National parks: assets for sweating

The Department for Environment and Rural Affairs, Defra, is inviting views on the governance of the 10 English national parks and the Broads, which are assets being considered for sweating by the government.

Fair do, you may think, since everything is being looked at, but we leave such matters to those in Whitehall and Westminster at our peril. These glorious beauty spots are our national heritage and we owe it to generations to come to assure their survival in pristine form.

I’m pleased to read that the proposal is to retain an independent National Park Authority (NPA) for each of the national parks and the Broads. Good governance of national parks is essential. The current governance system ensures local input via the local authority (LA) appointee route and the parish council (PC) appointee route and should be maintained subject to improvement.

I offer four suggestions for improvement of the governance process:

1. Insist that the PC appointee must have been elected onto the PC, to ensure the appointee has a real mandate from people living within the local area.

2. Remove the cap on the length of time the LA appointee may serve on the NPA, making it equivalent to the system for PC appointees and allow prolonged access to local expertise.

3. Make the draft advertisement for national members available on the Defra website to invite ideas for improvement and maximise confidence in the appointment process.

4. Oblige declarations of interest at the outset and at regular intervals not only by those on the governing bodies of the NPAs, but also by the officials working at the NPAs.

I appreciate that this last is a new departure, but it is one that would demonstrate openness and would address in part the fear picked up in media coverage that England may sell off some of these natural assets to help with the nation’s current fiscal difficulties, without due care and consideration for the longer term implications for our national heritage. Those involved in this work need to show at all times that they remain squeaky clean and are not benefiting in any way from any subsequent sale or change of status of the assets in question.

Good governance is vital and your views are sought now, by 31 January, on this by Jeff Coast, follow link http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/nationalpark-governance/index.htm

I've already given my views as a hiker, cyclist and YHA family member, and am keen to hear the views of constituents so I may also submit views as a Councillor; please pop into my surgery at Barton library on Saturday 8th or let me have your views by 21 January on tel: 0300 300 8550 or janet.nunn@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk