The number of obese five-year-olds in Kirklees is at its highest level since records began.
The figures soared by nearly 18% last year.
And the shock data comes as overall obesity rates among reception class children in England are falling.
New figures show that in Kirklees 10.5% of five-year-olds were obese in 2014/15 – up from 8.9% in 2013/14.
Overall, a quarter of the area’s reception children were overweight or obese in 2014/15, the highest level since 2006.
Kirklees Council accepted the figures are ‘not good news’ for the area but insisted the authority is working hard to promote a healthy lifestyle and diet.
In Calderdale, 8.3% of reception pupils are obese with 20.9% overweight or obese.
A Kirklees council spokesman said: “We are aware of the report. There are a range of factors influencing obesity in young people; both locally and nationally, but the main factors are children not eating a healthy diet and not doing enough physical activity which creates an energy imbalance.
“The council works closely with schools. We have improved the quality of school meals, and our environmental health team work closely with businesses to reduce sugar, fats and salt.
“We also have a food charter and physical activity and sport strategy which we take very seriously. This includes encouraging everyone to eat well and young people to move more often.
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“Working in partnership with communities and the NHS, we promote many activities including walking and cycling and provide support to children and adults to achieve a healthy weight.
“Although this is a national problem, these figures are not good news for Kirklees, obese children face problems of self-confidence and risk poorer health later in life.
“We all need to promote healthier lifestyles and take seriously the challenge of sugar reduction and eating fresh, sustainable food.”
Across England, the percentage of reception children who are obese has dropped to 9.1% in 2014/15. This compares to 9.9% when data was first collected in 2006/07.
The prevalence of overweight or obese stands at 21.9per cent – again down from 2006/07 when it was 22.9per cent.
The figures have just been released by the Health and Social Care Information Centre. And the National Child Measurement Programme says they are the lowest to be recorded.
By comparison, more Year 6 children are obese. Nearly a fifth of these youngsters were classed as obese and almost a third overweight or obese.
Both of these figures are higher than in 2006/07 although similar to results for 2013/14.
New analysis suggests that the difference in obesity prevalence between children attending schools in the least and most deprived areas has gone up.
Almost twice as many in the most deprived areas were obese. And across both school years, obesity was worse among boys.
Statistician Paul Niblett said: “These findings shed light on where improvements can continue to be made, providing a valuable source of information for parents, policymakers and health professionals in encouraging a healthy lifestyle for children.”
