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Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, responding to research by the Advisory Group on Contraception

“Despite budget reductions, councils all over the country understand how important sexual and reproductive health services play in the health and wellbeing of their residents, but the reality is that many local authorities are having to make difficult decisions on these key services.

“Councils are having to carefully consider how best they can spend their public health funding, which has been reduced by £600 million, to maximise cost effectiveness, improve people’s health through better access for service users and ensure prompt provision of contraception to reduce unplanned pregnancies.

“The importance of co-operation between services is absolutely critical for effective strategic planning, which is compounded by record demand for sexual health services.

“We have repeatedly argued that government reductions to councils’ public health budgets is short-sighted and needs to be reversed, otherwise they will undermine the objectives we all share to improve the public’s health.”

Notes to editors

Councils’ public health grants public have been reduced by £600 million from 2015/16 to 2019/20 by successive governments.

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