It's now one year since responsibility for improving public health transferred back to local government.  It’s probably too early to make any meaningful assessment of how successful this has been but there are some promising early signs. 

A recent Guardian article highlighted some good initiatives in Blackburn with Darwen, Wakefield and Brighton and Hove. 

It may be coincidence that these are all unitary authorities, may be not.  In the shires county councils have the lead role but district councils run many services that have a huge impact on people’s health – services such as housing, economic development, crime prevention and benefits.  Integration is vital if we are going to achieve any meaningful impact.