CIEH welcomes passage of the English Devolution Act and 'Environmental Factors' amendment into law

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) has welcomed Royal Assent being granted to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act, marking a major milestone in the future of local and regional government and efforts to tackle health inequalities.

The legislation will give Strategic Authorities a new duty to consider and act on improvements to the health of people in their area and to reduce inequalities in health between them.

It also includes the 'Environmental Factors' amendment which means that Strategic Authorities must consider ‘Environmental factors, including air quality and access to green space and bodies of water’ as general health determinants which has a direct link to the work for Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs) in local authorities. It is similar to an amendment supported by CIEH during the Act’s progress through Parliament.

EHPs will play a vital role in the successful implementation of the new legislation, continuing to take action to improve and protect public health at the local level.

CIEH will continue to call for guidance from the government into how the work of Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs) will properly be accounted for when Strategic Authorities plan for this new duty.

Jim McManus, Vice President of CIEH, said:

“CIEH has long called for stronger measures to protect communities from the worst pollution. The Environmental Factors amendment to the Act which is now law 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. This is a crucial step in more local control and responsibility to improving public health.

“CIEH will continue to advocate for the vital role of EHPs and their critical contribution to prevention, public health improvement, and community resilience to be included in the Bill Guidance on this duty.”

Livi Elsmore, Senior Campaign Manager at the Healthy Air Coalition with which CIEH campaigned for Environmental Factors to be part of the Act, said:

“The Healthy Air Coalition is determined to make Britain's air cleaner, healthier and better to breathe and is determined, with the support of our members including CIEH, to pursue this aim within the Devolution Framework.

“Working together with our members including the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, we advocated for a similar amendment at the House of Commons Committee stage and we are grateful that government amendment 116 has been added to the Bill and that it has now been granted Royal Assent.”