Norfolk County Council has approved a new Health in All Policies (HiAP) framework that will require every significant council decision to consider its impact on residents' health and wellbeing.

The Cabinet voted to adopt the approach at its meeting on 7 April 2026, backed by evidence that only 20% of health outcomes are determined by clinical care — with the majority shaped by factors such as employment, education, transport, and planning, all areas where local government has direct influence.

Under the new rules, officers preparing major strategies or infrastructure projects must complete a Health Impact Assessment — either a rapid or full review — using a new Norfolk-specific toolkit. Health and Wellbeing Implications will also become a standard section in Cabinet and committee reports.

A training programme will be developed for both council officers and elected members to help them apply the approach consistently. A pilot will run across the council during 2026–27, ahead of a full rollout.

Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing Cllr Fran Whymark introduced the report, while Cllr Graham Plant, Cabinet Member for Highways, highlighted its relevance to transport decisions, noting that access to green spaces and active travel infrastructure already formed part of the council's work.

The council noted that every town in Norfolk now has an approved local walking, wheeling, and cycling plan, and that funding from Active Travel England requires schemes to include an active travel element.

The alternative considered by Cabinet — continuing to offer public health advice on an ad-hoc basis — was rejected on the grounds that it would limit the consistency and scale of health integration across council decisions.