CIEH welcomes inclusion of 'environmental factors’ amendment to English Devolution Bill to cover greater focus on air quality protections

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) has welcomed the introduction of the ‘environmental factors’ Government amendment to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill which could bring stronger air quality protections.

CIEH is following the journey of the Bill through Parliament closely as it carries significant implications for environmental health professionals, particularly those working within local authorities including submitting written evidence to the Public Bill Committee.

A key clause for CIEH is Clause 43 which legally requires authorities to consider health improvement as part of all their functions and address health inequalities in regional policy and service delivery.

CIEH has supported an amendment championed by the Healthy Air Coalition, of which CIEH is a member, to strengthen Clause 43 on health inequalities to include environmental harms such as air pollution in the Bill’s definition of general health determinants which provides the statutory guidance to mayors and strategic authorities on delivering this new duty.

CIEH is therefore pleased that an amendment to the Bill tabled by the Rt. Hon Steve Reed, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Amendment 116), which includes environmental factors as a general health determinant, has been passed meaning the Bill will now require new regional mayors to address health inequalities linked to wider determinants, including air pollution and access to green space and bodies of water.

Professor Jim McManus, CIEH Vice President, said:

“Along with our partners in the Healthy Air Coalition we have called for stronger measures to protect communities from the worst pollution. This amendment to the Bill is a victory for that goal as it will require combined authorities to take environmental factors into account when devising strategies to reduce health inequalities.

“CIEH will continue to monitor the progress of this Bill and advocate for the vital role of Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs) and their critical contribution to prevention, public health improvement, and community resilience.”

Read more about the Bill and CIEH'S work in this area here: https://www.cieh.org/policy/campaigns/devolution/