The Local Government Association has warned councils must help design the new funding formula for public health cash, amid snowballing concern the Department of Health (DoH) is taking too long to devise a system that adequately reflects local needs.

In a briefing paper on the devolved public health responsibilities councils will assume from 2013, Smith Square reiterated its February warning that historic primary care trust (PCT) spending had ‘reflected varying degrees of commitment to public health' across localities.