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To: All Members of the Exmoor National Park Authority

A meeting of the Exmoor National Park Authority will be held in the Committee Room, Exmoor House, Dulverton, on Tuesday 4 February 2003 at 2.15pm.

The meeting will be open to the press and public subject to the passing of any resolution under s.100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972.

Dr Nigel Stone

National Park Officer

AGENDA

  1. Apologies for Absence
  2. Declarations of Interest:
    Members are asked to declare any interests they may have in relation to items on the agenda for this meeting.
    (NB. When verbally declaring interests, members are also asked to complete the Disclosure of Interests at Meetings form – copy attached for members only).
  3. Membership
    1. To note the appointment of Mr John Nethercott as a member of the Authority, in place of Mrs Ann Foxhuntley, following changes at West Somerset District Council.
    2. To appoint Mr Nethercott to the Planning Committee, subject to his undergoing Authority planning training as required by Standing Orders.
  4. Chairman’s Announcements – including the joint Dartmoor/Exmoor Members’ liaison/training day on Thursday 6 March 2003 on Exmoor.
  5. Minutes
    1. To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the special meeting of the Authority held on 7 January 2003 (Minutes (PDF, 73kb)).
    2. To consider any Matters Arising from the Minutes of the Authority’s meetings held on 19 November 2002 (previously circulated for the meeting held on 7 January 2003) and 7 January 2003.
  6. Public Question Time: The Chairman will allow members of the public to ask questions, make statements or present a petition on any matter on the Agenda for this meeting.
  7. Appointments: To consider making appointments to fill vacancies on the following bodies, arising from Mrs Foxhuntley’s departure: -
    1. Resources Committee – A West Somerset District Councillor is required, in accordance with Standing Orders.
    2. Somerset Strategic Planning Conference
    3. Community Council for Somerset Board of Trustees
    4. South West Coast Path Forum (substitute for Mr John Dallyn)
    5. South West Water Recreation and Conservation Forum

      (NB. See also Agenda Item 9 below re. Exmoor Local Access Forum. These appointments apply until the Authority’s Annual Meeting on 10 June 2003)
  8. Standards Committee – Appointment of Second Independent Member: Following the Authority’s approval to amend the composition of the Committee by increasing its numbers from four to five, with the fifth member being a second independent member (Minute 34 of 3 September 2002), the necessary advertising took place and three candidates were interviewed. The interviewing Panel comprised the 3 Authority members assisted by the Solicitor and Monitoring Officer. The recommendation is that Mrs Catherine Hodgson be appointed. Mrs Hodgson is a hill farmer with her husband at Parracombe, a member of Parracombe Parish Council and a Magistrate sitting in Barnstaple (Deputy Chairman of the Bench since 2001).
  9. Exmoor Local Access Forum: To consider the report of the Head of Recreation and Tourism Paper A (PDF, 81kb).
  10. Schedule of Proposed Meeting Dates for 2003/04: To note the proposed schedule of meeting dates for 2003/04 (Paper B (PDF, 71kb)).
  11. Member Training: To consider the report of the Head of Business Management Paper C (PDF, 91kb).
  12. Sustainable Development Fund: The existing arrangements in relation to decisions on awarding grants from the Sustainable Development Fund were agreed by the National Park Authority following the Resources Committee resolution in July 2002 (Minute 9). Under this resolution, all grants are delegated to the National Park Officer in consultation with the interim Grant Advisory Panel. In order to provide a more efficient grant system with improved response times it is recommended that the delegation arrangement be amended as follows:
    1. The National Park Officer be authorised to award grants of up to £1,000 without prior reference to the Interim Grant Advisory Panel;
    2. The Interim Grant Advisory Panel may award grants of under £10,000 through written procedure, without the need to meet.
  13. Resources Committee: To receive the Minutes of the meeting of the Resources Committee held on 7 January 2003 (Paper D (PDF, 77kb)).
  14. Exmoor Consultative Forum: To receive the Notes of the meeting of the Consultative Forum held on 8 November 2002 Paper E (PDF, 146kb).
  15. District and Parish Consultative Group: To receive the Notes of the meeting of the District and Parish Consultative Group held on 27 November 2002 (Paper F (PDF, 105kb)).
  16. Local Code of Good Practice on the Conduct of Members in Making Planning Decisions: To consider the report of the Solicitor and Monitoring Officer Paper G (PDF, 229kb).
  17. State of the Park Report: To consider the report of the Head of Education and Interpretation Paper H (PDF, 114kb)
  18. Western Somerset Economic Development and Access Strategy: To consider the report of the Head of Planning and Community Paper I (PDF, 148kb).
  19. Future of Agri-Environment Schemes: To consider the report of the Head of Conservation and Land Management Paper J (PDF, 151kb).
  20. Review of Rural Delivery Arrangements Chaired by Lord Haskins: To consider the report of the National Park Officer Paper K (PDF, k101b).
  21. Implementation of the Review of English National Park Authorities: To consider the report of the National Park Officer Paper L (PDF, 5.1Mb).
  22. Soundings Exercise on an Elected Regional Assembly Referendum and Draft Guidance to the Boundary Committee: To consider the report of the National Park Officer Paper M (PDF, 3.4Mb).
  23. Council for National Parks (CNP): To consider the report of the Head of Business Management Paper N (PDF, 2.2M)
  24. Invitation for the Authority to Become a Member of the Group of Most Sparsely Populated Councils: To consider the report of the National Park Officer Paper O (PDF, 4.5Mb).
  25. Any Other Business of Urgency

Further information on any of the reports can be obtained by contacting the National Park Authority at the address and telephone numbers at the top of  the agenda.

Details of the decisions taken at this meeting will be circulated in the formal Minutes which the Authority will be asked to approve as a correct record at its next meeting. In the meantime, details of the decisions can be obtained from Martin Palmer, The Member Services Officer, at Exmoor House.