Local authorities “strongly support” government plans to give them responsibility for public health as outlined in the white paper, Liberating the NHS, health minister Anne Milton has said.

The comments came as a C+D online poll found that half of respondents thought the decision to involve local authorities in public health would make life for community pharmacy more complicated.

Twenty per cent of respondents thought the move would make little difference to the sector, with 17 per cent saying it brought opportunities as there were new commissioners to be influenced.

A large proportion of local authorities had responded to the consultation on the white paper, Ms Milton said in response to a Parliamentary question.

“In general, local authorities strongly supported the transfer of public health functions to local authorities and welcomed the dedicated resources that will follow the transfer of these functions,” Ms Milton said.

But Ms Milton added that specific representations had been made concerning ring-fencing public health resources locally, and the need for a public health outcomes framework to be produced in close partnership with local government.