Four environmental health practitioners tell MPs about the need for better resourcing for housing enforcement

Four environmental health practitioners have told MPs on a Commons select committee about the need for better resourcing for housing enforcement.

The four environmental health practitioners were giving oral evidence on behalf of their local authorities to the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee. The Committee is conducting an inquiry into housing conditions in England.

The environmental health practitioners drew attention to the need for sustainable funding for enforcement of the Renters’ Rights Act. Joe Roberts, Head of Building Control, Compliance & Housing Quality, Cornwall Council, said: “we need more sustainable funding given to us so we can plan a way forward towards increasing our delivery and helping those facing poor housing conditions”.

Ashlea Birch, Neighbourhood Manager (Environmental Health, Trading Standards & Housing), Manchester City Council, explained to the Committee that receipts from civil penalty notices were useful but cannot sustain a service. She highlighted the problem of debt recovery in relation to civil penalties and that landlords can appeal against them.

Another key point to emerge from the evidence was that the success of local authority enforcement cannot be measured in terms of prosecutions or civil penalty notices. Ian Sanders, Principal Environmental Health Officer, Private Housing (Environmental Health), Hull City Council, pointed out that the performance of a GP would not be viewed on the basis of how many of their patients had a surgical procedure. He highlighted the extent to which local authorities use informal means to get works carried out.

James Wilson, Head of Environment and Sustainability, Environmental Services, Great Yarmouth Borough Council, referred to the fact that there will be an additional enforcement burden for local authorities associated with getting landlords to register on the new private rented sector database.

The oral evidence given by these environmental health practitioners can be viewed here. The written evidence submitted by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health to the inquiry can be found here and the organisation’s oral evidence can be viewed here.

Zena Lynch, a member of the housing advisory panel of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, said:

“The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health is delighted that these four environmental health practitioners have had this opportunity to draw the attention of MPs to key issues about housing enforcement. Their evidence complements our own written and oral evidence to the inquiry.

“We are particularly pleased that they were able to highlight the need for sustained funding for enforcement of the Renters’ Rights Act and the importance of informal as well as formal enforcement of legislation.”