Buckinghamshire County Council will receive almost twice as much grant from the Government as that was initially proposed when it takes over public health duties from the NHS in the spring. The new figure is approximately £30 per head for 2013/14. The latest announcement follows a year when the Council pressed the Government to allocate more money to deal with major health concerns such as smoking and obesity.
Patricia Birchley, Cabinet Member for Health & Wellbeing at Buckinghamshire County Council said:
This announcement is excellent news and properly reflects the needs of the county. This significant increase seems to recognise that the original figure was unrealistic. I would like to thank the government for acknowledging our case and supporting a better deal for the people of Buckinghamshire.
Jane O’Grady, Buckinghamshire County Council’s Director of Public Health, also welcomed the announcement:
The big four – smoking, physical inactivity, eating unhealthily and alcohol consumption account for more than 40 per cent of all the years lived in disability and more than 30 per cent of deaths from leading causes. We need to create the conditions in Buckinghamshire to make healthy choices the easy choices.
For more information on Buckinghamshire’s vision for public health, including how it will be organised from April 2013, visit http://bit.ly/UNKqV4
