CIEH Policy team takes on 2025 Party conference season

Reflecting on party conference season: Building connections and strengthening our voice 

Over the last few weeks, members of the CIEH Policy team, accompanied by one of our trustees, have had the pleasure of attending this year’s party conference season. We’ve attended the Reform, Liberal Democrat and Labour conferences, and followed closely the Conservative conference, ensuring that we had a strong presence and a broad perspective across the political spectrum. 

This year was particularly significant for us as an organisation. As a newly formed policy team, it was important that we used this opportunity to build new relationships while also strengthening the connections established by our predecessors. Attending the conferences allowed us to introduce ourselves to key stakeholders, reaffirm CIEH’s position within policy conversations, and share more about the essential role of environmental health in shaping healthier, safer communities. 

Collectively, we found the atmosphere positive and engaging. People were receptive to our conversations and interested in learning more about environmental health. Beyond sharing our own insights, the conferences were an invaluable learning experience. We were able to gain a deeper understanding of each party’s policy priorities, particularly in areas that overlap with environmental health. Listening closely to discussions around public health, housing, economic growth, and local government gave us a clearer picture of where environmental health can, and should, have a stronger voice, and where we can make the most impact with our finite resources. 

The conversations were encouraging, but now we’re back at our desks we recognise the importance of maintaining momentum. The policy landscape is shifting, and now is the right time to ensure that environmental health remains firmly on the agenda. As the saying goes, we are already striking while the iron is hot, using this positive engagement as a springboard to make sure the views of our members are represented in every arena. 

We’ve come away from conference season with a wealth of insights and ideas that will help shape our policy work going forward. We’ll be using what we’ve learned and the connections we’ve made to shape our next steps and keep environmental health high on the policy agenda.