CIEH manifesto: Building healthier futures together

We urge the UK Government to prioritise public health by providing ring-fenced funding for environmental health apprentices and trainees, as well as increasing funding to support local authority regulatory functions. Years of budget cuts have weakened local authority environmental health teams, leading to heavy workloads and reliance on expensive agency staff. Increased funding would enable teams to deliver essential services that ensure food safety, clean air, disease prevention, and healthy homes.

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Environmental health professionals play a crucial role in tackling poor housing conditions and thereby reducing ill health and saving lives. We want to see more awareness and better resourcing of this role and consolidation of the relevant legislation.

We have long campaigned for a national register of landlords. We disagree with suggestions that it would remove the need for selective licensing schemes. We believe that it should be used as a tool to support the use of licensing schemes by local authorities.

We call for the removal of unnecessary barriers to the use of licensing schemes to improve housing standards. Local authorities should be able to use licence conditions to improve housing conditions. The maximum duration of discretionary licensing schemes should be increased to ten years.

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We call for the removal of restrictions preventing environmental health professionals from fully contributing to checks on products of animal origin (POAO). This will strengthen the UK’s food safety system and streamline processes by recognising environmental health practitioners as authorised officers for POAO checks.

We urge the Government to mandate the display of Food Hygiene Ratings in England. While it is already mandatory in Northern Ireland and Wales, where 91% and 92% of food businesses display their ratings respectively, only 69% do so in England. Introducing mandatory display will improve hygiene standards, empower consumers to make informed choices, and reduce the prevalence of foodborne illnesses.

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We call on the UK Government to set ambitious air quality targets by committing to reduce PM2.5 levels to 10µg/m3 by 2030, aligning with WHO guidelines. Achieving cleaner air will help reduce illnesses linked to air pollution and create healthier environments for everyone.

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We propose regulating the sale and use of domestic solid fuel burners in urban areas with access to on‑grid heating alternatives. These burners are now the largest source of small particle air pollution in the UK, emitting more harmful PM2.5 than road transport. Implementing such regulations will enhance indoor air quality and significantly reduce the public health impacts of air pollution.

The Government must take stronger action, including fines and criminal sanctions, against water companies illegally discharging untreated sewage into waterways. With waterborne diseases rising by 60% since 2010, it is vital to improve sewage treatment infrastructure and hold companies accountable to reduce water pollution and protect public health.

We call for the creation of a Chief Environmental Health Officer role within the UK Government to work alongside the Chief Medical Officer. This dedicated leadership position would prioritise environmental health at a national level and promote stronger integration with public health frameworks.

We urge the UK Government to involve environmental health professionals in implementing net zero policies. Their expertise is essential to prevent unintended health consequences, ensure a balanced approach to decarbonisation, and align carbon reduction with broader environmental health goals for sustainable, long-term solutions.

We call for the inclusion of environmental health professionals in all public health development plans and health policy consultations. Their expertise is crucial for ensuring a holistic approach to public health, addressing how factors like housing, work, food, and air quality impact overall health. Involving EHPs will promote healthier living environments as a core preventative measure, fostering more integrated and effective public health frameworks.