Local government leaders have welcomed the announcement of an extra £421m for councils in England to improve drug and alcohol addiction treatment and recovery.
David Fothergill, chairman of the Local Government Association’s (LGA) community wellbeing board said the extra cash would ‘make a real difference to transforming the lives of those who need it’.
However, he urged the Government to publish councils’ allocations for the local public health grant from April.
The Government says the extra money for 151 local authorities will mean local authority funding for treatment will have increased 40% between 2020/21 and 2024/25.
It will enable councils to recruit more staff to work with people with drug and alcohol problems, support more prison leavers and invest in enhancing the quality of treatment they provide.
Mr Fothergill said: ‘This additional funding is important in helping to support councils to address drug and alcohol dependency and will make a real difference to transforming the lives of those who need it in our communities.
‘Councils stand ready to work with the Government to make sure everyone gets the right treatment and support.
‘For many problem users, their first experience of treatment is the catalyst for getting the help they need to address their physical and mental health problems
‘However, councils’ allocations for the local public health grant from April, which also goes to fund local addiction support services, has still yet to be announced leaving the future of many vital services in doubt.
‘The Government should give these services long term certainty by urgently publishing the public health settlement which help councils plan for the future.’
