BY JACK WELCH

It comes as no surprise for most people, but there is unfortunately little question when it comes to the quality of life for children and young people across the UK.

The traditional north/south divide has again been exposed in this week’s revealing report by the National Children’s Bureau (NCB), titled Poor Beginnings.

The background to some of the continuing challenges for children’s health comes as public health commissioning is adopted by local authorities in the UK, which will be fully completed this October.

Already in Dorset, the service has been in the hands of a pan-local authority partnership since April 2013 and where I have already been part of a panel for the commissioning of sexual health services in the area.

The shocking findings from this report show the increase of children aged four to five are declared as obese, amounting to around 60,000 (9.5 per cent) from 2013 to 14.

In Dorset alone, this stands at 9.4 per cent and nearly a quarter in the same area who have tooth decay.

While these stats are low in comparison to many of the poorest London boroughs and north in the country, the impact of local government cuts, including early intervention and public health, highlights that even the most seemingly affluent parts of the county are still victims if the quality of care is not even adequate.

Matched by the unequal development for school, as NCB illustrates, children are being let down from an early start in their lives and the matter now lies with government to reconsider their priorities, before it becomes irreversible.