The Government's public health ‘tsar' has hailed a second year of ring-fenced funding allocations as the ‘icing on the cake' for local authorities.

Department of Health ministers announced a two-year public health finance settlement, originally due before Christmas, on 10 January. Under the plan, local authorities in England will receive £2.66bn in 2013/14, and almost £2.8bn in 2014/15.