This EPIC webinar will discuss the new Environmental inspections in England report from the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) and its impact on IES work.

The report makes eight recommendations and looks at 10 contrasting case studies from different regulators:

• Statutory Nuisance (Local authorities)
• Small Waste Incineration Plants (Local authorities)
• Genetically Modified Organisms ‘GMOs’ (Contained Use) (Health and Safety Executive)
• Water Abstraction Licencing (Environment Agency)
• Paper and Textiles (Environment Agency)
• T11 Waste Exemptions (Environment Agency)
• Bathing Water (Environment Agency)
• Aquaculture Production Businesses (Fish Health Inspectorate)
• Marine Licences (Marine Management Organisation)
• Invasive Non-Native Species (Animal and Plant Health Agency)

Despite being crucial to the effective implementation of environmental laws and regulations, inspections are not often considered in detail by Parliament or by government. The report discusses some of the factors that are key to making environmental inspections work better: legislation, guidance, transparency, oversight & scrutiny, finance for inspections, and the balance between risk-based regulation and environmental outcomes.

Speakers

William Wilson is a barrister and principal lawyer with the OEP’s Legal Research and Analysis team. He has worked on environmental law in government, private practice and consultancy, is the author of Making Environmental Laws Work – Law and Policy in the UK and USA and has worked on environmental and energy law projects in the UK, EU and internationally. He has been a member of the IES-EPIC Advisory Group.

Rob Dennis is a lawyer in the OEP's Legal Research and Analysis team. He has worked at the OEP since 2023, conducting legal research and providing advice on matters involving a wide range of environmental laws. Prior to his time at the OEP, Rob worked in private practice, specialising in commercial property law.

Alex Scolding is a trainee lawyer in the OEP’s Legal Research and Analysis team. Alex mainly focused on assessing local authorities’ inspection duties under both the statutory nuisance framework and the Small Waste Incineration Plants (SWIP) regime. Her work also covered the regulation of invasive species, and permitting processes for the textile, paper and pulp industry.
 

Who can attend?
This event is open and free for all to attend.

The event is hosted by the Environmental Policy Implementation Community (EPIC) at the IES. You can join EPIC here. Please note that all environmental professionals working in local authorities can join EPIC for free.
 

Any other questions?
If you have any other questions about this webinar, please get in contact with the EPIC Officer Ellie Savage (ellie@the-ies.org).