FPH statement on the Public Health Grant 2023/24

The Faculty of Public Health echoes calls from the Local Government Association for Government to urgently publish the Public Health Grant funding allocations for 2023/ 24.

As local services respond to multiple concurrent threats to health, exacerbated by the mounting cost-of-living crisis, councils desperately need clarity on funding allocations to make critical decisions on frontline services including drug and alcohol treatment, mental health support, and health visiting.

Research from the Health Foundation shows that the Public Health Grant has been cut by 24% on a real-terms per person basis since 2015/6, with some of the largest reductions in spend falling for tobacco control, drug and alcohol services, and sexual health services.

The Faculty has called for a £1 billion increase in funding to support local public health teams as they deliver vital work to protect and improve health, and has joined with the Association of Directors of Public Health and the Local Government Association in calling for a multi-year settlement for public health.

8 February 2023