The report, Hot Food Takeaways: Planning a route to healthier communities published by food campaign charity Sustain, says councils should find ways to incentivise healthier food outlets to open near schools as part of a renewed focus on improving the long-term health of residents.
It calls on them to show that hot food takeaway policies contribute to a "much more comprehensive approach to healthy communities" in their local areas.
Examples of this would include supporting businesses to provide healthy options and considering reducing business rates to entice new enterprises to sell healthier food in vacant shops.
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It also calls on the government to consider banning the sale of takeaways to under-16s during weekdays up to 6pm.
"Successful councils have the confidence and determination to ensure their communities have access to healthy food," the report states.
"Good practice involves prioritising the long-term health of residents rather than supporting businesses which target areas of deprivation to sell cheap-to-produce, low nutrient food."
It recommends councils to collate local public health evidence and to work collaboratively across planning, public health, trading standards and environmental health departments.
Not only should councils understand residents' health needs, but at-risk groups should also be identified and "new developments" should be protected from becoming "obesogenic environments", it adds.
The report calls on Public Health England to carry out accredited research on children's eating habits and health that would be "acceptable justification" for local planning policies.
"This would avoid duplication by councils and support councils that cannot afford such studies," it concludes.
Responding to the report's recommendations, councillor Ian Hudspeth, chair of the LGA's community wellbeing board, said many councils had "set curbs" on new fast-food outlets but needed planning powers to tackle the "clustering" of existing takeaways already operating.
"Councils appreciate that a flourishing hospitality sector in our towns and cities is good for local economies and where they have introduced restrictions on takeaways, are working with businesses to help create healthier menus for their customers," he said.
"The next government also needs to provide long-term funding for councils' vital public health and prevention services, to help reduce health inequalities and as part of a joined-up approach to targeting obesity."
Last month, the chief medical officer called for a ban on eating on public transport to tackle childhood obesity.
Around 20 per cent of school children in England are obese by the time they reach year 6, while a further 14 per cent are overweight.
