Vaccination rate shockingly low, says councillor

A councillor has called for action to boost "shockingly low" immunisation rates in parts of a county.

Sally Keeble, the Labour group leader on West Northamptonshire Council, said there were huge discrepancies in uptakes of MMR and polio vaccinations in children under five.

She presented data to the council that showed there was a 93% uptake in parts of Towcester compared with 50% in the Mounts area.

A council spokesperson said that improving uptake of childhood immunisation rates was "a clear priority" for the authority and the Northamptonshire NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB).

When speaking at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Keeble said: "As you know, you need a 95% immunisation rate to protect the community and nationally there's concerns because figures are only 84%," reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"Obviously, one of the factors in determining vaccinations is convenience. We need those family hubs, which should be crucial for delivering immunisation programmes closest to where they're needed," she said.

She said there was a risk children would not be protected if there was a measles outbreak.

The authority currently offers services at its family hubs in Daventry, Kingsthorpe, Moulton, Towcester and Upton.

Three further hubs in central Northampton, Weston Favell and Brackley have previously been proposed to host additional services.

A spokesperson for the council said: "We continue to work closely with NHS England, which commissions vaccination services, to ensure that parents have clear, accessible and trusted information. Our role is to support families to make informed choices that protect children from preventable illness."

The council said it was promoting drop-in vaccination clinics across the area and its public health team is working on a wider programme of communications and engagement, especially in lower uptake areas.

"We remain committed to delivering innovative, community‑based approaches to increase vaccination rates, reduce inequalities and ensure every child has the best possible protection," the spokesperson added.

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