As reported by the National Health Executive, vaccination rates remain below target across England, prompting councils to call for stronger local leadership and better coordination to improve uptake
Vaccination rates across England will only recover through stronger local leadership and closer collaboration between health and local government, according to the Local Government Association (LGA), which is calling for a series of reforms to strengthen immunisation programmes.
Alongside publishing new guidance for councils, the LGA warned that vaccine uptake continues to vary significantly between communities, highlighting persistent inequalities in access and coverage.
The association said the current system, which divides responsibility between NHS England, the UK Health Security Agency, Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and local authorities, requires better coordination if falling vaccination rates are to be reversed. It argues that long-term improvement will depend on stronger partnerships, better use of data and sustained investment in local delivery.
The disparities are particularly stark. According to the LGA, first-dose vaccination rates differ by more than 38 percentage points between local authorities, while uptake is around 15 percentage points lower in the most deprived communities than in the least deprived.
Childhood vaccination rates also remain below the level needed to prevent disease outbreaks. Coverage for the MMRV vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox, is now below the World Health Organization’s recommended 95% threshold.
To address the issue, the LGA is urging the government to retain local authority representation on Integrated Care Boards, give directors of public health access to real-time, neighbourhood-level vaccination data, appoint a single accountable vaccination lead in every area and provide dedicated funding for local outreach and community engagement programmes.
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