Value of environmental health highlighted in Parliament amid renewed push for APPG

A special parliamentary event marking 150 years since the landmark Public Health Act 1875 has brought renewed attention to the need for establishing an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Environmental Health.

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) hosted the commemorative reception in the Houses of Parliament, welcoming MPs, policy makers, and key sector stakeholders to reflect on the enduring influence of the 1875 Act and its relevance to the environmental health challenges of today.

Speakers highlighted the critical and wide-ranging role environmental health plays across housing standards, food safety and regulation, air quality, noise control, public protection, and prevention, as well as emphasising environmental health teams’ vital contribution to safeguarding public health and the UK economy.

The occasion also provided a timely platform for CIEH to restate its call for an APPG on Environmental Health. Such a group, CIEH argues, would give environmental health a stronger political voice and help ensure the UK Government can meet its environmental and public health commitments.

The reception was hosted by Baggy Shanker, MP for Derby South, who opened the event. He was followed by speeches from CIEH Chief Executive Fran McCloskey, CIEH Vice President and former MP Joan Walley, and CIEH President Mark Elliott, who closed the proceedings.

While the event looked back at the far-reaching legacy of the Public Health Act 1875, it also looked ahead to the growing challenges environmental health professionals will need to tackle to protect their communities.

Fittingly, the reception took place during National Apprenticeship Week, and CIEH was pleased to welcome environmental health apprenticeship students from Middlesex University among its guests, representing the next generation who will carry this vital work forward.

Joan Walley, CIEH Vice President, said:

“I was honoured to speak at CIEH’s parliamentary reception marking 150 years of the Public Health Act 1875, a landmark piece of legislation that laid the foundations for safer housing, improved sanitation, food safety, and healthier communities.

“The reformers of the 19th century refused to accept that unsafe living conditions were inevitable. They recognised a truth that feels even more relevant today: that health is shaped not only by medicine, but by the environments in which people live, work, learn, and play.

“The challenges facing us now are ones our predecessors could never have imagined — from forever chemicals and organised fly‑tipping to dark kitchens, novel viruses, climate‑driven diseases, and the shift to food bought online. Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs) are on the front line of all these issues, working tirelessly to protect the public.

“Environmental health remains absolutely central to prevention and protection. That’s why it was so encouraging to engage with so many parliamentarians and key stakeholders at the reception to discuss our call for an APPG on Environmental Health — a vital step to ensure these issues are firmly and consistently on the agenda of policymakers.”

Baggy Shanker, Derby South MP who hosted the reception, said:

“It was a pleasure to join CIEH in marking 150 years since the Public Health Act 1875 — a moment to recognise both how far environmental health has come and the vital role it plays today.

“My time in local government showed me just how profoundly environmental health shapes people’s lives: from housing standards and food safety to the air we breathe, and the environments children grow up in.

“Environmental health professionals are a critical part of our public health system, our local government infrastructure, and our national resilience and they deserve to be visible, valued, and recognised for the essential work they do.

“I hope this event sparks meaningful conversations, strengthens relationships, and reinforces why environmental health must remain central to our thinking, now and for the future.”

Lily Allen, Environmental Health Apprentice at Middlesex University, said:

“It was a pleasure to attend CIEH’s parliamentary reception celebrating the 150th anniversary of the 1875 Public Health Act and the vital contribution of environmental health.

“With National Apprenticeship Week coinciding with this event, I feel compelled to reflect on my ongoing journey as an environmental health apprentice. I am so grateful for the opportunities and experiences I have been offered and continue to seek out new ones to prepare me for a rewarding career where I can make a real difference.

“Today’s event has reaffirmed how central this profession is, and has always been, to protecting public health. I look forward to the next stage of my career and all the challenges and opportunities that will bring.”

People can find out how to support CIEH’s campaign for an APPG on environmental health here: https://www.cieh.org/policy/campaigns/appg-on-environmental-health/