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A four year pilot trial is to take place in the New Forest National Park and the Peak District National Park that could see local residents having a far greater say in how the parks are run. The new trial will see local elections take place for residents to sit on the parks management committee.
Elected national parks members and co-opted local residents.
The new elections are expected to take place after April 2013 once public consultation and the necessary legislation has been introduced. At the same time there will be changes to the membership criteria of the Lake District and North York Moors National Parks. These new changes will mean that seats on the Parks Authority board currently reserved for parish councillors will be opened up to any local resident if the parish council selects them to sit on the board.
Natural Environment Minister, Richard Benyon said, “Our National Parks are our most treasured landscapes enjoyed by millions of people every year and contribute significantly to regional economies. The changes we are making will give the local communities a greater say in how their National Park is managed.”
Improving local accountability of National Parks Authorities.
These changes offer a real opportunity for residents in the parks to get involved and to ensure that the Parks Authorities remain relevant to the needs of local people.
The changes are the first responses to a consultation process regarding the governance of national parks which came to an end in February this year. There were 315 responses to the consultations.
Among some of the calls submitted by respondents were many wanting to increase local representation on the management boards, the option for direct elections on to the boards, maximum lengths of service on the boards of either 8 or 10 years and allowing non-councillors to take parish seats.
Natural England and Campaign for National Parks against greater local representation.
Both Natural England and Campaign for National Parks were against the idea of introducing a greater voice for local residents as both called for the ratio of national and local board members to remain the same.
The New Forest National Park had the greatest number of respondents with a sizeable proportion calling for the abolition of the Parks Authority or it’s merger into local councils. This was rejected by the government and so was the calls for some seats to be reserved for special interest groups as it is the governments view that authority members should represent all users and not fight for specific interest groups. With 18 of the 64 responses calling for a directly elected parks authority the New Forest will be part of the pilot for elected representatives.
The Peak District National Park responses also saw a high proportion of submissions for directly elected authority members and an increase in local representation and this is the second National Park that will be part of the 4 year pilot of elected board members.
Restricting members terms of service.
The government is also aiming to restrict membership of the Parks Authority to a period of service no greater than 8 years – or two terms. Currently the maximum time that an individual can sit on a park authority board is 10 years for national members and no limit for local members.
External sites:
Report of responses to National Parks consultantions. (pdf).
