We attach a draft press release below for your local area which you may find helpful following the news that the Government is to cut public health budgets. This assumes a uniform cut of 6.2%. The attached Excel spreadsheet shows the cut in column D. If you have more localised information to hand then you will of course want to add that in. Thanks to Gerald Vernon Jackson and the Portsmouth group for sending in their original press release, which shows their city will have a cut of over £1 million.
Template Press Release
LIB DEMS SLAM PUBLIC HEALTH BUDGET CUTS IN OUR AREA
Figures released by the Department for Health shows the Conservative Government is planning a [INSERT LOCAL FIGURE HERE FROM COLUMN D] cut to the public health budget in [OUR AREA]. The budget pays to help improve people’s health so there is less pressure on the NHS.
Work undertaken by public health budgets include encouraging people to exercise more, give up smoking, drink less, come off drugs and drink and avoid sexually transmitted diseases.
“This cut will mean that local residents are less likely to make good decisions on their health, and when they do need help it is less likely to be there for them, says Lib Dem Councillor [INSERT NAME HERE].
“Cutting the budget in the middle of the financial year means it will be really difficult to make these cuts. Liberal Democrats say these are the wrong cuts, made in the wrong way and they will end up costing the Government and the NHS more than is saved.”
Ends.
Contact:[INSERT NAME HERE]
Note to editors: The Government proposals can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/449058/Cons_local_authorities_public_health_grant.pdf
Localised Spreadsheet
Click here to download the local health spending cuts spreadsheet.