March 2017 marked the end of an era for Local Air Quality Management in Scotland, following the departure of John Lamb from SEPA. John has been a leading light in SEPA’s air quality work for more than a decade, combining knowledge with a desire and openness to work with all stakeholders to improve air quality across Scotland. As one of SEPA's LAQM specialists, John supported a large number of local authorities in their air quality duties, providing valuable input to a large number of Air Quality Action Plans and general guidance to authorities on how best to approach air quality work. John also played an important role in Environmental Protection Scotland's Air Quality Advisory Group and was a leading figure in the establishment of the Scottish Transport Emission Partnership (STEP) which is contributing to the development of a number of air quality activities in Scotland, including the Cleaner Air For Scotland Strategy (CAFS).
John's enthusiasm and air quality knowledge will undoubtedly be missed by SEPA and all the agency, authority and consultancy staff who had the pleasure of working with him over the past decade. We wish John all the best for his future endeavours, and thank him for all his hard work in helping to raise awareness of air quality, and improve the quality of the air in Scotland.