WIREDGOV

Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, responded to a Health and Social Care Committee report on sexual health services in England 

“A national sexual health strategy is essential to help both providers and commissioners to deliver sexual health services to a high quality and consistent level.

“Co-operation between services is absolutely critical for effective strategic planning. This is increasingly important as sexual health services are now reaching a tipping point amid record demand and the absence of adequate funding

“Radical action is needed in the Government’s impending green paper on prevention, to truly help address access to contraception and tackle the growing threat of sexually transmitted infections such as syphilis and gonorrhoea.

“Government reductions to councils’ public health budgets are short-sighted and need to be put on a more sustainable footing, otherwise they will undermine the objectives we all share to improve the nation’s public’s health and tackle inequalities. These cuts need to be reversed as part of the forthcoming Spending Review.

“We are happy to work with the Committee and the Government on taking forward the many helpful recommendations in this report.”

Notes 

Councils in England face an overall funding gap of £8 billion by 2025. The LGA’s #CouncilsCan campaign aims to influence the forthcoming Spending Review and highlight the growing risk to vital local services if the Government does not take action to secure the financial sustainability of councils. Visit our campaign page for more information.

Councils’ public health grants have been reduced by £700 million in real terms from 2015/16 to 2019/20.

Report: Sexual health figures mask serious trends and inequalities