Public Health Grant

Tuesday 17th March 2020 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Jo Churchill)]

Today I am publishing the public health allocations to local authorities in England for 2020-21, based on the 2019 spending round.

Funding for local government’s health responsibilities is an essential complement to our plans to invest strongly in both the NHS and social care, and an important element of our commitment to focus on prevention of ill health. The 2019 spending round provided a 0.9% real-terms increase (£85 million cash) for local authority public health funding in 2020-21. In addition to this increase I now intend to make an additional £60 million available through the grant, from DHSC central budgets.

Through the public health grant and the pilot of 100% retained business rate funding for local authorities in Greater Manchester, we are spending £3.279 billion on local authority public health in 2020-21. This in addition to what the NHS spends on preventive interventions such as immunisation and screening.

The 2020-21 grant will continue to be subject to conditions, including a ring fence requiring local authorities to use the grant exclusively for public health activity.

Full details of the public health grants to local authorities can be found on gov.uk and are attached. This information will be communicated to local authorities in a local authority circular.

[HCWS163]