Public Health England (PHE) exists to protect and improve the nation’s health and wellbeing, and reduce health inequalities. PHE is responsible for supporting local authorities take action to tackle poor diets, inactivity and sedentary lifestyles and excess weight. PHE shares the ambition with the Department of Health to achieve a downward trend in excess weight among children and adults by 2020 and recognises that tackling obesity requires further action . Obesity is a complex issue the root causes, of which are embedded within the environment we live in, the food supply, our behaviours, physiological, psycho-social factors and the impacts of health inequalities that exist across the population . In England, poor diet and excess weight are risk factors for increased mortality and we know that obesity has a major impact on people’s health increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension and colorectal cancer . The prevalence of obesity, in England, remains serious with 22.2% of children by the age of 4 to 5 years overweight or obese, rising to 33.3% in children aged 10-11 years . There are clear social gradients in child obesity with the obesity rate in the most deprived 10% being approximately double that of the least deprived 10%. In the adult population 67% of men and 57% women are obese or overweight . PHE is taking forward a breadth of actions , across the life course, to support local action to tackle and prevent obesity. Building on dialogue with Directors of Public Health PHE has developed a work plan across five themes, namely systems leadership, community engagement, supporting delivery, monitoring and the evidence base and tackling the obesogenic environment. PHE aims to support local authorities to develop early intervention and referral into weight management services through the National Child Measurement Programme and NHS Health Checks. PHE has a key role in enabling effective local practice relating to the development and evaluation of interventions and has a significant role in the translation of learning into useful information for local practitioners. We also support action to make the healthier choice the easiest choice for people through for instance healthier food procurement and enabling behaviour change and healthier lifestyles, in families and communities through the Change4Life social marketing campaign and other targeted interventions. PHE cannot achieve this in isolation and to achieve a shift in the population’s weight, PHE needs to work across all levels of the health, public health and social care system investing in a diversity of partnerships, including community action, third sector, royal colleges and commercial organisations.