Hillingdon Council has reaffirmed its commitment to continuing vital substance misuse and stop smoking services for the period 2026-2029, following a decision made by the council's Cabinet on Thursday, March 19, 2026.
The meeting saw the approval of key strategies and programmes, with a total of £15,376,013 allocated for drug and alcohol services and £1,679,477 for smoking cessation services over the three-year period, funded by the ring-fenced Public Health Grant from the Department of Health & Social Care.
Councillor Jane Palmer, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care, presented the report, emphasizing that these services do not incur direct costs to the core council budget. The Cabinet agreed to delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Adult Social Care and Health and the Director of Public Health to develop delivery plans and commissioning arrangements. This includes the allocation of contract variations up to a value of £525,000 over the period 1 April 2026 – 31 March 2029, for the ongoing utilisation of Public Health grant funded substance misuse service provision.
This funding will continue to support the existing contract with Central and North West London NHS Trust for substance misuse treatment and recovery services, which includes an uplift for Agenda for Change salary increases. It will also sustain funding for the Hillingdon Youth Service's SORTED programme, which provides drug and alcohol support to children and young people.
Councillor Ian Edwards, Leader of the Council, acknowledged the high demand for these services. He expressed his support for continued investment, noting that the quality of outcomes that arrived in this borough, which I was informed were probably above our competitor or our neighbouring boroughs.
He added his pleasure that the council was continuing to invest and support residents requiring this assistance.
In line with emerging trends, the Director of Public Health is initiating a review and restructure process. This will involve developing a more in-depth understanding of local residents' needs concerning drug, alcohol, and tobacco use. The assessment will cover a range of substances, including non-opiates like cocaine and cannabis, as well as alcohol, smoking, and vaping. Furthermore, there are considerations for developing stop-smoking service support to include specific quit vaping assistance.
For more details on the substance misuse contract, refer to the report: Substance Misuse Contract - Cabinet Member Report Checklist - DRAFT v1
The full public reports pack for the Cabinet meeting can be accessed here: Public reports pack 19th-Mar-2026 19.00 CABINET
Printed minutes of the meeting are available here: Printed minutes 19th-Mar-2026 19.00 CABINET
