Key public health services, from running libraries to supporting vulnerable children and families, are at risk of falling behind as Suffolk County Council calls on Government for an urgent review of the county’s public health funding.
Suffolk receives just £49.25 per person through the Public Health Grant, compared with a regional average of £60.80 per person, despite the county having the 7th highest deprivation score in the region. This contributes to health inequalities and demand for services. Nationally, Suffolk ranks as the 20th lowest-funded authority out of 151 councils, placing it in the bottom 13% of England.
The funding supports a wide range of services that residents rely on every day, including children's health services, support for vulnerable families, domestic abuse services, sexual health services, drug and alcohol treatment, and health improvement programmes.
Cllr June Mummery, Suffolk County Council's Cabinet Member for Coastal Affairs, Communities and Public Health, has written to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to call for an urgent review of Suffolk's Public Health Grant allocation and the funding formula used to calculate it.
Cllr June Mummery, Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for coastal affairs, communities and public health, said:
"Suffolk residents work hard, pay their taxes and contribute just as much as everyone else. So why should Suffolk get less?
"For years, Suffolk has been near the bottom of the pecking order when it comes to public health funding. We now receive the lowest Public Health Grant allocation anywhere in the East of England.
“That means we are being asked to deliver the same outcomes as other areas with less money. It means every decision is harder than it should be.
“We're not asking for special treatment. We're just asking for a fair deal. Suffolk residents deserve the same opportunities and the same level of support as people living elsewhere.
"I have written to the Government calling for an urgent review of Suffolk's funding allocation, and I am also inviting Suffolk's MPs to join me in making that case.
"Whatever our differences of opinion, I hope we can all agree on one thing. Suffolk should receive its fair share."
In her letter, Cllr Mummery argues that Suffolk's residents are being disadvantaged by a funding formula that does not properly reflect the county's population, deprivation levels, demand for services or the cost of delivering services across a large rural area. She is calling for a comprehensive review of both Suffolk's allocation and the national funding formula.
