Wiltshire public health funding cut by 25% in five years
Wiltshire's Public Health Director says this year's budget is enough
Last updated 29th Oct 2021
New analysis claims that public health funding in Wiltshire dropped by a quarter since 2015/16.
In 2021/22, Wiltshire was allocated £17,342,726 through the ring-fenced public health grant which equates to around £39 for every resident under 75.
Analysis from the Health Foundation claims that this is 24 per cent less than six years ago when the same figure was £51 per person.
Similar levels of cuts per capita can be seen across England between 2015/16.
According to Wiltshire Council, the figure for this year is higher than the grant allocated at the start of the pandemic — a figure which stood at £16.9m.
This is a drop of around 2.5 per cent from the 2018/19 funding which was £17.4m.
The public health grant is given by central government to local authorities to deliver vital preventative and treatment services, including help to stop smoking, children's health services, sexual health clinics and drug and alcohol services.
Director of public health, Kate Blackburn said: “The current public health grant remains ring-fenced for use on public health functions exclusively, for all ages.
“As a local authority, public health team we operate in an evidence-based, data-led manner, seeking to protect and improve the health and wellbeing of all Wiltshire residents.
“Operating with a ring-fenced budget allows us to design and deliver work which optimises health and wellbeing outcomes for our residents.
“The impact of Covid on the health and wellbeing of our population has placed further pressure on wider system responses, alongside the economic impact and a growing population.
“The ring-fenced grant amounts provide opportunities to ensure that we can continue to work to prevent ill health and work in a holistic manner by addressing the broader social and environmental factors which drive health inequalities across Wiltshire.”