Treasury Call to focus public spending on preventive health policy after years of Tory cuts

The Treasury needs to rewire public spending to focus on preventing ill-health, crime and homelessness following cuts of up to 78% under the Tories, according to a report.

- Rowena Mason

Demos and the Health Foundation said spending on prevention should be protected like capital budgets so ministries could use their cash to deliver long-term benefits.

The thinktanks said funding for preventive children's services, which has dropped by 78% since 2010, could in the long run reduce spending on benefits, crime and homelessness. They also noted a 28% per head drop in public health funding since 2015.

Demos and the Health Foundation said their plan to overhaul Treasury rules – making sure prevention spending was properly 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 policy-making to ensure measurable, lasting outcomes," said Polly Curtis, chief executive of Demos. "We are calling on ministers to rewire the Treasury to make sure they are embedding prevention into policy-making to drive cultural change across public services and decision-making processes."