SOUTHAMPTON is set to share a new public health chief with Portsmouth.

The Daily Echo can reveal that the two cities are set to appoint a joint director of public health in the face of continuing funding cuts.

Southampton City Council’s last director, Dr Andrew Mortimore, pictured, retired earlier this year, and the councils are set to announce the new director later this year.

A spokesman for the council said the decision was made “in the face of significant financial challenges and cuts to the public health grant from the Department for Health”.

They said the two cities share many similarities in their health issues and challenges, and that the two authorities shared a director of public health prior to councils taking on responsibility for public health in 2013.

The responsibilities of the new director will include providing expert advice on health issues and inequalities and coming up with plans to tackle them and coordinating the cities’ response to outbreaks of disease and other emergencies.

The role of the new director will see them work alongside NHS organisations and criminal justice bodies to improve health outcomes, and “ensure effective and tested plans are in place for the wider health sector to protect the local population from risks to public health”.

A spokesman for the city council said discussions are underway to appointing a joint panel of representatives from both councils and national health bodies.

Southampton’s cabinet member for health and sustainable living, Dave Shields, said: “We feel that sharing this role can be beneficial for both cities and we look forward to working closely together during this process.”

Council leader Simon Letts said: “We feel there is no need for two directors of public health because we have similar problems and having a joined up drugs, alcohol and school nursing system makes sense.”

The cost of the role, which is yet to be decided, will be shared between the two councils, and it is anticipated that the new director will be in post by April next year at the latest.

Dr Mortimore retired from his £81,000 a year post in March after 16 years at Southampton City Council and the NHS.