Town hall chiefs have dismissed claims public health funds are being used to fill holes in local authority budgets as ‘scaremongering'.

A report in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), which is published today, claims money is being used to support to prop up other council services, such as trading standards, housing and parks and leisure services.

The BMJ sent Freedom of Information requests to all 152 upper-tier councils in England, asking them how they are spending the money which was transferred to them for public health.

According to the BMJ, 45 councils said they had decommissioned at least one service since April 2013, while others have cut funding to certain services.

The chair of the Local Government Association's community wellbeing board, Cllr Katie Hall, said the claims were just ‘scaremongering'.

‘Spending levels on public health have remained consistent and it is inaccurate and wholly misleading to suggest that local authorities have been siphoning off funds to prop up services elsewhere,' said Cllr Hall.

‘We are convinced that the most effective use of resources to improve public health is to combine the public health professional workforce, with its specialist expertise and intelligence, with mainstream council plans and services,' she added.

‘The key is to develop services that are locally appropriate, efficient and effective in improving outcomes.'