Funds supposedly ring-fenced for local public health work could, under the government’s public health plans, be used by cash-strapped local authorities to fill potholes, the Commons’ health committee warns in a report published today.

Speaking yesterday, its chair Stephen Dorrell said that the definition of ‘public health’ needs tightening. “There hasn’t been any clarity yet on the range of services being procured,” he said. “We are unclear what is meant by public health, both nationally and locally.”

“The danger clearly is that the public health budget is raided by authorities that are under pressure,” he added. “There is a significant danger, as it was put to us, that filling potholes will be regarded as something which reduces the risk of people appearing in hospital and therefore is categorised as public health spending.”

Under the government’s health reforms, local authorities have new responsibilities to work with healthcare commissioners to improve public health. The government also hopes to improve public health by tackling obesity in concert with major food retailers and manufacturers – but another committee member raised concerns at this prospect.

“There were some concerns... about the commercial organisations who were influencing public health policy, and whether that was completely appropriate,” said Graham Morris MP. Dorrell added that the committee remains “unpersuaded” about these ‘responsibility deals’.

The report also calls for a statutory appointments process for councils’ directors of public health, involving local advisory appointments committees and accredited by the Faculty of Public Health. Asked by CSW whether it would have been easier to keep the Appointments Commission, which is facing abolition, Dorrell responded: “I’m not sure that it needs that structure. I think by statutory appointment processes we mean simply that they should continue to be joint appointments… I wouldn’t wish to nationalise the appointment process.”

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Written by Joshua Chambers, CSW