Contamination Risk To Hundreds Of Future Housing Sites

Hundreds of future housing sites across the UK could pose a risk to public health. That risk is posed by a ‘complacent’ government removing council grants to clean up contaminated brownfield land, the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) has warned. The EAC report says around 300,000 hectares of UK soil is thought to be contaminated with toxic elements – such as cadmium, arsenic and lead - as a result of its industrial past. Read more on the Parliament website.

Inactive Residents Could Have Benefits Docked

Councils could dock benefit payments if residents do not exercise enough in a bid to improve public health, a report has suggested.  Local authorities could monitor people’s use of leisure facilities with smart cards, and housing and council tax benefit could be varied to reward or incentivise residents accordingly.  This is the suggestion in a report from Westminster Council and think tank the Local Government Information Unit (LGIU), A dose of localism: the role of council in public health, which argues councils should incorporate improving public health into existing services.  It also says housing departments should use public space to alleviate health and social issues caused by overcrowding.  Download a copy of the report from the LGIU website.