Councils to get £5.2bn health boost

Councils are set to receive a share of a £5.2 billion budget from the government to improve the health service in local authorities.

The money will allow councils to regulate and choose how the money is spent as ministers look to make health in the UK their top priority. The ring-fenced budget will be based on the level of funding for 2012/13.

Authorities that make the most improvements to their services will receive the most money. It is expected that the initiative will be introduced in April 2012. The funding will be based on parameters such as a reduction in people dying from heart disease and strokes and a decrease in people smoking, to name a few.

Andrew Lansley, speaking at the Royal Society for Public Health, said: "We are giving local councils the money, the power, the right expertise and information to build healthier communities."

The move comes after statistics by The Nursing Times found that NHS workers will be forced to contribute £7,600 more into their pension scheme under new government reforms.