18 Mar 2026
News
RHE Global
The latest updates and insights from RIAMS Chief Editor Jeremy Manners.
Welcome to the March edition of RIAMS unpacked. I’m counting down the days now until RHE Housing 2026, my first conference with RHE, in Birmingham on 25 March. The lineup of speakers and panellists is fantastic, and I’m looking forward to our first Housing Roundtable LIVE in the afternoon. If you want to shape the conversation on the day, you can submit questions for the panel using this form. If you haven’t yet booked your place and want to find out more, click here.
Housing matters are also at the fore in Wales, with housing associations gearing up for the implementation of new rules coming into effect on 1 April for investigating and remedying housing hazards. The new requirements are an addendum to the Welsh Housing Quality Standard and are similar to Awaab’s Law in England, setting clear timescales for investigating and resolving hazards. Please get in touch if you work for a stock-holding local authority or registered provider in Wales, as we are rolling out some brand-new training on HHSRS and the WHQS addendum: training@rheglobal.com.
Additional housing training on the agenda this month sees housing expert Henry Dawson delivering online training on damp and mould. With his infectious enthusiasm for the subject, Understanding and Managing Damp and Mould in Domestic Property will doubtless be an engaging course. He will also be making an appearance at RHE Housing 2026 to update us on the upcoming HHSRS2 Operating Guidance.
Changing tack, I had an interesting visit (I say that in a geeky way) from our water provider this week, who was carrying out some random sampling of our mains water supply. Not content to let the technician do his job undisturbed, I had a good chat with him about water sampling for heavy metals, bacteria and chlorine levels, as well as the current big issue around PFAS, which are known to contaminate our mains and private water and our food from various manufacturing processes. Our resident private water supply expert David Clapham delivers a range of training courses covering PFAS, sampling and enforcement. Take a look at what’s on offer here.
Unpacking this month, there are some newsworthy items on cold weather mortality, increased fly-tipping and standards in social housing in Wales. We have a variety of policy and legal updates, and we sneak ‘a closer look’ at RIAMS guidance on taking witness statements. We also introduce the latest Question of the Month from Dr Tim Everett – so grab a coffee and keep reading for your monthly update on all things environmental health.
In the news
Cold weather health and mortality: The UKHSA has published its first Cold Mortality Monitoring Report, which indicates over 2,500 deaths in England during winter 2024/25 associated with cold weather. Key findings show that risk rises steeply with age, a higher number of men died than women, and circulatory diseases were the biggest cause of deaths, occurring in the days following cold weather. A LinkedIn article from Dr Ross Thompson, Principal Environmental Public Health Scientist with the Extreme Events and Health Protection Team at UKHSA, provides valuable insight into the report.
Fly-tipping: There have been a number of recent news reports concerning the increased prevalence of fly-tipping across local authority (LA) areas. Defra has released fly-tipping statistics for England, highlighting the impact this is having on LAs, along with the increase in incidents and enforcement activity being undertaken. To note a few key points from the report, LAs took enforcement action 572,000 times in 2024/25 – an increase of 8% from the previous year; 69,000 fixed penalty notices were issued, an increase of 9%; and the most common size category of fly-tipped waste was (shockingly) equivalent to a small vanload. To help tackle this growing problem, the government is encouraging a publicity drive around seizing and crushing vehicles and calling on LAs to share images and videos of vehicles being crushed on social media. Defra has released guidance for LAs: Vehicle Seizure Powers – Local Authority Guidance, which I’ve linked to the Environmental Crime module in RIAMS Libraries, along with our procedure Unlawfully Deposited Waste: Fly-Tipping (ECP1).
The Public Services Ombudsman for Wales is proposing to investigate social housing disrepair, damp and mould. The ombudsman reported that in 2024/25, nearly one fifth of new complaints they received were in relation to social housing, often relating to vulnerable tenants complaining of disrepair, damp and mould. The ombudsman conducted a consultation in November and reported that the majority of responses ‘supported that it would be in the public interest to undertake an investigation’ and that there were opportunities for social housing providers to improve their responses to tenants’ reports of disrepair, damp and mould. The investigations into two identified housing associations, which may follow, are ‘own initiative investigations’, meaning that individual complaints are not required for the Ombudsman to investigate.
Legal and regulatory insights
The Senedd has passed the Environment (Principles, Governance and Biodiversity Targets) (Wales) Bill, which aims to protect the natural environment, establish environmental principles, set up an ‘Office of Environmental Governance Wales’ (responsible for ensuring public authorities comply with their environmental duties) and create a biodiversity target-setting framework. The bill summary can be found here.
The government has published statutory guidance for local housing authorities in England to support them in preparing and delivering local supported housing strategies under the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023. The duty to produce a strategy rests with the LHA, and social services have a duty to assist the LHA in producing the strategy. The guidance sets out a national framework comprising four components: strategic approach, partnerships, needs assessment and delivery plan. The first strategy should be published by 31 March 2027 (subject to regulations) and then every five years thereafter. As yet, there is no update on the licensing requirements for supported exempt accommodation, but you can find a Guidance Note: Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 (HP259E) on RIAMS.
Electrical safety standards for the private rented sector and social rented sector will apply to existing social tenancies in England (granted before 1 December 2025) from 1 May 2026. The requirements already apply to the PRS and new SRS tenancies, and this final stage of implementation will mop up the remaining ones. In the SRS, these regulations also cover electrical appliances provided by registered providers as part of the tenancy. Our updated procedure is available on RIAMS, and we have updated our e-learning, which will be published in the next few weeks.
Draft regulations have been laid that will require PRS landlords to provide their tenants with a written statement of terms and a prescribed information sheet. The Assured Tenancies (Private Rented Sector) (Written Statement of Terms etc and Information Sheet) (England) Regulations 2026 will require these new provisions from 1 May 2026, and form part of the tenancy reforms being introduced under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025.
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is receiving its third and final reading in the House of Lords before returning to the House of Commons. Running alongside the bill, the government has launched a consultation on Smoke-free, heated tobacco-free and vape-free places in England, which is open until 8 May. The consultation seeks views on extending smoke-free laws to some outdoor public places, introducing heated tobacco- and vape-free places, introducing exemptions allowing designated smoking/vaping areas and defining boundaries and signage requirements. The devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are progressing plans to support the UK agenda around reducing smoking, supporting people to stop smoking, reducing ill-health from smoking and stopping young people vaping. These are outlined in:
Scotland’s Population Health Framework and Tobacco and Vaping Framework: Roadmap to 2034
The Crime and Policing Bill is in the parliamentary process and is currently at the report stage in the House of Lords. It seeks to address anti-social behaviour, crime, policing, public order and national security.
RIAMS in action
RIAMS Libraries is the number one subscription platform for environmental health, providing a comprehensive library of practical and easily accessible procedures, notices, letters, guidance and forms covering all specialisms. Supporting local authorities in delivering robust and consistent enforcement, RIAMS provides a cost-effective solution for your team, keeping officers on the front line.
For Scotland, we are looking for an outstanding environmental health professional to lead this next phase of expansion and join us as RIAMS Editor for Scotland. If you are interested in helping to shape the future of environmental health in Scotland, we’d love to hear from you.
Thanks to Robin Stewart, Property Disputes Partner at Anthony Gold Solicitors, who has kindly allowed us to publish in RIAMS ‘Authorities Bundle for Awaab’s Law created by Anthony Gold Solicitors’. This is a valuable bundle for practitioners looking to support tenants, bringing all the key Awaab’s Law information together in one document.
Activity: In February, we reviewed and updated 75 documents on RIAMS Libraries, including 54 procedures for England, Northern Ireland and Wales. We have also added a new procedure for England and Wales to guide officers on Compensation in the Event of Serving a Housing Prohibition Order (HP262).
A closer look:
Procedure: Taking of Witness Statements Guidance (MP35)
Module: Enforcement
Relevant to: All practitioners involved in investigations and enforcement
Countries: England, Northern Ireland and Wales
Accurate and well-structured witness statements are a vital part of effective enforcement and prosecution work. This procedure outlines the key principles that officers should follow when obtaining witness statements and referencing exhibits to establish clear, admissible evidence that is able to support legal proceedings. It helps guide officers in ensuring witness evidence is reliable, professionally recorded and legally robust.
The procedure highlights the legal framework governing statements, the practical aspects of obtaining and documenting them and runs through identifying and referencing exhibits. It covers the important distinction between factual witnesses and expert witnesses and how written statements can sometimes be used in court in place of oral evidence.
Read the full procedure for England (MP35E), Wales (MP35W) or Northern Ireland (MP35N) to understand the detailed requirements and good practice necessary when gathering witness evidence.
If your organisation doesn’t yet subscribe to RIAMS Libraries, contact RHE Global to book your free demonstration and trial.
What’s new on RIAMS Communities?
The forums continue to flourish with conversation and questions across private water supplies, environmental protection and housing. Take the opportunity to join the discussion and network with colleagues in your chosen subject areas here.
Local authority practitioners and environmental health students can join RIAMS Communities for free. Creating an account is simple with a .gov.uk or .ac.uk email address. Join the conversation at communities.riams.org.
No Smoke Without . . . Smell?
February’s Question of the Month with Dr Tim Everett sniffs around to consider if just the smell of smoke can constitute a statutory nuisance. Tim explores the key case law and whether the smell alone may fall within the definition of smoke under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. He also examines common misconceptions about controlling odours from domestic premises, how different statutory nuisance categories may apply, and why assessing frequency, duration, and severity remains crucial. You can read the blog in full here.
RHE Global
RHE Global supports environmental health practitioners across all specialisms to work smarter, network and share best practices. Visit RIAMS to stay up to date with the latest environmental health developments and discussions.
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