Treasury must focus on prevention in UK public spending, says report
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Analysts say ‘measurable, lasting outcomes’ require long-term planning after Tory cuts of up to 78% in some cases. The Treasury needs to rethink public spending to focus on prevention of the UK’s health, crime and homelessness problems after cuts of up to 78% under the Tories, a report from Demos and the Health Foundation has found.
It said prevention spending should be carved out and protected just like capital spending was from the 1990s onwards so that departments are better able to preserve budgets with long term benefits. They cited funding for preventive children’s services, which has dropped by 78% since 2010, that can in the long run reduce benefit, crime and homelessness spending. They also highlighted a 28% drop in public health funding per capita since 2015.
Demos and the Health Foundation, a charity committed to public health, said their plan to overhaul Treasury rules – making sure prevention spending was identified – would ensure better long-term societal and economic outcomes. “Mission-driven government is a core part of Labour’s strategy and so is embedding prevention into policymaking to ensure measurable, lasting outcomes,” said Polly Curtis, the chief executive of Demos. “We are calling on ministers to rewire the Treasury to make sure they are embedding prevention into policymaking to drive cultural change across public services and decision-making processes.”.
