Environmental charities have welcomed proposed changes to the English Devolution Bill – a flagship piece of legislation to rebuild and reform local government. An amendment to the Bill published this week, tabled by Housing Minister Steve Reed MP, widens the definition of health inequalities to explicitly include air quality, as well as access to green space and bodies of water.
Following campaigning efforts by the Healthy Air Coalition, Friends of the Earth and Asthma + Lung UK, the Bill will now require new regional mayors to address health inequalities linked to wider determinants, including air quality. The proposed changes also make clear that the conditions in which people live – including the air they breathe – are fundamental drivers of health outcomes.
Responding to the news, Andrew McCracken, Director of External Affairs at Asthma + Lung UK, said: “The government’s proposed changes to the English Devolution Bill are a welcome step that could significantly strengthen air quality protections for millions across the country. It is explicitly clear that the conditions in which people live, including the air they breathe, are fundamental drivers of health outcomes.
“Environmental and health organisations including the Healthy Air Coalition, Friends of the Earth and Asthma + Lung UK have long warned that communities breathing toxic air need better measures to protect them from the worst pollution. If passed into law, this amendment would require combined authorities to take environmental factors into account when devising strategies to reduce health inequalities, including air pollution and access to green space and bodies of water.
“Poor air quality remains a public health emergency, contributing to up to 43,000 premature deaths every year in the UK. [1] We encourage government to build on this positive step and adopt bold and ambitious new clean air laws to bring levels of air pollution in line with World Health Organization guidelines.”
References
[1] The problem - Healthy Air Coalition