Conference hears from Government ministry on Renters’ Rights Bill

The Renters’ Rights Bill, which is aimed at improving the system for private renters and landlords in England when it is introduced, was one of the highlight topics discussed at a conference for environmental health professionals.

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) Housing and Health Conference featured a wide-ranging programme of speakers over two packed days of sessions.

Day one kicked off with a keynote session from Stephanie Kvam, Deputy Director – Private Rented Sector, at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), who spoke to the conference about what’s new from the Government in terms of housing policy.

This led into an extended session on the Renters’ Rights Bill delivered by Hermione Cross, Deputy Bill Manager of the Renters’ Rights Bill at MHCLG and Catherine Graham, PRS Database Delivery Manager at MHCLG.

The session concluded with Dr Henry Dawson, Senior Lecturer and Programme Director for Environmental Health at Cardiff Metropolitan University and CIEH Housing Advisory Panel member, who updated delegates on the extensive work CIEH has been doing as the Bill progresses through Parliament.

This has included CIEH-backed amendments to the Bill on licensing being tabled and spoken on by MP and Green Party Co-Chair Carla Denyer at committee stage and report stage in the House of Commons. Liberal Democrat peer Lord Shipley tabled and spoke on the CIEH licensing amendments at committee stage in the House of Lords.

Further highlights on day one included a panel discussion on high rise buildings and collaboration between the Building Safety Regulator (BSR), local authorities and fire services, as well as a case study delivered by Paul Broadhurst, Service Manager – Private Sector Housing, Leeds City Council on enforcement.

Day two was another packed day, with highlights including a session on the health impact of selective licensing schemes for the private rented sector in England presented by Professor Matthew Egan, Professor of Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine at the University of London and Dr Jill Stewart, Associate Professor in Public Health at the University of Greenwich, also a CIEH Housing Advisory Panel member.

Further sessions on day two included an impactful talk on temporary accommodation and its effects on children and households, and an update on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill from Megan Hinch, Policy Manager at the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH).

Zena Lynch, Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Birmingham and member of CIEH’s Housing Advisory Panel, chaired the first day of the conference. She said:

“It was my absolute pleasure to help chair the CIEH Housing and Health Conference 2025 which was such a wonderful event with a really interesting and varied agenda covering timely and important topics impacting the work of environmental health professionals right now and in the future.

“I would like to thank all the informative and engaging speakers who presented over the two days and all those who attended and contributed to the event being a great success.”

Found out more about upcoming events and conferences organised by CIEH here: www.cieh.org/events