Local government capacity to deliver health promotion initiatives: a case study.

Increasingly, Australian local governments are being asked to strengthen their commitment and role in public health and health promotion. Federally, the National Partnership Agreement on Preventive Health (NPAPH), funded local government to deliver community-based physical activity and healthy eating programs, and to develop a range of local policies that support healthy lifestyle behaviours. In South Australia, the Public Health Act 2011 makes local government responsible, for the first time, for taking action to preserve, protect and promote public health within its area. Similar legislation has been enacted in other states. In this letter we discuss the evaluation of a local government project and what this tells us about the capacity of local government to deliver effective health promotion programs.