As many as 22 local councils have now pledged support for community pharmacy in the face of the sector's 12% cut to funding in England, which came into force on December 1, the NPA told C+D.

The group said the anti-cuts campaign needs to be "local as well as national", so that "the issues feel very real and personal" to patients on the ground.

 The NPA has been communicating with councillors across England, and has given “practical support” to local protests in many areas, it said last week (November 29).

“We are working with local councils, NPA members and local pharmaceutical committees to channel this passion to achieve useful outputs, such as local impact assessments,” NPA head of communications Stephen Fishwick said.

Mr Fishwick added that it is a powerful reminder to MPs that their constituents care about local pharmacies and that “the issue has not gone away”.

The NPA is aware of the following councils filing motions against the cuts, although it stressed the list is not exhaustive:

• Barnet
• Bath and North East Somerset
• Brighton and Hove
• Dacorum
• Durham
• Essex
• Hastings
• Hounslow
• Isle of Wight
• Kent
• Newcastle
• Northampton
• Norwich
• Okehampton
• Oldham
• Rotherham
• Sheffield
• Shropshire
• Sutton
• Wolverhampton
• Worcester
• Wyre Forest.

According to the the NPA, Essex, Dacorum and Northampton councils all lost their motions.

Despite losing the motion by 18 votes, Essex council recognised the negative impact the £113 million funding drop will have on local healthcare.

Councillor Graham Butland (above), cabinet member for health at Essex county council, said that if any of the pharmacies in the county have to close due to the funding cuts there could be a "potential impact on the public health services delivered by [them]".

“We would not want any funding changes to reduce access, safety or quality, especially in deprived areas and for isolated people in our communities," Mr Butland told C+D today (December 5).

Worcester City council adopted a motion on November 22 for its council leader to write to the Secretary of State, NHS England and South Worcestershire clinical commissioning group (CCG) to encourage them to "abandon" the cuts.  

"This council believes that the government's plans to reduce funding for community pharmacies threaten patient access to pharmacies and pharmacy services in Worcester," it said in a statement.

"Our local pharmacies are at risk of closure or being forced to cut services such as free delivery of prescription drugs, family planning advice and advice on medicines," the council added.

"This will put more pressure on GPs and hospitals and impact social services and is at odds with the local CCG's desire to increase the use of pharmacists to ease pressure on GPs and A&E services."