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“We are delighted that the Secretary of State has accepted the LGA’s powerful case for councils to keep their vital role and valued responsibilities for providing public health services, rather than transferring them back to the NHS."

“Youth offending teams within councils have an outstanding record of reducing youth crime and making a real difference to young people’s lives, but they are under huge pressure after seeing their government funding halved over the last decade."

“The progress made in supporting people with HIV, enabling them to live independent, fulfilling lives, and the fact that it is no longer the death sentence it once was, is a major public health success story."

Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, responds to Public Health England’s Health Profile for England report.

Responding to the announcement of councils’ public health grant for 2020/21, Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “Council public health teams are working day and night to support national efforts to minimise the spread of the coronavirus. They are doing a fantastic job in extremely challenging and ever-changing circumstances. “Today’s long-awaited publication by government of public health funding from April will help councils plan how to best help communities cope with this virus outbreak and keep providing other vital public

“Tackling our health inequalities, which have been so starkly exposed during the pandemic, will require significant long-term investment in the public health services which can improve people’s health and wellbeing and reduce future pressure on the NHS. "

"Councils broadly support the Bill’s focus on improving the health and wellbeing of the population and the duty of bodies to have regard to this in making decisions. We are strongly in favour of the duty to engage with patients, carers and representatives and hope and expect that there will be further guidance to help bring this to fruition."

"“It is good to see NHS England and NHS Improvement’s inclusive approach to developing the Integrated Care System (ICS) design framework. The LGA has been consulted on the scope, tone and content of the document and many of our concerns have been addressed."

“It is vital that councils are given a key role in coordinating the health and care system, now and in the future. Social care needs to be given parity of esteem with the NHS and any plans to improve pay and rewards to help drive recruitment should focus equally on both."

“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."