News

“This report rightly reinforces our call for public health funding reductions to be reversed, in order to help councils protect children’s health and reduce inequalities."

Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, responds to the latest Office for National Statistics data showing a record number of deaths caused by alcohol during the first nine months of 2020.

Cllr Linda Thomas, Vice Chair of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, responds to a report by the Nuffield Trust and the Health Foundation on an increase in emergency hospital readmissions.

"These findings are not unexpected. Despite budget reductions, councils are determined to maintain vital public health services to help people live longer, healthier and happier lives, but the reality is that many local authorities are having to make difficult decisions on these key services, including stopping them altogether."

Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, responds to a Royal College of Physicians poll on winter pressures.

Responding to announcements about adult social care and public health in today’s Spending Review, Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “The coronavirus crisis has demonstrated the crucial value of councils’ adult social care and public health services. “Extra funding for children’s and adult social care will help address some short-term pressures, but we need a clear plan on the future of care and support and how we pay for it, which recognises low pay in the adult social care workforce and finally delivers parity of esteem with

"We have repeatedly argued that reductions to councils’ public health budgets is short-sighted and needs to be reversed otherwise they will undermine the objectives we all share to improve the public’s health."

“Driving strong local action and tougher restrictions will add further pressure to already over-stretched council budgets. It remains imperative that the Government meets, in full, all the extra costs councils incur as a result of leading communities through the pandemic and income losses they suffer as a result."

Councils are fully supportive of the Government’s smokefree generation ambitions

It is clear that more needs to be done to tackle the high levels of stigma that remain around HIV