Ella’s Law hits Commons: Experts urge building air quality policy around people

Current UK air-quality management systems treat public participation as an afterthought according to new commentary from environmental researchers.

The commentary article, Update air quality management to support meaningful public participation, argues that improving air-quality governance requires “deep structural change” to redefine how institutions value different kinds of knowledge and expertise.

Published ahead of the forthcoming re-reading of Ella’s Law in the House of Commons on 7 November 2025, the paper highlights key opportunities to embed more inclusive forms of engagement into UK air-quality policymaking.

It drew on discussions from Communicating Air Quality: Digital, Physical and Theoretical Advances - the world’s first conference dedicated to exploring how society communicates about air quality, funded British Academy and the Wellcome Trust. Short videos capturing its central themes can be found via YouTube.

Rethinking how expertise is valued 

The authors take a critical look at the current systems of UK air quality governance, which they say have historically sidelined the voices of affected communities. They argue that a shift towards participatory management would not only make policies fairer but also more effective at improving public health outcomes.

“Air quality governance in the UK has been focused narrowly on technical expertise for decades, while those most affected by air pollution are excluded from key decision-making processes” said Dr Kayla Schulte, Research Fellow with the MRC Centre for Health and Environment and co-author of the article. “Such alienation is a recipe for distrust and rejection, leading to poor uptake of policy or interventions that can have substantial public health benefits, such as ULEZ.”

Meaningful participation 

The article identifies several key opportunities for transformation, including strengthening diverse involvement through mechanisms like the proposed Clean Air (Human Rights) Bill, also known as Ella’s Law. Named after Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, the first person to have air pollution listed as a cause of death, the bill seeks to enshrine the human right to clean air in UK law.

Towards more just and effective air-quality policy 

By mapping out where and how participation could be strengthened, the article offers a roadmap for institutions seeking to make air-quality governance more transparent, accountable, and responsive.

“Environmental issues are becoming more divisive in public life”, said Dr Ruaraidh Dobson co-author and Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Stirling. “Many people feel disconnected from decisions about the air they breathe. It’s up to policymakers and scientists to make real change and give communities agency over their environment. Doing the same old things again and again won’t cut it.” 

The authors call for government departments, local authorities, and scientific bodies to collaborate with affected public groups early and continuously throughout the policy cycle, from agenda setting and data collection, to intervention implementations and evaluation.

Building momentum for change 

With the re-reading of Ella’s Law set for November, the empirical evidence presented throughout the piece aims to draw renewed attention to systemically rooted public participation as a cornerstone of effective air-quality management.

“There is a growing interest in making air quality management more receptive to public insight and interests, but many of our laws simply weren't designed to accommodate these perspectives” said Dr Karl Dudman from the University of Oxford’s Institute for Science, Innovation, and Society. “Ella's Law presents a striking opportunity to make accountability to public communities a legal requirement.”