The NHS could go 'bankrupt' if more powers over fast food, alcohol and tobacco aren't handed to councils - its chief has warned.
Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, urged the country to 'get serious' about obesity, adding that the economic prosperity of Britain, the health of millions of children and the sustainability of the NHS depended on 'a radical upgrade in prevention and public health'.
Recommendations due to be published in an NHS report next month include a 'devo-max' solution, which would empower town halls and mayors to make local decisions over public health related policy and regulatory decisions.
These powers could go further than national statutory frameworks with the backing provided by local democratic support, the 'five year forward view' report is expected to say.
The publication is also expected to propose handing tax breaks to employers who set up health clubs for staff, alongside a shift in NHS investment towards proven prevention programmes.
Nearly one in five secondary school aged children are obese, as are a quarter of adults - up from 15% 20 years ago.
'Obesity is the new smoking, and it represents a slow-motion car crash in terms of avoidable illness and rising health care costs,' Stevens said.
'If as a nation we keep piling on the pounds around the waistline, we'll be piling on the pounds in terms of future taxes needed just to keep the NHS afloat.'
