This month, EHJ focuses on two policy areas which have a profound effect on our cities and towns, transport and the night economy. Despite all the carping and cynicism voiced by politicians and the press in the run up to the launch of congestion charging, Londoners, one year on, will tell you that life has improved. They claim they can get around more easily, hear each other talk on the street and breathe better.

In this issue, EHJ investigates whether air quality has really improved and what the longer term effect on the capital will be if the zone spreads west to include London's major pollution hot spot, Heathrow.

Congestion charging has not just improved people's quality of life. It has also been a shinning example of how a public authority can take a seemingly intractable problem, like traffic congestion, and provide a solution. Central government gave up on the problem abandoning its target to lower car traffic by 6 per cent over the next 10 years. Transport secretary Alistair Darling said nothing could be done. Regional government however, had the guts to provide the solution and took the electorate with it. This should be an inspiration for local government and hopefully dispel the myth that anything public authorities attempt is likely to fail. A moment to savour.

Handing over licensing powers to local government may also provide the opportunity for local democracy to show what can be achieved. It will bring the profession in contact with one of the nation's most serious public health threats, binge drinking, by giving EHPs input into their boroughs' licensing policy. This should be one area where the profession has a direct influence and is allowed to show its commitment to the new public health agenda.

But of course there have to be enough hours in the day. In the daily routine of food inspections, audits, health and safety visits and paperwork, fine ideas about widening the public health agenda turn to dust. Lisa Harvey argued at this year's CIEH conference in Belfast that there needs to be a more coherent approach to the work loads of EHPs if there is any hope of the profession really engaging with these exciting new areas of public health. She lays out her case, having asked front-line EHPs what the real obstacles are to them getting involved. Hopefully her research will be part of a larger debate on how the profession can realistically help tackle health inequality. Remember the Chief Medical Officer has already made clear he sees EHPs as front-line troops being the only full-time public health practitioners in local government.

Finally, I would like to say how pleased I am to be taking over on EHJ and wish the previous editor Tracey Khanna all the best in her new role as editor of Occupational Therapy News.

Stuart Spear
Editor