Back in 1998, the year-old New Labour Government reiterated its election manifesto to improve the health of the population in Wales through strategies that promote health, reduce health inequalities and inequalities in access to services, and the provision of a more effective and efficient health service.

In this issue, EHJ takes a special look at public health in Wales. Everyone recognises today that a person’s health is influenced by the linkages that exist between the working and living environments and lifestyle. And, in the green paper Better Health – Better Wales, the Government recognised that Wales had special circumstances that had conspired over the years to generate wide variances in health and health care between its diverse communities. So it set out to restructure the NHS, create local health boards and strengthen the role local authorities have in improving health at a local level. Now, five years on, how far has the promised new health agenda in Wales come?

Julie Barratt, director of CIEH Cymru Wales, introduces this special focus issue with a call to the environmental health profession not to lose the momentum achieved so far in Wales. She urges members to grasp the opportunities being provided by the new political structure with both hands.

Nick Warburton looks at the changes devolution has brought to the health service structure, the new duties laid on local authorities and the way in which they can actively participate in the provision of local health services. Then he interviews Dr Cerilan Rogers, director of the National Public Health Service for Wales, and discovers that she believes environmental health practitioners have a “major contribution” to make in moving the health agenda forward in Wales.

Still focusing on Wales, I look at the proposals for health, social care and wellbeing strategies and the role environmental health as a profession has to play and talk to Allan Davies, head of the Local Authority Unit at the Health and Safety Executive. Born and brought up in Swansea, Allan enjoyed a fast-paced career in environmental health, in both the public and the private sector, before he became a civil servant last year. Read on to find out what his priorities are for health and safety provision in local government.

On a different note, in October last year, the Government published two important reports aimed at improving the quality of public spaces. The first, Living spaces – cleaner, safer, greener, outlined the future vision for clean, safe and attractive local environments, while the second, Living places – powers, rights, responsibilities, looked to improve and strengthen the powers, duties and guidance available to key service providers to deliver the aforementioned cleaner and safer public spaces. Consultation on the latter report closed in February this year, but the implications for environmental health services are colossal. Sue Blakeley contemplates some of the major consultation issues and offers her own opinion as to their relevance to environmental health.

Finally, I take a look at the draft Housing Bill and ask the CIEH for its response.