Standing Conference on Land Contamination - Terms of reference

1. The Standing Conference has been established by the CIEH in recognition of the complex nature of land contamination and its regulation in the UK, the significance of that for public health and the challenges consequently facing its members and others who are responsible for the topic, normally within Environmental Health departments of local authorities.

Status

2. The Standing Conference is an “Open Members’ Forum” of the Chartered Institute whose membership consists of representatives of the various area, county and regional specialist contaminated land groups (however they designate themselves) which are organised throughout England, Wales and N Ireland, whether by affiliation to the CIEH or otherwise. It welcomes the contribution of non-members, government and invited participants from outside the regulatory community.

Purpose

3. The Standing Conference enjoys the support of the Environment Agency and Defra in its purposes which are as follows:

1. To act as a national forum to discuss and review the operation of the contaminated land regulatory regimes;
   
2. To identify problems and obstacles to the effective working of those regimes and to make recommendations for improved policies and procedures to the government and the Environment Agency;
   
3. To provide a conduit for consultation between the local authority land contamination regulatory community, government, the Environment Agency and others outside the regulatory community;
   
4. To identify and, where possible, help to fill needs for research and guidance;
   
5. To foster understanding of the regulators’ role;
   
6. To advise on the training requirements of contaminated land regulators;
   
7. To facilitate high and consistent standards of practice in the local authority land contamination regulatory community.

Working

4. The Standing Conference will meet from time-to-time in plenary session, under a chairman appointed by the CIEH. In the interim, the CIEH will be guided in the management of the Conference by an Advisory Committee made up of members selected to reflect the diversity of the Conference and other invitees. Temporary working groups may be established from time-to-time under the Advisory Committee to fulfil specific tasks.
   
5. The CIEH will maintain a Conference web presence on which its meetings will be advertised and its proceedings posted.