Praise for work of Council’s Environmental Health team
The work of The Highland Council’s Environmental Health team has been praised by councillors on the Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh Committee – noting the increased level of service requests that have been made in recent years.
Environmental Health conducts a wide range of statutory duties with a general remit to protect and improve public health.
Co-chair of the committee Liz Kraft said: “The local Environmental Health update is welcomed, and we thank the team for all their important work over such a wide and busy remit.
“The introduction of new regulations over the last few years to cover activities such as short term lets, dog breeding and pet selling is resulting in a rising level of service demands for the team.
“It is vital that progress continues to increase resilience and support for our teams and the work that they do.”
The meeting of Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh Committee yesterday (4th August) heard that the most common Environmental Health service requests received in the ward area related to short term lets licensing applications, of which 575 were made in 2024-25
The second most in-demand area related to food export health certificates (166) followed by water supply (91); new food businesses (79) and abandoned vehicles (36).
The total number of service requests received annually by the Environmental Health team for this ward was 1253 – up from just over 800 in 2022-23.
The EH team has a key role as a consultee on applications, assessing compliance and responding to complaints around short term lets.
With estimates that there could be up to 10,000 short term let properties within Highland, the implementation of the licensing scheme will continue to be a priority which requires significant resources.
The 166 food Export Health Certificates covers vessels landing in the Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh area. This certification supports the continued export of fish and fishery products to the EU by a number of operators since the UK exited the EU and other international food exports.
Other service priorities noted by the committee included new licensing requirements for animal breeders and certain animal welfare establishments, such as rehoming centres and sanctuaries.
The team also continues to implement a new national approach to inspection of manufacturers of products of animal origin such as fish processors, smokehouses, dairies and manufacturing butchers.
Additional work for the team is also likely to result in future from the regulation of non-surgical cosmetic procedures.
The report before the committee noted that work is ongoing with the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS) and the Society of Chief Officers of Environmental Health in Scotland (SoCOEHS) in a bid to bolster the workforce.
Highland Council’s Environmental Health team operate in three areas: North, Mid and West, with the Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh area being covered by the Mid Team.
Duties of the environmental health team cover include:
• Public Health Protection
• Food Safety
• Health and Safety
• Private Sector Housing
• Pollution Control
• Contaminated Land
• Animal Health & Welfare
• Licensing
• Dog Control.
The full report which went before the committee can be found here.