Public health grant funding – a welcome boost after a decade of neglect

Responding to the public health grant allocations to local authorities, Adam Briggs, Senior Policy Fellow at the Health Foundation, said: 

‘Today's public health grant announcement is a welcome first step in putting prevention back at the heart of the government's agenda and one we have long called for. Investment in prevention provides significant value for money and the public health grant supports vital services that improve health and tackle health inequalities within local communities.

‘The funding means an increase of 3% in real terms from 2024/25. However, we are still waiting for separate grant funding for drug and alcohol treatment to be confirmed, so we can’t yet see the full picture.  

‘Moreover, this allocation is still 26% smaller in real terms per person than in 2015/16. Further restoring the public health grant to 2015/16 levels in the future would help counter declines in healthy life expectancy and reduce inequalities. Over the past decade, there will have been cuts of 32% to sexual health services, 25% to drug and alcohol services and 25% for services that support 0 to 5-year-olds, including health visitors.

‘Councils are also in desperate need of multi-year funding settlements instead of single-year allocations, and this announcement will leave little time for effective planning before the new financial year.  

‘The government placed prevention as a cornerstone of the health mission.  While increasing the public health grant is very welcome, it will need to be backed up with a multi-year plan to fully restore the grant to 2015/16 levels by the end of this parliament. And for its impact to be fully realised, it should be paired with wider policy action on the building blocks of health: stable jobs, good pay, quality housing and good education.’ 
 

Media contact

Billie Morgan
billie.morgan@health.org.uk 
020 7257 8001