The National Contaminated Land Officers Group (NCLOG) will be joining the Institution of Environmental Sciences (the IES) family of organisations, following a vote of 96% of their members in favour of the move.
The IES will support NCLOG in its work to represent land contamination professionals working in local authorities, with NCLOG maintaining its strong and unique voice within the land contamination sector.
NCLOG in the IES family
In February 2024 the IES launched the Environmental Policy Implementation Community (EPIC) to expand its support for local authority environmental professionals.
NCLOG will sit as the land contamination experts within EPIC. EPIC is an expert community that focuses on the challenges faced by local authorities in implementing nature recovery, climate action and environmental protection. NCLOG will bolster EPIC’s mission to understand delivery challenges and support practitioners facing them in its continued development of best practice and guidance for the contaminated land sector.
NCLOG will also work closely with the IES Land Condition Community, strengthening the existing land contamination work of the IES and bringing professionals working in local authorities together with their colleagues in industry and consultancy. One expected early collaboration is an expert roundtable on PFAS, as well as an NCLOG presence at the Land Condition Symposium in March.
Contaminated land officers in local authorities will be able to join NCLOG and EPIC at no cost. The IES recognises the tight budgetary constraints on local government, as well as increasing demands from new policy regimes and the vital role they play in delivery.
Quotes
Ann Barker, NCLOG Co-Chair, said
“NCLOG is delighted to be joining the IES family. With the practical assistance of IES and within the EPIC community, NCLOG will be able to focus on delivering even more tangible outputs to support our members and will continue to provide a robust, independent, national voice for local authority Contaminated Land Officers.”
Adam Donnan, CEO of the IES, said
“In 2024 the IES launched a permanent programme of work to support local authorities through EPIC, our Environmental Policy Implementation Community. Membership of EPIC was made free not just to IES members but to all environmental professionals working in local authorities, recognising their limited resources but also the critical role they play in tackling the environmental crises. NCLOG joining the IES represents the continued growth of our support for local authority officers, and we are delighted to welcome this important organisation into the IES family.”
Contacts
Ellie Savage, EPIC Policy Officer, ellie@the-ies.org
Background
The National Contaminated Land Officers Group (NCLOG) was established in 2019 to enable the contaminated land officer voice to be heard nationally at government and industry level, and to promote consistency across the sector. NCLOG has over 200 members across the UK and maintains close links with existing regional Contaminated Land Officer groups and those working in the devolved administrations. It is a voluntary organisation and is governed by an elected Committee.
The Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES) is a professional membership organisation with over 6,000 members, representing the full spectrum of environmental disciplines – from fields as diverse as air quality, land condition, water, and education. Its skilled and knowledgeable membership act as a cohesive body of thinkers, problem solvers, educators, and practitioners.
The Environmental Policy Implementation Community (EPIC) is a community of the IES. EPIC brings together members from across the environmental sciences to share their experiences and call for ambitious and deliverable policy, as well as providing members with the knowledge, insights and tools to help them deliver on the ground.
