SFELC Membership

The Scottish Food Enforcement Liaison Committee consists of approximately 25 individuals.  The Office Bearers are formally elected by the Committee, serve for a period of 3 years and may stand for re-election.  Attendees are nominated by each organisation that has a place on SFELC.  Those that make up the Subcommittees / Working groups / Food Liaison groups are chosen by the Committee to reflect the key stakeholders in the promotion of Food Safety and Consumer Protection.  None of the positions are paid. 

SFELC Chair - Paul Birkin

Paul is a Senior Environmental Health Officer with East Renfrewshire Council where he has worked since 2019. He has over 25 years experience as an Environmental Health Officer spending time at Charnwood Borough Council, Inverclyde Council and Glasgow City Council.

Paul has represented 3 different Local Authorities at the West of Scotland Food Liaison Group and has been involved with various SFELC Working Groups over the years including; the Food Crime Working Group - coordinating Operation Opson activities and chairing the Scottish National Database Development Working Group. Paul managed a Nutrition Project aimed at local food businesses in the East End of Glasgow and collaborated with the Glasgow Centre for Population Health on a nutrition research project involving out of home food.

These experiences demonstrate how collaboration with stakeholders is the key to successful outcomes and why Paul encourages the participation in SFELC amongst colleagues, particularly at such a dynamic time for food regulation in Scotland.  

Paul was elected to SFELC Chair in December 2022.

SFELC Co Vice Chair - Lorna McCoull

Lorna is an Environmental Health Officer with Glasgow City Council, where she has worked since joining as a trainee in 2001. In her time at Glasgow she has worked various areas of environmental health, including food law, health and safety and public health.

Since 2009 she has worked in the Business Regulation team, with a focus on the inspection of approved establishments.

Lorna has participated in a number of SFELC working groups since 2015, including Risky Foods and OCV Implementation and she is currently Chair of the Approved Establishments Working Group. She was elected as SFELC Co Vice Chair in December 2022.

SFELC Honorary Secretary - Paul Bradley

Paul is an Environmental Health Officer with West Lothian Council where he has worked since 1988.

An enthusiastic advocate of the benefits of joint and collaborative working, Paul is a long term member of the Lothian and Borders Food Liaison Group and the Lothian Health Protection Liaison Group. He has served SFELC as Honorary Secretary since 2016; was Vice-Chair between 2012 and 2015 and Chaired the Food Standards Sub-Committee between 2004 and 2015.

Paul is a past President of the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland and currently Chairs the Institute’s Environmental Health Promotion Committee.