The latest updates and insights from RIAMS Chief Editor Jeremy Manners.

Welcome to December’s edition of RIAMS Unpacked, where I’ll give you a quick update on what’s new, what’s been reviewed and anything significant that has come across my desk in the world of environmental health. 

December’s Housing Roundtable was a fantastic way to end the year, with our best attendance so far: nearly 600 professionals joined us for the webinar. The event, which benefited from sponsorship from AirTrap – a first for us – allowed for the event to continue be free for delegates to attend. We welcomed Professor John Edwards, who delivered an absorbing presentation on damp and mould in buildings and shared his experience on assessing risks and finding the most appropriate solutions. The recording, presentation slides and Q&A are all available on Housing Professionals on RIAMS Communities here. 

Looking back on 2025, our Housing Roundtable webinars have gone from strength to strength. These are expertly hosted by Ali Thomas, with a great selection of expert speakers and a wide range of practitioners joining her from across the UK.  

The Noise App has grown in stature and taken off across the UK and Europe, strengthening the role of LAs and housing associations in tackling noise nuisance in the most efficient way. 

The Housing App has undergone a radical facelift and is now being used by many local authorities, helping practitioners plan and deliver inspections, organise their findings and assess hazards in a timely manner.  

Our popular question of the month with Dr Tim Everett has provided fascinating insights into topical issues each month. The standout question came in May where the conflict between HMO licensing and planning permission was discussed. You can read it again, together with all the discussions, here. 

RIAMS Libraries has grown in content and subscribers – if you’ve not looked for a while, do log in and take five minutes to see what new information and knowledge is in your areas of interest. 

Looking ahead to 2026, we have our RHE Housing Conference in Birmingham, where our next Housing Roundtable will be live on 25 March. You can book your place now to see a host of industry-leading speakers discussing topical issues focused on raising standards and improving health. 

Legal and regulatory insights  

• Renters’ Rights Act 2025: The new investigatory powers come into force on 27 December 2025 – this is the first part of the act to be implemented as a gambit to Phase 1 of the timetable. Look on RIAMS Libraries for our updated procedure and templates.  

• The government published the National Licensing Policy Framework for the Hospitality and Leisure Sectors on 26 November 2025. The framework lays out the vision for a modern licensing system that provides the necessary safeguards whilst empowering businesses to succeed and grow. 

• Licensing Act 2003 revised section 182 guidance: The guidance has been updated to remind local authorities of the need to consider the economic benefits when determining licence applications and applying conditions to support ‘a thriving hospitality sector’. 

• Self-driving vehicles consultation: The government has launched a call for evidence on how self-driving vehicles can be introduced across Great Britain. Road users, industry and accessibility groups are being asked to contribute, with future plans focusing on safety, accessibility and economic growth. 

• On 1 November 2025 the amended and newly named Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector and Social Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 came into force for all new social housing tenancies starting from 1 December 2025. In the social rented sector, these regulations also cover electrical appliances provided by registered providers as part of the tenancy.  

• In Northern Ireland, from 1 December 2025, the Electrical Safety Standards for Private Tenancies Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024 now apply to existing private tenancies. These regulations require all electrical installations to be inspected and tested by a qualified person every five years. 

RIAMS in action  

What’s new on RIAMS Libraries?  

Streamlined support for local authority enforcement 

RIAMS Libraries is an online subscription platform that provides a comprehensive library of practical and easily accessible procedures, notices, letters, guidance and forms covering all specialisms of environmental health. Supporting local authorities in delivering robust and consistent enforcement, RIAMS provides a cost-effective solution for your team, keeping your officers on the front line. 

During November, we updated 153 documents on RIAMS Libraries and reviewed 73 procedures for England, Northern Ireland and Wales. We also added new procedures including... 

• Applying HHSRS to overcrowding - following user requests, we’ve added a specific procedure for this common scenario.  

• The Investigatory Powers (HP247E) procedure under the RRA has been updated in preparation for the 27 December implementation date, and a suite of notices and letters are currently being added. 

• ASB Injunction (MP31) and Without Notice ASB Injunction (MP30) now added to the enforcement / procedures folder.  

• Primate licensing – we’ve updated notices and a licence template for England, all accessible through the procedure Licensing of Primates - LP71E. 

• The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 have been updated to include social housing. The relevant notices, letters and the procedure have all been updated on RIAMS ready to use. 

If your organisation doesn’t yet subscribe to RIAMS Libraries, contact RHE Global to request a free demonstration and trial.  

What’s new on RIAMS Communities? 

Local authority practitioners continue to sign up to our environmental health forums and engage in conversations. Take the opportunity to join the discussion and network with colleagues in your chosen subject areas here. 

Follow-up material to the Housing Roundtable discussing damp and mould has all been published here in the Housing Professionals group. You can find the slides, Q&A and the recording here. The recording, as well as our other podcasts and Roundtable videos are all available on the RHE Global YouTube channel. 

Question of the Month with Dr Tim Everett will be useful to all practitioners dealing with statutory nuisance this month. Tim explores the complexities of serving an abatement notice on landlords for tenant-induced noise nuisances. He examines legal responsibilities, exceptions and relevant case law, emphasising the need for landlords to act upon complaints and clarifying their potential liabilities in noise-related situations. Read the full blog here. 

Following discussions that have been going on for some time in the Housing Professionals group, the Upper Tribunal return a key verdict on Great Yarmouth Borough Council v Great Yarmouth Borough Council. This important case clarifies the meaning of ‘cooking facilities’ in respect of HMOs and confirms that simply plugging in a microwave does not make an ensuite bedroom a self-contained flat. Read the case here. 

RHE Global  

RHE Global supports environmental health practitioners across all specialisms to work smarter, network and share best practices. Visit RIAMS to stay up to date with the latest environmental health developments and discussions. 

Don’t miss a thing – sign up to get public protection news and jobs straight to your inbox. 

Artificial intelligence is transforming many industries and housing regulation is no exception. We have embraced this technology in a careful and responsible way so that it supports professionals without ever replacing their judgement. Our goal is simple, we want to remove repetitive administrative tasks and give officers more time to focus on what matters most. Safer homes and better outcomes for residents.

One of the most helpful places where AI works behind the scenes is in generating a Schedule of Works. After an initial inspection, the system reviews the information provided and the officer then determines whether any remedial work may be required. The generated document then produces a clear and structure that summarises what needs to happen next. This feature saves time and reduces the burden of writing detailed reports from scratch. It also ensures that nothing important is overlooked. The professional remains firmly in control throughout and always has the opportunity to review, edit and approve the document before it is shared or finalised.

This careful balance between automated support and human expertise runs through every part of our AI design. Whenever the system prepares content or suggests wording the officer is invited to check the accuracy and confirm that it reflects their professional judgement. Nothing is ever published or actioned automatically. The officer is the final decision maker at every step.

We also include a human in the loop feature to help us continuously improve the quality of our tools. After reviewing AI-generated content, users can tell us how accurate they felt the output was. This feedback helps us refine the prompts that power our models and ensures that the system becomes more helpful over time. It keeps the professional community at the heart of how our technology evolves.

We believe AI should support housing professionals rather than replace them. It should simplify complex workflows, reduce administrative pressure and help officers focus on their expertise and decision-making. At The Housing App, we are committed to designing AI features that are transparent, reliable and always guided by the people who use them every day.

If you would like to see how these features work in practice or discuss how AI can support your team, we would be happy to talk.

My journey with The Noise App began back in 2017, when I first used the app and portal in a frontline operational setting. Even then, it was obvious that digital technology had enormous potential to transform how we investigate noise complaints. I saw firsthand how the app streamlined casework, strengthened evidence-gathering and brought clarity to situations

that were often difficult to navigate. Soon after, I became one of the very first to use app-generated evidence to secure an injunction in a serious anti-social behaviour case – a pivotal point that proved just how powerful the app could be.

Fast forward to 2022, and it was a genuine honour to be asked to step into the role of product owner at RHE. Since my appointment, I’ve had the privilege of working closely with our brilliant development team to enhance the platform in ways that truly make a difference. Together, we’ve expanded subscription options, introduced new functionality and focused on improving the investigation process for organisations and app users.

One standout enhancement introduced this year is our new Safeguarding feature – now available across all subscription levels. Using AI, the app detects potentially harmful content typed by the user and flags it for review. This feature has quickly become an invaluable tool for organisations seeking to protect and support their communities. 

As I look back on 2025, the numbers tell a powerful story of engagement, growth and impact:

• 350 days of audio captured by app users

• 985,166 noise reports

• 4,053 reports received on 11 July 2025, our busiest day

• 46,927 new registrations

These statistics are nothing short of remarkable and reflect the trust that our users place in the app. We’ve also seen a clear rise in user feedback, with ratings climbing across the major app stores. Today, The Noise App holds an impressive 4.5 rating on iOS and 4.3 on the Google Play Store, demonstrating its growing endorsement.

One of our proudest milestones this year was our launch into the Netherlands – a significant step in our journey to support noise investigation and community wellbeing across Europe. With further expansion planned for 2026, the coming year promises to be even more exciting.

As we close the chapter on 2025, I’m incredibly proud of what The Noise App has achieved. From safeguarding innovation to international growth, this has been a year defined by progress, purpose and partnership. Here’s to 2026 and another year of helping organisations, supporting communities and driving forward the future of noise investigation.

As environmental health professionals, we all know that food safety law never stands still. The landscape is continually shifting, and keeping up with what’s coming next can be challenging. In this short blog, we look at key developments on the horizon and what they mean for our work. 

A new era: The SPS agreement and future trade alignment 

You may have heard the term ‘SPS’, but what does it mean in practice? When the UK left the EU, retained EU food legislation became assimilated law on 1 January 2024. Any legislation still bearing ‘EU’ or ‘EC’ in the title now falls into that category. Building on the historical 1995 SPS Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, the UK and EU reached a new, modernised SPS agreement on 19 May 2025. Its purpose is to ease trade barriers, support regulatory reform and strengthen post-Brexit trading relationships. 

This is likely to prompt a review, led by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), of UK domestic food safety legislation, particularly where dynamic alignment with EU law is needed. The purpose of this is to ensure that there is an interconnection between our risk based domestic regulation, together with the novel food frameworks and to ensure that new and emerging risks are captured.  

Now that SPS implementation is underway, we’ll continue to follow and report on developments as they unfold. 

Updated food law codes of practice 

Following a 12-week consultation with local authorities and key stakeholders, the food law codes of practice and practice guidance for England, Wales and Northern Ireland were updated and published in October 2025: Food and Feed Codes of Practice (FSA).  

Key changes include: 

• A stronger competency-based approach for local authority officers 

  
  

• Modernised risk-rating systems prioritising high-risk and non-compliant businesses 

  
  

• Improved consistency across the UK, while recognising regional differences 

  
  

• Greater use of digital tools and remote assessments. 

These updates aim to help local authorities target their resources where they can have the greatest impact on public health, including wider options for monitoring compliance. 

Post-budget: A new national system for large businesses 

In the recent budget, the FSA was asked by UK Government, to develop a new national system of regulation for highly compliant large businesses in England, including major national retail chains. This change is likely to spark significant and enthusiastic discussion across the profession, especially around how the system will evolve in collaboration with local authorities and primary authorities. 

Novel foods: A streamlined regulatory framework 

The novel foods sector continues to expand rapidly. In April 2025, the Food and Feed (Regulated Products) (Amendment, Revocation, Consequential and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2025 came into force, simplifying the regulatory framework in Great Britain. 

This now removes the 10-year renewal requirement for authorisations and allows authorisations to come into effect immediately following ministerial decision; once ministers decide to authorise a novel food, the product is approved for the market by being added to an official online public register without the need for secondary legislation. This makes the process more efficient and brings it in line with other regulated product regimes.  

Food fraud: Strengthened enforcement powers 

From 1 May 2025, the National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) gained new powers under PACE, enabling investigators to apply for and execute warrants with appropriate safeguards. This represents a significant step forward in tackling food crime and was widely welcomed across the sector. 

And finally: A Christmas message and turkey safety tips 

To help keep your festive season safe, here are some essential tips for preparing and cooking your Christmas turkey: 

• Defrost your turkey in the fridge and place it on a tray to catch drips 

  
  

• Use separate chopping boards and utensils for raw poultry 

  
  

• Never wash your turkey — splashes can spread harmful bacteria 

  
  

• Wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw meat 

  
  

• Cook the turkey until it is piping hot throughout and the juices run clear, and if using a thermometer probe, ensure the thickest part of the meat reaches one of the following safe time–temperature combinations: 

  
  

• 60°C for 45 minutes 

  
  

• 65°C for 10 minutes 

  
  

• 70°C for 2 minutes 

  
  

• 75°C for 30 seconds 

  
  

• 80°C for 6 seconds 

And just in case you’ve misplaced the cooking instructions on the label, here is a basic guide courtesy of the FSA:  

• Preheat oven to 180ºC (160ºC fan, Gas Mark 4) and cook for: 

  
  

• 45 minutes per kg plus 20 minutes for a turkey that weighs under 4.5kg 

  
  

• 40 minutes per kg for a turkey that weighs between 4.5kg and 6.5kg 

  
  

• 35 minutes per kg for a turkey that weighs over 6.5kg 

Wishing everyone a very happy and safe Christmas!