Answer extracted from The Responsible Finance Podcast — listen to the full episode below.
What is the HALO certification and how does it address air quality compliance in the UK?
HALO certification is an audit developed by Control Union UK and funded by the British Business Bank and Swig Finance that ensures local authorities in the UK meet their legal requirement to document and provide evidence of air quality compliance. The certification addresses a significant gap in compliance, as it is surprisingly common for local authorities to fail this mandatory legislative requirement.
A critical compliance gap in UK local authorities
Local authorities across the UK face a legal obligation to document and provide evidence of their air quality standards, yet a substantial number fail to meet this requirement. This compliance challenge prompted the development of a structured audit framework to help authorities systematically demonstrate their adherence to air quality legislation.
As Kate Barnard outlines in the episode, the gap between legislative requirement and actual compliance is wider than many would expect. This is where the HALO certification steps in as a practical tool for local authorities to close this gap and provide transparent evidence of their air quality management efforts.
Funding and development by key finance stakeholders
The HALO certification was funded through the British Business Bank and Swig Finance via start-up loan schemes, indicating support from both traditional finance institutions and specialist lending bodies committed to backing solutions that address public health and environmental challenges. This funding structure reflects recognition that air quality compliance infrastructure requires targeted investment support.
The involvement of these established finance bodies in backing the certification demonstrates confidence in the audit as a scalable solution for improving air quality compliance across UK local authorities. This type of public-private funding model enables smaller advisory firms and consultancies to develop tools that benefit the broader regulatory landscape.
"The local authorities in the UK have a legal legislative requirement to document and provide evidence of their air quality and it is quite surprising how many do not meet it."
Kate Barnard — Founder and Chief Executive of Enjoy the Air, an evidence-based air quality intelligence company. After 22 years in corporate finance at Rolls-Royce, Barnard founded Enjoy the Air to combine data analysis with air quality solutions. Alongside business partner Errol Kruger, she has built the company into a data-driven air quality consultancy over two and a half years, addressing compliance gaps and delivering measurable environmental impact.
For a deeper dive into how air quality data is being used to drive compliance and why local authorities are struggling to meet baseline requirements, the full episode on Listenly explores the broader context of UK air quality regulation and the tools being deployed to address these challenges.
Key takeaways
- HALO certification is an audit system that helps UK local authorities document and evidence their air quality compliance against legal requirements.
- The certification was developed by Control Union UK with funding from the British Business Bank and Swig Finance through start-up loan schemes.
- A surprisingly high proportion of UK local authorities currently fail to meet their legal obligation to provide air quality documentation and evidence.
- The certification represents a structured approach to closing a critical compliance gap in air quality management across UK municipalities.
See also
Which UK cities are identified as most at risk of losing residents due to air quality concerns?
London, Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool are the bigger cities most at risk of losing their residents due to air quality issues, based on Yonder polling commissioned by Enjoy the Air across 4,000 UK residents.
What percentage of young adults aged 18 to 24 would consider relocating to a city with better air quality?
According to research commissioned by Enjoy the Air through Yonder polling of 4,000 people across the UK, 48% of 18 to 24-year-olds would move to a city or place with better air quality.
Is NatWest open to providing direct investment or lending to CDFIs as part of its ongoing support for the sector?
Brian Holland confirmed unequivocally that NatWest is open for business and committed to working with CDFIs, having done so for over 30 years through various investment and lending mechanisms.