarkets - waiting for them to do the same with the booze, cream cakes and burgers - not forgetting the confectionary aisles of course