Recommendation 13

DHSC is responsible for allocating the annual Public Health Grant and Supplementary Substance Misuse Treatment and Recovery Grant to local authorities each year. The NAO’s report highlighted that there had been significant delays in confirming allocations of these grants for the first two years of the strategy’s implementation.38 DHSC told us that it had confirmed substance misuse funding for 2024–25, but had yet to announce allocations of the public heath grant.39 Delays in allocating funding create difficulties for local authorities, restricting their ability to work with local service providers and, unless they are prepared to take risks, in commissioning services without financial certainty. Ms Wiseman suggested there was a need for more flexibility, for example allowing local authorities a full 12 months to use funding allocations.40 In our recent report on alcohol treatment services, we also pointed out the impact of funding delays on local authorities’ ability to plan and commission services and on recruitment and retention.41