Local leadership in action
Public health in 2026 will feel less like a new agenda and more like a year of delivery.
This is the year when local government’s convening power, commissioning responsibilities and place-based leadership will determine whether national ambition turns into tangible gains in our local communities.
The Covid Inquiry’s Module 10, ‘Impact on society’, opens public hearings in mid-February, reflecting on the social, economic and health consequences of the pandemic. Its earlier reports have already concluded that the UK response was “too little, too late”, citing unclear governance and poor communication across the country.
The practical implications for 2026 are likely to focus on how we embed local public health expertise in national emergency frameworks, clarify accountability and ensure preparedness is sustainably funded rather than improvised in crisis.
Legislation is also shifting the ground. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, having cleared critical Commons’ stages in March 2025 and currently progressing in the Lords, will begin to reshape the retail and promotional environment this year.
Bans on vape advertising, sponsorship and vending machines start to roll out in 2026, with ministers retaining powers to regulate flavours, packaging and displays, and expand smokefree places, via secondary legislation.
From 1 January 2027, the ‘smokefree generation’ provision will also make it illegal to sell tobacco to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009.
Meanwhile, the 10 Year Health Plan for England is being put into operation through the NHS’s medium-term planning framework for 2026/27 to 2028/29. It sets clear trajectories for elective recovery, urgent and emergency care, and cancer pathways, while pushing systems to rewire governance, finance and patient experience.
The promise of neighbourhood health – delivering more care at home or closer to home – is starting to materialise through virtual wards and integrated teams, with new national frameworks supporting local adaptation. The test for 2026 is whether these shifts are felt by patients and frontline staff, not just recorded in board papers.
On funding, the Government has confirmed a three-year multi-year settlement for public health, providing a consolidated public health grant of £13.45 billion over the Spending Review period. The grant will remain ringfenced for exclusive use on public health, with additional service-specific ringfences for smoking cessation and drug and alcohol treatment funding.
As the February edition of first was going to press, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) was due to publish the annual public health ringfenced grant circular for local authorities, setting out detailed allocations and guidance.
The DHSC’s local authority peer review and external support offer is also due to go live in 2026/27, delivering 90 peer reviews over three years, universal toolkits and rapid improvement support.
In addition, NHS England’s neighbourhood health guidance sets out the integrated approach between integrated care boards, councils, public health, social care and providers that many places have been developing, now with a clearer national scaffold.
There are moments this year that invite reflection as well as action, as 2026 is a centenary year for some formative public health debates and instruments.
These include: the 1926 Commons’ debates on birth control and the legality of contraceptive information, which framed early state engagement with reproductive health; and the Ministry of Health’s use of provisional orders to enable rapid local interventions in housing, sanitation and health.
“The test for 2026 is whether these shifts are felt by patients and staff”
Fifty years ago, in spring 1976, the UK Government published ‘Prevention and health: everybody’s business’. It was a landmark discussion paper, calling for a shift from cure to prevention and urging action on smoking, diet, inactivity, alcohol, obesity and sexual health.
These anniversaries underscore how today’s arguments about the balance between individual agency, public interest and local powers are not new; they are chapters in a long story of public health negotiating science, values and the tools of government.
Local government and the LGA will not be spectators when it comes to improving the public’s health. Councils will be the enablers of national ambition through trading standards enforcement, commissioners of public health services and leadership of integrated neighbourhood health models. They will need to plan for multi-year public health grants, and embrace peer review as a tool for improvement and champion equity.
The LGA’s task is to amplify the local voice, shape the improvement framework, and support members with practical guidance and advocacy.
In short, 2026 is the moment to demonstrate that prevention, resilience and health equity are built from the ground up, and that strong, well-resourced local public health leadership is the key to turning policy into impact.
Strengthening local leadership
The LGA and ADPH Public Health Conference 2026
Later this month, councillors, directors of public health, other senior colleagues and stakeholders, and their teams, will come together for the 2026 public health conference – a three-day online event focusing on issues shaping the health and wellbeing of local communities.
The conference, delivered by the LGA in partnership with the Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH), highlights the central role councils play in creating the conditions for good health – from planning and housing to early years support and public health services.
Last year, more than 1,200 delegates registered for the event across the three days, underlining how valuable this space is for colleagues across the country.
For councillors, it provides the insight, ideas and networks to strengthen their leadership at a moment when local action will help shape the direction of public health in the years ahead.
The programme for 2026 has grown in response to extraordinary demand, with more than 90 expressions of interest for sessions – a clear sign of how important this moment feels across local government and public health.
The opening session will set the tone for the whole conference, with speakers – including Liverpool’s Director of Public Health, Professor Matthew Ashton – discussing how councils can lead neighbourhood-level health improvement.
The second day explores the broader policy environment that councils are navigating. A session on English devolution asks whether current reforms can genuinely help reverse inequalities or whether deeper structural issues risk being overlooked.
Planning is another major theme: attendees will hear about the role of the National Planning Policy Framework in managing the impact of fast-food outlets, while a practical session led by colleagues from Watford and Hertfordshire will explore how healthy and safe places can be embedded into local planning strategies.
The third day begins with a forward-facing discussion on the implementation of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which is particularly relevant for councillors preparing for new local responsibilities around enforcement and population-level prevention.
Mental health also features strongly, with speakers from local government and the Centre for Mental Health sharing what has worked in improving mental wellbeing at community level.
The final day of the conference features a keynote from Public Health Minister Ashley Dalton and ADPH President Greg Fell, who will reflect on national priorities and how central government intends to support local areas in strengthening prevention and resilience.
- The LGA/ADPH Annual Public Health Conference 2026, ‘Better health for all – local leadership in action’, takes place virtually from 24-26 February. Find out more and book your place