Councillors want to commission health

The Local Government Association is calling for councils to be
given health commissioning powers.

A draft manifesto, discussed this week by the LGA executive,
says councils should assume control of services, including health,
from other agencies to improve quality and efficiency.

The LGA support for transferring health commissioning will
inform the debate on the forthcoming white paper on health and
social care.

The Liberal Democrats have long championed the idea as a way to
improve joint working between social services and health and
increasing democratic accountability in the NHS.

But it has been rejected by the government as expensive and
unnecessary, and ministers have instead championed the devolution
of commissioning powers from primary care trusts to GPs.

• Manifesto from www.lga.gov.uk