CIEH statement in response to the BBC investigation into contaminated sites

“Budget cuts to local authorities have impacted upon a range of environmental health functions in recent years. Because land remediation can be an expensive process, local authorities are clearly having to prioritise their functions.

“Land may be contaminated for a variety of reasons. The Government has set ambitious targets for new housing so it's important that land is assessed and contamination addressed during the planning process, so that new developments are safe for the people who will live in them.

“Our members bring their expertise every day to protect the health and wellbeing of their communities and ensuring people have a safe place to live. They are also well-placed and have the expertise to carry out this work, taking a holistic approach to consider all issues.

“However, more support is needed to help them to deliver this incredibly important work. The upcoming Spending Review offers a real opportunity for the Government to allocate and ring-fence critical resources to support the deployment of environmental health professionals, tackle the ongoing workforce challenges in the profession and help our members tackle environmental health issues in their local communities.

“Funding needs to be sustained and predictable so it ensures a long-term solution to the severe issues being faced by local authority teams, rather than just a sticking plaster which will only provide a short-term impact.

“We will continue to push the Government to give environmental health professionals the attention and resources they desperately need and ultimately make our communities healthier and safer.

“While increased funding for environmental health teams would be vital to the future of the profession, most crucially it will help our members to improve the conditions in which we all live and work and protect the public’s health and wellbeing.”