Public health warning – will councils be prepared for the switch-over?

In April 2013 responsibility for improving public health and tackling issues such as smoking and obesity will pass from central government to local authorities. Recent research by Linstock, covered today by PR Week, found that nearly half of communications heads at local authorities believe they do not have the resources to manage the comms element of this switch-over. Only 41% of local authorities have already developed a communications strategy to support public health.

Public health has the potential to re-energise local democracy. It provides an opportunity for councillors to demonstrate tangible and measurable benefits to the quality of life of local people and it cuts across almost every area of local authority operations, from planning to schools. It also provides a chance for councils to show their worth to central government, who will be keeping an eagle-eye on their successes and failures.

So what do councils see as their main challenges? The obvious ones are time and money. A number of those questioned were unsure about exactly what resources they needed; many others simply felt they would not have enough time and money to devote to these issues.

But there is another concern. A large number of respondents pointed towards the difficulty of integrating public health communications across a number of organisations and groups. They recognised that for communications to be effective, they will need to engage with a wide variety of external stakeholders beyond the town hall.

To do this, councils will need to develop communications strategies that respond to the multitude of audiences they need to address. They will also need to bring together health, education and other organisations across public and private sectors.

John Hood
Consultant
john@linstockcommunications.com