Kingston Council is set to re-establish a dedicated Health and Wellbeing Board as part of a move to enhance its public health duties and improve collaboration with partners. The decision was made during a Corporate and Resources Committee meeting on Thursday, June 25, 2026.
The re-establishment of a standalone Health and Wellbeing Board aims to more effectively fulfil the council's public health duty to improve local residents' health and ensure better collaboration with partners to deliver the government's 10-year health plan. This strategic shift comes in response to significant changes within the National Health Service, including the abolishment of NHS England and widespread changes to the health sector, as well as the evolving landscape of neighbourhood systems and NHS engagement with local government.
Councillor Anita Schaper, Portfolio Holder for Communities, Commissioning, Customer Contact and Governance, explained the necessity for a standalone board, stating, A standalone board is necessary due to recent significant changes in the National Health Service and the evolving landscape of neighbourhood systems and NHS engagement with local government.
Councillor Andreas Kirsch, Leader of the Council, echoed this sentiment, adding that the move is necessary due to significant changes in the health policy landscape.
The new board will focus on improving local residents' health and aligning with the government's 10-year health plan. Health and Wellbeing Boards (HWBs) are a really important forum for where we bring together statutory offices of the council with partners across the health and care system,
according to Sam Morrison. HWBs are very much there to provide that oversight and assurance on how we really come together to improve in advance of health outcomes across the borough and really take that long-term view.
Currently, the functions of the Health and Wellbeing Board are integrated within the Kingston Partnership Board. However, the committee recommended to Full Council that a separate Health and Wellbeing Board be re-established for Kingston. This will involve approving proposed amendments to the council's constitution, which are detailed in Annex A of the report Public reports pack Thursday 25-Jun-2026 19.30 Corporate and Resources Committee.
The Kingston Partnership Board, which has been fulfilling the role of the Health and Wellbeing Board, will be disestablished. Authority has been delegated to the Monitoring Officer to make any consequential amendments to the Council's Constitution to reflect these changes.
The recommendation also includes re-establishing a Special Responsibility Allowance for the Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board, at an estimated annual cost of £7,582.98. The committee's decisions can be found in the Decisions Thursday 25-Jun-2026 19.30 Corporate and Resources Committee document.
