January 2025
CIPFA and the Health Foundation’s have launched a new prevention project with London Borough of Merton Council. So what does it hope to achieve?
Aproject to better understand local authority spending on mental health prevention has been launched by CIPFA, supported by the Health Foundation.
At a time when public services are under immense strain, the project seeks to help policymakers build stronger cases for prioritising long-term preventative strategies – an approach that could be game-changing for both community wellbeing and financial resilience.
Central to this effort, the project aims to refine a methodology for quantifying local authorities’ preventative spending.
But what exactly does prevention mean, and why is it so vital? Prevention extends beyond traditional health and social care, encompassing the conditions that enable communities to thrive – such as housing, access to education and skills training, good quality jobs, reliable transportation, clean air, safe environments and strong social connections with family, friends and the community.
CIPFA’s project is working to change that by supporting a twin-track approach, calling for simultaneous investment in both acute services and long-term prevention strategies.
The ultimate vision? Healthier, more resilient communities, and a more sustainable public sector capable of delivering better outcomes for all.
London Borough of Merton is the first council to join this innovative project. We spoke with Anthony Hopkins, Director of Culture, Libraries and Sport at Merton to discuss what motivated the council to join the project, how prevention fits into their broader strategy, and the importance of collaboration in driving these efforts forward.
Could you share what drew you to CIPFA and the Health Foundation’s Exploring Preventative Investment in Local Government in England project?
There are a few factors that drew us to this project and, in many ways, it’s been a case of the stars aligning both nationally and locally.
We’re just over a year into our efforts to make Merton London’s first-ever Borough of Sport, a council priority that truly has prevention at its heart. It’s been a useful prism through which to examine and in some cases expand our prevention work. It will also provide a real focus point for this partnership. The fact that our Borough of Sport efforts are truly cross-council – with departments as wide ranging as social care, community safety, regeneration and leisure involved – means we have an opportunity to develop a real picture of organisational spend.
The new government’s focus on prevention is, of course, welcome and will hopefully bring more focus to the work that we and all local authorities are doing on key strategies like our Health and Wellbeing Strategy and our Local Health and Care Plan. But this type of research work isn’t something that Merton, or any local authority, could easily undertake alone, so we were excited to join the partnership and shape the national picture of prevention spending. We recognise the expertise and perspective that CIPFA and the Health Foundation both bring to the project, and we’re thrilled to work with them to look at our efforts in such detail. The findings from this project will also help the council better articulate and measure the impact of the ground-breaking suite of projects it is implementing for the Borough of Sport.
Merton aims to become London’s first-ever ‘Borough of Sport’. How does prevention factor into this vision, and how do you see it contributing to better health outcomes for residents?
Prevention is a key driver of Merton’s mission to become London’s Borough of Sport, enabling residents to lead healthier and more vibrant lives for longer. We interpret sport in the broadest possible sense – supporting people to move more in ways that work best for them. We have designed our efforts through an equity lens, ensuring that everyone has access to these benefits. This means introducing initiatives spanning all four stages of prevention, from universal to highly targeted programmes.
Our approach starts with primordial prevention, establishing foundations for healthier lives by making movement accessible and enjoyable for all. Universal programmes like our online activity finder and free swimming options aim to build healthy, active habits.
At the other end of the spectrum, tertiary prevention programmes provide specialised support to those already managing chronic health conditions, ensuring they, too, can benefit from regular physical activity. For example, our partnership with Alzheimer’s Society has led to dementia-friendly swimming sessions and ‘Feel Good Folders,’ innovative resources that enable residents with dementia to stay active.
This project will help us not only map the departments and services involved in delivering this priority but also quantify the council’s financial inputs thus far. We hope that this information will guide decision-making, ensuring we effectively allocate resources and maximise the benefits for all residents.
What role do you think collaboration with other councils and organisations, like the Health Foundation and CIPFA, plays in advancing prevention-focused initiatives?
Joined-up collaborative work with respected organisations such as the Health Foundation and CIPFA is always welcome. It helps advance our shared thinking and draw in expert support and guidance. The focus around this project will also enable us to develop more sophisticated evidence-based approaches to evaluating our Borough of Sport projects and further develop cross-council department collaboration.
Becoming a borough of sport is, in the first instance, a Merton specific initiative. That said, we also really want to share what we’ve learned from this work with other councils and organisations. Our hope is that this work becomes a blueprint and that we see more people follow our lead to better understand their current levels of preventative spend, or even to create boroughs, and indeed cities, of sport in their areas, too.
How important is it for central government to support local authorities in their efforts to focus more on prevention?
This is critical, and it needs to be more than simply the development of case studies and examples of good practice. The dialogue also needs to be two-way. Local authorities are on the ground and know the places and people they serve inside and out.
While increased funding will always be desirable – whether that’s through ring-fenced public health settlements or otherwise – we also need to see prevention woven through policy across all departments. Of course, this will become easier for government to do meaningfully when we have a stronger business case for investing in prevention that projects like this are helping to create.
Finally, what advice would you give to other councils considering joining CIPFA’s project or rethinking their approach to preventative spending?
We would encourage other councils to get involved. We have been very impressed with the initial communication and planning we have had with CIPFA and feel that the work we are developing will lead to meaningful results in terms of quantifying preventative spend and later evaluating the impact of our Borough of Sport initiatives.
We hope the framework that we develop will be another tool that councils can use to make the case for investing in prevention.
- CIPFA and the Health Foundation’s project remains open to additional councils interested in exploring their levels of preventative investment. To participate or learn more, contact Zachary Scott, CIPFA Policy Researcher on Prevention – email zachary.scott@cipfa.org
