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In England and Wales, the CIEH Noise Survey provides the only source of information on the vital contribution made by environmental health professionals working to resolve noise complaints.
We are writing to let our Local Authority members know of an upcoming change to the way in which CIEH gathers noise complaint data for its unique annual survey.
Last year, the number of responses to the annual noise complaint survey was quite low (less than 48%), meaning that the validity of the overall data set, if published, would have been limited. A component of the Public Health Outcomes Framework maintained by UKHSA is reliant on our annual data survey so it is important that we consider the medium-term value of the data and how it can inform different national plans or strategies.
In preparation for this year's survey, the CIEH team has consulted different Government bodies, including UKHSA and DEFRA, on what contemporary issues we could meaningfully capture data about and also spoken with a range of other external stakeholders about how the results of the data set will support other projects relating to noise and public health. In order to maximise CIEH's reputation and the value of the data we gather, we have taken the decision to issue an FOI request to all LAs rather than relying on a voluntary data set. We recognise that this will create a new task and generate a degree of work so the new request has been designed with the input of two of our Advisory Panels to keep the question set as minimal as possible whilst being future-proofed.
We are grateful to those LAs who responded last year. It is our intention to publish last year's data alongside the 2025 data set in a combined report. We hope that the new questions will enable us to have meaningful dialogue with policy teams within Government, as well as within the research community, in order to create more visibility and profile for the profession. We will also look to publish an article in Environmental Health News in 2026 looking at what previous surveys have highlighted.
For any queries, please contact [email protected].
Thank you to all local authority professionals in England and Wales who participated in our 2024 Noise Survey. Your insights are invaluable in helping us understand the current landscape of noise management across the UK. Your expertise will play a key role in shaping the future of noise control policies and practices, ensuring that your experiences and challenges inform approaches in this area.
For those who wish to reference the survey, you can still download the Word version of the survey for your records.
Our noise survey provides the only source of regular national information on the important contribution made by EHPs working to resolve noise complaints.
Our survey results were referenced in the 2017 Chief Medical Officer annual report to emphasise that "environmental noise comes second in burden of disease to air pollution and arguably is responsible for more disturbance of quality of life". Noise is the single largest issue of complaint made to local authorities in the UK and over 80% of people report being exposed to noise pollution in their homes.
The 2020/21 England Noise Survey report was published in March 2022.
Key findings:
The report covers:
Responses to the survey were received from all local authorities in Wales.
Key findings:
We collected data from 143 local authorities in England.
The report covers the same areas as the new 2019/20 report excluding other formal actions taken by Local Authorities.
All 22 local authorities in Wales responded to the survey, which is a response rate of 100%.
In total 18,567 noise complaints were recorded, which works out as 59 complaints for every 10,000 members of population. Noise from residential premises accounts for the largest proportion of noise complaints, while industrial noise accounts for the lowest proportion of noise complaints compared to other sectors.
Looking for a new role in environmental health?
Whether you're just starting out or ready for your next step, EHN Jobs connects you with the latest opportunities in environmental health across the UK.