RSPH responds to the 2026 Budget
Author: RSPH 28 October 2026 1 min read
The Budget has potential to set out a more preventative state to improve people's health.
Commenting on the 2026 Budget announced by the Chancellor today, Matthew Bazeley-Bell, Deputy Chief Executive at the Royal Society for Public Health, said:
The Government has rightly set itself the ambition of shifting towards prevention. Today's Budget contains significant steps towards making that real.
The commitment to ringfence prevention spending at the next Spending Review with new preventative departmental expenditure limits is particularly welcome. Too often, government spends money dealing with problems after they arise rather than investing earlier to prevent them. This new approach has the potential to put prevention at the heart of government spending.
We also welcome investment in social housing, social care and tackling rough sleeping, alongside measures to support our high streets. Where we live, work, and spend our time has a profound impact on our health, and RSPH has consistently argued that health should be at the heart of how we invest in our communities. Plans to raise taxes on gambling to support high streets are welcome – but it is essential that this support contributes to people's health and wellbeing.
The Government has also committed to giving powers to people who know their areas best. A ‘roadmap for fiscal devolution’ would give local leaders greater control over resources and an opportunity for the people who know their communities best to invest in healthier places and tackle local health inequalities.
Public health and economic policy are inseparable. Economic policy must tackle health inequalities, improve public health and support sustainable growth.
