In more detail
Public health is concerned with helping people to stay healthy (rather than curing them when they are ill). It includes things like diet, physical activity, alcohol and drugs, sexual health, environmental health, controlling infectious diseases and preventing accidents. Local councils were responsible for public health up until 1974. In 1974, responsibility for most of public health – apart from environmental health and health and safety at work – was transferred to the NHS.
In 2013, local councils were given back responsibility for public health and set up local Health and Wellbeing Boards with NHS and other representatives to coordinate and improve public health provision and tackle health inequalities.
Council Public and Environmental Health Responisbilities
Councils have responsibilities and powers in a range of areas in environmental health which communities may find relevant to neighbourhood improvement, including:
- Inspection of food premises and food hygiene grading – councils inspect shops, restaurants, take-aways etc to ensure that hygiene standards are adequate.
- Pest control and clearing property – the council is responsible for ensuring property owners deal with nuisance arising from infestation by rats, cockroaches, bed bugs etc. This may take the form of offering free or charged services to deal with pests. Councils may also provide a property clearing service to disinfest and clear properties of rubbish, faeces and other unpleasant and dangerous waste including that resulting from flood damage.
- Pollution control – the council has powers to regulate environmental pollution including by light and noise from buildings.
- Smoking – local councils are responsible for enforcing regulations on smoke-free premises.
- Contaminated land – councils and the Environment Agency have responsibility for identifying and managing contaminated land .
- Fly tipping and street litter – local councils are responsible for enforcing action against fly tippers and littering.
- Health and safety at work – the council is, together with the Health and Safety Executive, responsible for regulating health and safety at work. In general, councils are the main enforcing authority for retail, wholesale distribution and warehousing, hotel and catering premises, offices, and the consumer and leisure industries.
- Traveller encampments – the council is responsible for providing legal camp sites for travellers and for taking action on illegal encampments on public land and ensuring that landowners take action against illegal encampments on their land.
Public health responsibilities which have transferred back to councils from the NHS mean that they provide and enable health-based support for community sports and physical activities which could play a part in neighbourhood improvement.
| Key Facts:
Concern for public and environmental health was one of the main reasons for setting up local councils in the 19th century. They have recently had responsibility for public health returned to them from the NHS. Food hygiene, pest control, pollution control, enforcing the ban on smoking, contaminated land, fly tipping, street litter and street cleansing, health and safety at work and both providing legal site for traveller encampments and dealing with illegal encampments are all areas in which communities can help to make better neighbourhoods by working with their local council. |
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BIRMINGHAM COMMUNITY PLANNING TOOLKIT DEFINITION SHEET This sheet may be reproduced in paper or electromic or any other form but please mention it was made by Chamberlain Forum Limited for Birmingham City Council supported by Department for Communities and Local Government.
| created: 2016-06-29 14:21:16 | by: admin | status: f published |