London Councils challenges public health cuts

London Councils co-signed a letter to the Chancellor, along with a number of partners, led by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. The letter calls on the government to reverse its decision to cut the public health budget by £200 million for 2015/16. 

The letter calls on the Government to recognise that the planned £200m cut to the public health grant is directly at odds with the aims of NHS ‘Five Year Forward View' in that public health must be properly funded to invest in prevention and better public health outcomes. It also states that the proposed cut will impact on the NHS.

The letter argues that, by reversing the proposed cuts to the public health grant, and investing in prevention and public health in the Spending Review, the Government should be able to reduce the wider budget deficit, which the Chancellor suggested was the reason for the proposed cuts.

The letter further states that reversing the proposed cuts would relieve pressure on the NHS, tackle inequalities, and improve people’s health and wellbeing.

The full letter is available here.

The letter has also received wide media coverage, including the BBC (here), Public Sector Executive (here) and National Health Executive (here).