The council had planned to do so prior to the Covid-19 pandemic but plans were met with resistance from some areas
The leader of Northumberland County Council has reiterated a commitment to adding fluoride to more of the county’s water supply in a bid to improve the oral health of residents.
Plans to extend the current scheme proved controversial when mooted prior to the pandemic and were later shelved due to the coronavirus crisis.
Since then the law has changed, meaning the health secretary now has responsibility for initiating and varying schemes for water fluoridation, taking over from local authorities.
The Health and Care Bill, which changed the powers, explained that the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends a maximum level of 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per litre of water to maximise the oral health benefits.
Currently, around six million people in England live in areas with water fluoridation schemes, mainly in the North East and the West Midlands.
The council’s previous plan would see the current scheme extended from the north and west of the county to the south east, from Blyth out to Bedlington and Morpeth and up the coast to Amble – an area which includes some of Northumberland’s most deprived communities.
Speaking at Wednesday’s meeting of the council’s Health and Wellbeing Board, director of public health Liz Morgan explained the negative effects of poor oral health to councillors and representatives from other health bodies.