Beauty are hereby summoned to a meeting of the …...2017/07/02 · The Planning Officer gave a slide show presentation showing what the CCB is trying to protect and what its policies

Members of the Chilterns Conservation Board for the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural

Beauty are hereby summoned to a meeting of the full Chilterns Conservation Board on

7th February 2017 at 10.00am

William East Room, Berkshire College of Agriculture, Hall Place, Burchett,

Green road, Burchett’s Green, Maidenhead, SL6 6QR

Agenda

1. Apologies

2. Declarations of Interest

3. Minutes of Previous Meeting 13 October 2016

4. Matters Arising

5. Public Question Time

6. Board Review – including Reports from Executive and Planning Committees

7. Annual Audit Return

8. Governance Review

9. Chilterns Walking Festival and Food and Drink Festival (presentation)

10. Business Plan 2017-18

11. Any Other Business

Dark Skies, presentation by guest speaker Bob Mizon

Lunch

Future Meetings:

Full Board

21st June (+AGM) 2017 25th October 2017

Executive Committee 27th April 2017 13th September 2017 24th January 2018

CCB Board Meeting Tuesday 7th February 2017

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MINUTES OF MEETING OF THE CHILTERNS CONSERVATION BOARD HELD ON THURSDAY 13th October 2016 at Hastoe Village Hall, Church Lane, Hastoe, Herts HP23 6LU

commencing at 10.05 am MEMBERS PRESENT Appointed by Local Authorities Appointing Body Cllr David Barnard North Hertfordshire District Council Cllr Bill Bendyshe-Brown Buckinghamshire County Council Cllr Jacqui Burnett Luton Borough Council Cllr. David Collins Dacorum Borough Council Cllr Heather Kenison Three Rivers District Council Cllr. Lynn Lloyd South Oxfordshire District Council Cllr Hugh McCarthy Wycombe District Council Cllr Ian Reay Hertfordshire County Council Cllr Nick Rose Chiltern District Council

Appointed by the Secretary of Sate Colin Courtney Secretary of State Alison Doggett Secretary of State Gill Gowing Secretary of State John Nicholls Secretary of State Helen Tuffs Secretary of State Ian Waller Secretary of State Elizabeth Wilson Secretary of State

Elected by Parish Councils Cllr Alison Balfour-Lynn Hertfordshire Cllr John Griffin Oxfordshire Cllr Tony Penn Buckinghamshire

CCB Officers Sue Holden CCB Chief Officer Lucy Murfett CCB Planning Officer Chris Smith CCB Finance Officer Donna Webb CCB Admin Officer

Other: Deirdre Hansen Clerk to the Board

16/17.14 Item 1 Apologies for absence

Apologies were received and accepted from Cllr Susan Biggs, Oxfordshire Parish Councils Cllr David Nimmo-Smith Oxfordshire County Council, Cllr Alan Walters M.B.E. South Buckinghamshire District Council and Ray Payne, Secretary of State appointee.


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Absent: Cllr George Case, Buckinghamshire Parish Councils and Cllr Ken Janes, Central Bedfordshire Council 16/17. 15 Item 2 Declarations of Interest

No declarations of interest were made.

16/17. 16 Item 3. Minutes of the previous meeting

The minutes of the AGM, the ordinary meeting and the closed meeting all held 23th June 2016 were approved as a true record and signed by the Chairman.

16/17.17. Item 4. Matters Arising The Chief Officer reported that: 1. We should hear this month if the HLF landscape Partnership stage 1 bid has been successful. 2. The restructuring is progressing, but it has been a difficult time for staff. Two members of staff are

leaving following the restructuring and the Finance Officer is retiring at the end of the year, this will be his last Board meeting. Annette Venters has been confirmed in the post of People and Society and interviews are taking place for the Development and Fundraising post. She thanked Helen Tuffs for her assistance with the interviews. A substantial number of applications have been received for the Communications post and interviews will be taking place next week.

16/17. 18. Item 5. Public Question time No public present.

16/17. 19. Item 6. Board Review Reports from the Executive Committee and the Planning Committee had been received.

The Chief Officer also reported that:

1. The LEADER application for the Chilterns Walking Festival has been approved. The bid had scored very highly and Annette Venters, who had compiled the bid, was commended and thanked.

2. The CCB is waiting on a reply from HS2 Ltd to the Boards requests, this response will indicate if the CCB will appear before the House of Lords Select Committee. The meeting briefly discussed the various amounts of mitigation offered by HS2.

3. There are 2 new vacancies for Board members, 1 a Local Authority and the other a Parish Council member’s post. The recruitment process has been started.

4. The Planning Committee had been made aware of the failure to consult the CCB on the electrification of the West midlands and the Chilterns Lines. The Planning Officer has already been in contact with the rail companies and Network Rail on this omission.

Discussion took place on a variety of topics concerning this publication.

1. The Board NOTED the reports and the decisions made under delegated authority.


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16/17. 20 Item 7. Planning and Development The Chief Officer gave a brief introduction to the increasing development threats to the Chilterns AONB, the principles at stake and the importance of a shared understanding. The model policy agreed by the Planning Committee required Board endorsement and a start should be made on a Position Statement on Development in the AONB.

Members asked questions, discussed widely the principles to be used to fulfil the CCB’s statutory duties, the model policy to be promoted for the Chilterns AONB and the basis for preparation of a Position Statement on Development in the Chilterns AONB.

The Planning Officer gave a slide show presentation showing what the CCB is trying to protect and what its policies should be aimed at.

The Board has limited resources and should concentrate on key issues. A broad range of views were expressed on the importance of the setting of the AONB, the requirement to balance the need for more housing vs protecting the landscape, environmental issues and land (re-)usage.

The need to elevate the CCB’s profile, ensuring it is positive and emphasising that the CCB takes a nuanced approach to planning is vital. The need to take a long-term view, a holistic view and a ‘total impact’ view in our position on development across the AONB is also vital. The equal status of an AONB with a National Park has to be clearly expressed and brought to the forefront with our partners. Local Authority members were asked to encourage Senior Planning Officers and possibly Chief Executives to meet with the CCB to ensure due regard and authority will be given to the AONB.

A model policy promoting consistency between the 13 different Local Authorities in the Chilterns AONB would be a helpful tool for all concerned. It was proposed and seconded to support the model policy v2 and supportive text subject to consideration of a minor amendment.

1. The Board discussed the principles which will ensure the Board fulfils its primary duties.

2. The Board ENDORSED the second draft model policy and supporting text. 3. The Board supported the preparation of a Position Statement on Development in the

Chilterns AONB based on the principles proposed and discussion at this meeting.

16/17. 21. Item 8. Any Other Business There was no other business.

Presentations:

The Chairman made a presentation to Chris Smith, the retiring Finance Officer. He had not only provided excellent financial advice and guidance to the Board and the Executive Committee, but had provided the Board with many superb photographs of the Chilterns. Chris had been with the Board since 2007. He thanked the Chairman and members for their support and friendship over the years.

The Chairman made a presentation to Cathy Rose, Activities and Learning Officer, who has been with the Board for 16 years. He thanked her for her excellent work and wished her well in the future. Cathy mentioned the good work the CCB carries out and her enjoyment of the projects.

The Chairman made a presentation to Claire Forest, Information and Interpretation Officer, who has been with the Board for 14 years. She was thanked for her commitment and hard work for all that she had been involved with. Claire has good memories of her time at the CCB and is looking forward to the future.


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Future meeting dates: Board meetings: 8th February 2017 21st June (+AGM) 2017 25th October 2017 Executive Committee: 8th December 2016 27th April 2017 13th September 2017 24th January 2018 The Chairman………………………………………. Date……………….


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Item 6: BOARD REVIEW JANUARY 2017 1. HIGHLIGHTS 1.1 Taste of the Chilterns

The Chilterns Conservation Board (CCB) has been awarded £24,000 through Defra's Great British Food Grant to deliver a ‘Taste of the Chilterns’ project, in partnership with the Chilterns Tourism Network. The project will put the spotlight on Chilterns food and drink, making it an integral part of the area’s tourism offer. It will capitalise on the Chilterns as a four-season destination, giving potential visitors more reasons to travel in the shoulder months. The main elements of the project are a Chilterns Food and Drink Festival 25th March to 2nd April, promoting the Chilterns’ vineyards and microbreweries with new content and itineraries on Visit Chilterns, and a digital communications campaign.

1.2 Walking Festival

The CCB has secured Leader funding for a 3 year programme of Walking Festivals in May and September each year, with the first one taking place 15 to 29th May 2017. It is expected there will be 70 walks, talks and activities on offer at many locations throughout the Chilterns – see here for list. Lots of partner organisations are involved in delivering the walks, including the Chiltern Society, the Ramblers and many more. The Walking Festivals will attract new audiences, both visitors and local people, and raise the profile of the Chilterns. It is an exciting opportunity to involve businesses and develop new partnerships.

1.3 HLF Landscape Partnership Scheme

Following initial approval in late October for a £2.18m HLF grant for the ‘Chalk Cherries and Chairs’ Landscape Partnership Scheme, recruitment is underway for the development team to work up the detailed project proposals and the stage 2 bid. Over 30 partners have agreed to work with the CCB to shape the final bid, which is largely centred on the Buckinghamshire Chilterns. The Scheme aims to leave a legacy of better connected and managed wildlife habitats, to inspire people to investigate the area’s fascinating industrial and cultural heritage and to encourage many more people – and a wider range of people -to get involved in caring for the landscape and special qualities of the area. HLF have provided an initial grant of £185,000 to fund the development stage which needs to be completed by November 2019. Securing match funding will be an important part of the development phase.

1.4 Funding from local authorities

Our local authority partners have been asked to confirm their financial contribution for 2017-18 and have been asked for a 5% increase due to the vastly increased planning work and project development work we are doing. So far, 6 have said yes and two have said no. Any help Board Members can give securing commitments


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http://www.visitchilterns.co.uk/walkingfest.html

would be much appreciated. And thank you for help so far.

1.5 Chiltern Building Design Awards

This is the eighteenth year of the Awards, offered jointly by the CCB and the Chiltern Society. The awards showcase the very best new or restored buildings in the Chilterns, celebrate excellence and promote good practice in designing buildings which are particularly sympathetic to the character of the Chilterns countryside and villages. The judges take account of advice given in The Chilterns Buildings Design Guide, especially:

The way the building contributes to the local distinctiveness of the Chilterns and the need to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the area

The way the building relates to the landscape and surrounding buildings How the building uses its site The way that the issue of sustainability is addressed The use of suitable materials The use of appropriate hard and soft landscape treatments.

Board members are asked to propose potential entrants to Lucy Murfett, Planning Officer. The deadline for entries is 1st March with the awards presented in June.

2. REPORT FROM EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, 8th December 2016 2.1 Executive Committee received the Finance Report to 31 October together with a

projection to the end of 2016-17 which calculated a £16,224 fall in reserves against a £43,995 as originally budgeted

2.2 Along with the draft business plan, the draft 2017-18 financial plan was presented

to the Committee. This showed a core surplus of £21,961 less project investment of £40,000, being considered the maximum underwriting by the CCB. This would have the effect of reducing the CCB’s reserves by £18039.

Executive Committee approved the business plan priorities and financial plan for 2017-18

2.3 Executive Committee approved the risk register having reviewed the risks around funding and reputation.

2.4 The Head of Democratic and Legal Services at Wycombe District has agreed to be

our Monitoring Officer and Deirdre Hansen has agreed to be Deputy Monitoring Officer

2.5 The recruitment process for Secretary of State appointments will now take place

once a year and covering all National Park and Conservation Board vacancies. Whilst generic board skills are the priority for selection, we are keen to get someone with landscape expertise such as a landscape architect. Board Members


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are asked to mention the opportunity to anyone who might make a suitable candidate.

3. REPORT FROM PLANNING COMMITTEE, 30th November 2016 3.1 Committee heard update on joint work with the Bucks local planning authorities.

All the Local Plans for the Chilterns AONB area are under review; there is pressure to accommodate housing in the AONB. Government policy is that major development in AONBs should be refused except in exceptional circumstances and where it is in the public interest. CCB has been working with the Bucks authorities to discuss the principles of accommodating housing in the AONB and seeking to agree whether emerging local plan proposals for site allocations constitute major development in the AONB.

3.2 The Committee discussed the project to develop a Position Statement on

Development (see papers for October Board meeting) and provided a steer on its preparation and timing with the Management Plan review. The key messages were the importance of looking at the cumulative and long term impacts of change across the Chilterns AONB. To start this work, impacts from development such as water abstraction and traffic, and impacts on special qualities including noise and light pollution will be explored at the next AONB Planning Forum meeting of local authority officers and other stakeholders.

3.3 Committee approved the recent responses to local plan consultations and planning

applications. There was good news for an AONB site west of Tring, where, following CCB’s and others’ objections at the Examination in Public, the Inspector recommended deleting a proposed allocation, stating “This is because of the lack of a formal assessment by the Council to assess its likely impact on the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and in particular whether it would conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the AONB.”

4. REPORT ON LANDSCAPE AND CONSERVATION

4.1 Following the publication of the Lords Select Committee’s Special Report in December 2016 the Bill has now passed through the Grand Committee stage, and the third reading is expected in late January. Once the final text is agreed the Bill will proceed to Royal Assent, which is expected early February.

The Lords Select Committee Report did not propose any substantive improvements to the HS2 proposals to benefit either the landscape or the communities within the Chilterns AONB, and was dismissive of the concerns of many organisations who had petitioned the select committee including Natural England and the Woodland Trust. With regard to the Chilterns AONB the report states:

‘On considering the matter as a whole, we take the view that the existing plans for the project, including the extended tunnel and the saving of Mantle’s Wood show


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that the promoter has carried out it’s statutory duty under section 85 of the 2000 Act, and has done so by a generous margin.’

Meanwhile the work of the HS2 AONB Review Group continues with the appointment of Land Use Consultants to develop detailed design proposals and proposals for additional enhancement and integration projects. A Programme Manager has been recruited to take forward the work of the review group, and further develop the additional projects. The 2 year fixed term post will be hosted by the Board on behalf of the Review Group, funded by HS2 Ltd. The Review Group has invited the Independent Design Panel (HS2) to visit the Chilterns in early March.

5. REPORT ON PEOPLE AND SOCIETY

5.1 A Taste of the Chilterns is well underway and is due to be completed by end March 2017. The main outputs will be the Chilterns Food and Drink Festival (35 businesses are offering events), Chilterns Vineyard and Microbrewery trails and itineraries, a short film that will take the viewer on a Chilterns food discovery and a digital communications programme. This will include working with the Chilterns Food Magazine to produce a special Festival edition. The project is already generating many new Food and Drink partners and it is hoped the Food and Drink Festival will become an annual event.

5.2 The Chilterns Walking festival is progressing well:

Over 50 walks and events have been confirmed so far for the May Festival, with a further 20 expected. The Chiltern Society and the Ramblers have contributed a substantial number of walks, but many other organisations are involved.

Walking Festival pages have been added to Visit Chilterns and on-line bookings go live from end January, see here.

A primary sponsor has been secured for the first Festival (Fox’s of Amersham) but additional sponsors are needed.

There are lots of exciting new walks, talks and activities including foodie walks and ‘behind the scenes’ tours, electric bike tours, Hillfort walks and iron age feast, Walking Cruises on the Thames, outdoor cooking, Artist walks etc.

The CCB is investigating introducing a Chilterns Explorer Passport to be used in conjunction with the Festivals, to incentivise repeat visits.

5.3 Work is also progressing on our public engagement activities for 2017 which will focus on attracting families from urban areas adjacent to the Chilterns. Mainly delivered by projects, we are hoping to test some new types of targeted community engagement to appeal to these audiences and generate repeat visits – from outdoor bread-making and creative activities to iron-age feasts, wild foraging and bushcraft. We are looking to create an Explorers Passport as part of this. These activities will serve as a pilot and provide useful feedback to inform future


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http://www.visitchilterns.co.uk/walkingfest.html

programmes and to feed into a potential funding bid which would allow us to scale up our public engagement work.

6. REPORT ON DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS

Claire Readey commenced in post as Development and Funding Manager in January. Claire was previously employed as Development and Communications Manager at St John’s College, Durham. Her work included all aspects of communications, fundraising and development, with particular focus being a £3m capital build project to create a new Learning Resource Centre. Prior to this, Claire was employed in both health and social-care sector with roles in business development, performance management and service redesign. She also worked for TINArts, a non-profit arts organisation providing dance and arts programmes for people with learning disability.

Emma van Dijk joined the Conservation Board as Communications Officer (20 hours per week) in December. She has previously worked in policy and communications roles in the Public Sector (Defra, Department of Energy and Climate Change, European Commission, House of Commons) and Private Sector (Mars UK) where she led on Public Affairs and Sustainability. She has a certificate in Strategic Social Media Management and PGDip in Internal Communications.


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Item 7 Annual Audit Return Author: Finance Officer Summary: The Audit Commission have completed their audit

of the Board’s accounts for 2015-16 and have drawn to the attention of the Board one matter.

Purpose of the Report: To inform members of the completion of the

external audit for 2015-16. Background: 1 The Board is responsible for ensuring that its financial management is

adequate and effective and that it has a sound system of internal control.

2 The Board prepares an annual return in accordance with proper

practices which:

Summarises the accounting records for the year ended 31 March 2016; and,

Confirms and provides assurance on those matters that are

important to the auditor’s responsibilities.

3 The auditor appointed by the Audit Commission, BDO, is required to conduct an audit and, on the basis of the review of the annual return and supporting information, to report whether any matters give cause for concern that relevant legislation and regulatory requirements have not been met.

Audit Conclusion: 4 On the basis of their review, in the opinion of the auditor the information

in the annual return is in accordance with proper practices

5 One matter has come to their attention giving cause for concern that relevant legislation and regulatory requirements have not been met; i.e. that a risk register was not presented to the Board’s Executive Committee during the financial year.

6 No other issues have arisen during the course of the audit.


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Responses and Action: 7 The following responses are offered to the issues raised:

i. Risk Register

The register was presented to the Executive Committee in May 2016 and presented at regular intervals thereafter

Recommendation:

1. To approve and accept the audited annual return and issues

arising report for 2015-16 and agree to the responses and action set out above.


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Item 8 Review of the Board’s Corporate Governance Arrangements: Initial Recommendations

Author: Ray Payne Summary 1. This report is in response to the terms of reference for the review of the Board’s

compliance arrangements. It provides an introduction for the benefit of Board Members unfamiliar with the reasons why this large exercise is being done and the reasons why it is becoming increasingly important. It also provides background material to remind Board Members of the regulating legislation. It continues with tables illustrating the results of a comparative analysis of regulated and unregulated clauses in the two main current compliance documents and refers to the work which has been done on this subject by the Cotswold Conservation Board. The report is for noting and decision.

Purpose 2. The purpose of this report is to advise on progress made in analysing the current

compliance arrangements. This has been done in relation to the legislative requirements taking account of the terms of reference which are to:

a) To review and consider the application of:

Relevant legislation leading up to the formation of the Board and legislation

enacted subsequently; The Boards existing corporate governance arrangements; The corporate governance arrangements developed by the Cotswolds

Conservation Board and other similar organisations; Nationally recognised governance standards relevant to the Board

b) To make proposals for new corporate governance arrangements taking account

of the above and in particular:

Compliance with legislation; Content and relevance to the Board; Current best practice; and Format of the resulting document and its style.

3. Most of this ground has been covered and what it has revealed is the true

complexity, contradictions, inconsistencies and gaps in the current arrangements. Introduction


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4. The Board’s sponsoring government department is the Department for Environment

and Rural Affairs (Defra). It has no specific objective to establish Conservation Boards; they are simply an option for managing AONBs. It was, and still is, never Defra’s intention to create a two-tier system of those AONBs with a Conservation Board and those without. It was, and to a large extent still is, that the decision to establish a Conservation Board must take into consideration the best form of management for the AONB and its particular circumstances. There are five reasons why the matter of corporate governance is becoming increasingly important.

5. The comparative financial management stability of the two Conservation Boards,

Chilterns and Cotswolds, compared to those ANOB’s which are managed without one is becoming increasingly distinct in many cases. The future successes of the two Boards will depend increasingly on an innovative approach to their management, the quality of their staff, the opportunistic approach to threats and opportunities and the increasingly essential feature of demonstrating value for money to those providing the finding or paying for the service. As a consequence of all of this the governance arrangements we have in place to administer this newer approach will become more important.

6. A Conservation Board whose area crosses a number of administrative boundaries

also eases the administrative burden by having unified, independent corporate and representative management arrangement for the decision making process drawn from the constituent local authorities and directly appointed by the Secretary of State. The alternative, which is the joint advisory committee of the constituent local authorities for ANOB’s managed without a Conservation Board, is less flexible. This is because the managers of these AONBs must consult all its constituent local authorities and therefore a joint advisory committee may be not be able to act as quickly as a Conservation Board, which can take and implement its own decisions. This places Conservation Boards in a unique position which demands compliance controls.

7. Conservation Boards and the Chilterns Board in particular, are increasingly

recognising that a prudent and pragmatic approach to managing its commercial environment is to recognise that public funding from central and local government is not secure in the long term. The Board is beginning to consider the consequences of this approach and some interesting features of this are beginning to emerge. Various forms of sponsorship is one of these and the Board is already engaged in one which is the Chalk Streams Project which has a variety of client organisations, some from the private sector, and this kind of arrangement will inevitably result in demands from these organisations for evidence of the compliance arrangements in place which are recognisable by both the private and public sector.

8. Conservation Boards are set up and regulated by statute, namely an Act of

Parliament and the enabling legislation contained in a Statutory Instrument. The implication of these, and in particular the latter, is that some form of governance or compliance is put in place to aid the regulatory function of the statute and in the case of the Board it takes the form of Standing Orders and a Scheme of Delegation. Increasingly the management of the Board and the governance which regulates it must be and must be seen to be fit for purpose. The legislation also provides for a Conservation Board Establishment Order to be revoked by the Secretary of State if she or he considers that a Conservation Board is no longer the best way of managing that AONB.


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9. Last, it has already been indicated in paragraph 8 that the Board has a governance arrangement in place in the form of Standing Orders and a Scheme of Delegation. As a minimum the Board must ensure that these are fit for purpose for our new current operating functions and in a form which can be extended to accommodate new demands on it. For example procedures are not in place for exercising the Board’s powers under its formative statute and enabling legislation for borrowing. Additionally they are not in place for exercising its new powers under the wide ranging power of competence including the need to establish a parallel commercial organisation on a profitable basis as circumstances dictate as a result of the Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016, a power which to some extent reflects what is in the Board’s formative statute.

Background 10. The primary legislation leading to the creation of Conservation Boards is contained in

the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.

11. In the case of the Board the enabling legislation is the Chilterns Conservation Board’s Establishment Order: The Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (Establishment of Conservation Board) Order 2004 (Statutory Instrument 2004 No.1778). The powers and functions of the Board are incorporated in this Statutory Instrument and it also conferred on the Board the little used title of ‘The Conservation Board for the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’.

12. In common with most public and private sector organisations, and government

Agencies and those in the voluntary sector, it is necessary for the Board to review on a regular basis its corporate governance arrangements as discussed in paragraphs 4 to 9. The Board Review Group in 2015 made recommendations against four objectives as part of its review of the structure of the Board. Objective 4 was ‘To ensure that the Board complies with the principles of good governance and to consider how any shortfall might be addressed.

13. The Board Review Group’s Recommendations in 2015 advocated a review of the

Board’s compliance arrangements and the Board at its meeting on 23rd June 2016 resolved to conduct a review.

14. Preliminary work done subsequent to the Board Meeting began to reveal the nature

of the extent of the review required, most of which has been summarised in paragraphs 4 to 9. The current governance arrangements have their origins in the nature of the formation of the Board in 2004 by virtue of the Board’s establishment Order, Statutory Instrument 2004/1778, and the subsequent drafting of the Board’s Standing Orders and Scheme of Delegation, both adopted by the Board in January 2005.

15. The Board’s Standing Orders have been amended to a fairly minor degree over the

last few years, for example the conduct of an Extraordinary Meeting of the Board, but much of the substance of the document is now largely ignored as being irrelevant. There is provision in the Standing Order to be able to amend them other than those derived from statutory authority.

16. The Scheme of Delegation contains a requirement that it should be reviewed after one year of operation. There is no evidence that this was ever done in the 12 years since its adoption. It also contains some clear anomalies, for example the


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establishment of a Standards Committee which is no longer required, and the reference to the Board’s Code of Conduct which it does not have. Clarity about the delegation framework in the current Scheme of Delegation is also required and concerns were raised by staff in this regard during the recent consultation on restructuring, and on other occasions.

17. The tactical management and structure of the Board under the direction of the Chief

Officer is progressively changing so as to reflect the present day working and funding environment in which the Board exists now and in the medium term. Care must be taken in drafting any new governance arrangements to draw a clear distinction between what is really a governance matter and what is a management matter at the discretion of the Chief Officer, and what is prescribed by legislation and what is not, and those matters not regulated by statute those which are now redundant.

Results of the Comparative Analysis

18. Exhibit 1 is the result of an analysis of the Board’s current Standing Orders Regulating the Meetings and Procedures of the Board. It begins the process of drawing a distinction between what is prescribed by legislation and what is not, and what is now redundant. The reference in the table: S.3 SI 1778 (2004), refers to Schedule 3 of the Board’s Establishment Order: Statutory Instrument 1778 (2004).

19. The table draws the distinction between those clauses which it is recommended cannot be changed without legislation, those which should be removed, and those which should be reviewed or which should remain.

Clause Section Regulated Unregulated PART A: STANDING ORDERS APLLICABLE TO MEETINGS OF THE BOARD

1 Date of Annual Meeting of the Board sch.3 SI 1778 (2004) 2 Date and Time of Other Meetings of the Board sch.3 SI 1778 (2004) 3 Extraordinary General Meeting of the Board sch.3 SI 1778 (2004) 4 Location of Meetings of the Board sch.3 SI 1778 (2004) 5 Calling of Meetings sch.3 SI 1778 (2004) 6 Appointment of Chairman and Deputy Chairman sch.3 SI 1778 (2004) 7 * Appointment of Standing Committees Review *** Composition of Executive and Planning

Committee Review

*** Voting for Membership Review *** Composition of the Standards Committee Remove 8 Conduct of Meetings sch.3 SI 1778 (2004) 9 *** Order of Business Review 10 *** Minutes Review Copy of Minutes sch.3 SI 1778 (2004)


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11 *** Voting Review 12 *** Notices of Motion Remove 13 *** Motions which may be Moved without Notice Remove 14 *** Examination of Committee Minutes Remove 15 *** Formal Questions Remove 16 *** Consideration of Committee Reports Remove 17 *** Rules of Debate Remove 18 ** Disorderly Conduct Review 19 *** Attendance of the Public at Meetings Review 20 *** Rescission of Preceding Resolutions Remove 21 ** Failure of a Member to Attend Board Meetings Review 22 *** Revocation, Suspension and Variation of

Standing Orders Retain

23 *** Interpretation of Standing Orders Retain PART B: ORDERS APPLYING TO AGENDAS AND REPORTS

24 *** Preparation and Publication of Agenda and

Reports Review

25 ** Disclosure of Information by a Member of the

Board Review

PART C: GENERALLY APPLICABLE STANDING ORDERS

26 ** Conduct of Members Retain 27 ** Interests of Officers in Contracts Retain 28 ** Candidates for Appointment as Officers Review 29 *** Sealing of Documents Retain 30 *** Authentication of Documents Retain 31 *** Standing orders to be given to Members Retain 32 *** Members’ Rights to Inspect Documents Review 33 *** Public Question Time Review PART D: STANDING ORDERS APPLICABLE TO COMMITTEES

34 * Appointment of Committees Review


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35 * Co-opted Members Review 36 Composition of Committees sch.3 SI 1778 (2004) 37 *** Convening of meetings of Committees and Sub

Committees Review

38 *** Quorum of Committees and Sub Committees Review 39 *** Right to Attend Meetings Review 40 Procedure at Committee or Sub Committee

Meetings

Clause 2, 4, 5 and 10 above sch.3 SI 1778 (2004) *** The remainder of the clauses Review PART E: STANDING ORDERS APPLICABLE TO THE CHIEF OFFICIER OF THE BOARD

41 ** Appointments Review 42 ** Disciplinary Action Review

Exhibit 1: Analysis of the Board’s current ‘Standing Orders Regulating the Meetings and Procedures of the Board’ indicating recommended changes and responsibilities 20. In Exhibit 1 the column headed ‘Unregulated’ refers to the fact that the Board is in the

main not obliged to accept the clause in the current Standing Orders. The column headed ‘Clause’ contains the clause number and the following notation indicating the recommended allocation of responsibility for considering and drafting changes: * Responsibility of the Chief Officer; ** Responsibility of the Personnel Advisory Group *** Responsibility of The Executive Committee’s Board Review Group

21. Exhibit 2 illustrates in the same form as Exhibit 1 the current position in respect of the

Board’s Scheme of Delegation to Committee and to the Chief Officer. The notation for the allocation of responsibility is that used in the case of Exhibit 1.

Clause Section Regulated Unregulated *** Introduction Review 1 *** The Board Review 2 ** Delegation to the Executive Committee Review 3 *** Delegation to the Planning Committee Review 4 ** The Appeals Sub- Committee Review 5 *** The Standards Committee Remove


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6 Scheme of Delegation to the Chief Officer Review * Personnel Review *** Legal and Procedural Retain *** Planning Review *** Form of Signature Review

Exhibit 2: Analysis of the Board’s current ‘Scheme of Delegation to Committee and to the Chief Officer’ indicating recommended changes and responsibilities 22. No part of the Scheme of Delegation is regulated by legislation. It will be noted that

the entire document requires reviewing especially in the context of the opinion provided in paragraph 24. The opportunity will also be taken to improve the day to day management of the Board, and taking into account that it is a very small organisation, rationalise the delegated powers of the Executive Committee and the Chief Officer.

23. Exhibit 3 consists of a collection of Policies which are referred to in the Standing

Orders and the Scheme of Delegation which in the main have not been prepared. A detailed examination of these may of course reveal that they are unnecessary or others are required. The notation for the allocation of responsibility is that used in the case of Exhibit 1.

Item Required Policy Status 1 *** Members Allowance Scheme In place but not

published 2 *** Code of Conduct and relevant protocols Not written 3 * Members annual training programme Review 4 ** Employment policies Review 5 * Health and Safety policy Review 6 ** The appointment and dismissal of the Board’s Monitoring

Officer Not written

7 ** Personnel Handbook Review

Exhibit 3: List of known topics which need attention. 24. Notwithstanding the results of the detailed analysis which are illustrated in Exhibits 1,

2 it is also clear from a close examination of the text in current Standing Orders and the Scheme of Delegation that there is overlap and contradiction. This is not surprising given the speed with which these documents were apparently prepared and that much of the contents, other than that regulated by legislation, was taken from procedures then in force at High Wycombe District Council. That they were prepared in good faith is not in doubt. The circumstances were difficult and were prepared for a very different organisation to the current and possibly future Board.


20

8

25. The opportunity has also been taken to examine what the Cotswolds Conservation Board has done. In 2015 it published the results of its review of its compliance arrangements, which at the start of its review were nearly the same as those now in use by the Board. Cotswolds CB has been through a similar exercise to that illustrated in this report and has now combined the Standing Orders, Scheme of Delegation and other matters into one document, called a Constitution. It is written in a literary style which owes nothing to the style of the Establishment Order or the borrowed clauses from High Wycombe District Council’s Shandong Orders. Instead it is written in what is often regarded as ‘plain English’ framed to suit its particular circumstances. It is recommended that this style and format is adopted for the publication of the revised compliance arrangements and that the document is used as a template by the Board.

Recommendations 26. It is recommended that:

a) The results of the analysis presented in Exhibits 1, 2 and 3 are noted in respect of the preliminary allocation into regulated and unregulated functions;

b) The allocation of responsibilities indicated in paragraphs 20to 23 inclusive are

adopted in principle accepting that there is considerable overlap between some of the requirements and that the Chief Officer will be involved in some of the requirements to a greater extent than others;

c) The drafting of the new compliance requirements further to paragraph 26 (b)

takes account of the observations in paragraphs 5 to 9 inclusive; and

d) The literary style, format and substance referred to in paragraph 25 are adopted.


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Item 10 Business Plan 2017-18

Author: Sue Holden, Chief Officer

Purpose of the Report: To discuss and approve the CCB’s Business Plan for the financial year 2017-18

Background: The attached plan is created to guide the staff team’s work in 2017-18 and will form the part of the grant submission being made to DEFRA at the end of January. This is a deliberately succinct and focused plan. We are prioritising a smaller number of ambitious plans and projects which have greater impact for the staff time input and resources available. And we are focused on developing projects which will attract new, additional resources which in turn helps us achieve much more than a small team with a fixed core income would be able to do. The Chief Officer will present the plan and give an overview of the areas where we need help and support in the coming year. Recommendation:

The Board are asked to discuss and approve the Business Plan for 2017-18.


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Business Plan 2017-18

Introduction

We enter 2017 after some significant changes and some significant successes. Our 2017-18 plans will see us increase expenditure from

£643,000 to £875,000 due to successful project bids and will see us double the return on our core DEFRA grant.

Our 2017-18 plans build on the AONB Management Plan 2014-19 www.chilternsaonb.org/management-plan and support the

objectives of the Landscapes for Life Strategic Plan 2016-2020 www.landscapesforlife.org.uk/images/Strategic-Plan-2016-2020.pdf.

This short plan summaries our future direction with goals to address three key organisational challenges (Impact, Profile and

Resources) and gives the 32 priority activities for 2017-18.

Strategic Context

When we look back at the 2016-17 business plan external context, especially to threats, little has changed. In other respects, the world

has changed radically, both internally and externally.

The wider context to our future work is described in the national and county State of the Environment reports: “research shows wildlife

continues to decline and landscapes continue to be degraded. Surveys reveal people are less connected or involved with their local

environment than ever before and the environment is often presented as a constraint on economic development” (Bucks State of the

Environment 2016). There is therefore significant work to be done.


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http://www.chilternsaonb.org/management-plan

http://www.landscapesforlife.org.uk/images/Strategic-Plan-2016-2020.pdf

But there’s a positive note for the future… more young people watched Planet Earth II than X Factor in 2016.

We have reviewed opportunities and threats and consider the key ones, to which we must respond in 2017-18, are as follows:

Threat

Response

Development Planning across the

region

Applying strong principles and policies to responses to plans and applications, training and

guidance for LA planning teams, creation of tools to support neighbourhood planning

Undertake work on cumulative impacts

Ensure successful Chilterns Buildings Design Awards 2017

Reductions in public sector funding Focus on project development and funding

Build case to local authorities

Brexit, especially loss of support for

land stewardship

Work with National Association to create a new vision for landscape and land support

Build landowner/farm advice initiative

Chilterns Hills not well-known Build the brand / new communications strategy

Increasing disconnect between

people and the environment

Build the brand / new communications strategy

New focused people engagement programme, new health & well-being project

Pests and diseases, invasive species Create clear action plan for Chiltern Woods and Trees

Chilterns Chalk Streams restoration projects

HS2 & other infrastructure projects Contribute to Review Group & host manager post to ensure best design & mitigation possible

Local authorities under huge

pressure, plus parochial views

Build stronger case for AONB & CCB support, especially around economic and social value of

Chilterns, plus case for working at bigger scale than district and county

Historic environment not well

understood or managed

Hillforts & LPS projects

Strong planning responses, build knowledge of historic environment

Lack of appreciation of landscape

and its value

Build series of landscape and special quality projects

Promote landscape value and economic and social value of the Chilterns

Climate change e.g. effects on

beech and on chalk streams flow

LPS objective to build resilience, connect & restore habitats

Advice to landowners, riparian owners and woodland owners to be scaled up


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Habitat fragmentation and lack of

appropriate management;

continued species declines

Landscape scale initiatives and strengthened partnership working; increased public

engagement in management of the AONB

Opportunity

Response

Development Planning across the

region

Applying strong principles and policies to responses to plans and applications, training and

guidance for LA planning teams, creation of tools to support neighbourhood planning

Undertake work on cumulative impacts

Ensure successful Chilterns Buildings Design Awards 2017

Action-focused people

engagement

New engagement strategy including hillforts, LPS, walking festivals, events review, health &

wellbeing, new technology

Volunteers/supporters/ambassadors to help achieve the purposes

HS2 (how to turn it into an…) Contribute to Review Group & host coordinator post to ensure best possible design/ mitigation

Apply to Community/Environment & Business Funds

Design Don’t Stop Coming engagement & communications

Partnership working Agree stakeholder map & action plan

Apply special projects & development funds to seed corn new programmes

Health and well-being agendas Scope a partnership/project initiative

Diversify income streams Build strong project pipeline and scope corporate partnership proposition

Influencing & supporting land

managers

Build landowner/farm advice initiative

Plan further landscape scale conservation work in Herts/Beds

Social media & website Deliver two-way, action-focused social media campaign & improve website

Rural economy, visitor economy,

leisure economy

Support Chiltern Tourism network

Extend local produce, food and drink initiative (and community food)

Conservation at a landscape scale Landscape Partnership schemes - leading central Chilterns; developing new schemes and

supporting others.

There are also several unknown factors which make planning for 2017-18 a challenge:


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Local Government Re-organisation

Buckinghamshire County Council have put forward a plan to DCLG to form a unitary authority for Bucks which would see the four

districts disappear. The districts are working on options for reorganising the five authorities. The links below give further information:

www.futurebucks.co.uk and www.southbucks.gov.uk/mlgsb. Oxfordshire County Council is also formulating proposals for becoming a

unitary authority. Whatever happens, there will be implications for the CCB and an opportunity to seek more effective ways of

engaging with our local authority partners.

HS2

We sit on the AONB Review Group, we will line manage the Review Group Programme Manager, we will bid to the Community &

Environment and Business Funds and we will advise planning authorities on Section 17 Consents. At this point we are unclear how

much work all of this will involve but we hope much of this work will be funded. We also hope is that by helping to ensure the Review

Group works effectively, we will reduce the input required when significant numbers of consents are being consulted on.

Brexit

Brexit creates the opportunity to design a new approach to supporting environmental land management. We will work with the AONB

family to promote a vision for protected landscapes delivering “public good for public money”, protecting the natural capital and

natural health service which bring enormous benefit to society.

Our Progress in 2016-17

Many of the recommendations of the 2015 Management Review have been implemented. We are spread less thinly and are more

focused. We have increased the focus on project development and funding and increased capacity in these areas, in order to increase

the impact we can have.

We have also reduced the planned deficit significantly and created a core cost structure which is more sustainable. We have completed

a restructuring which will help us achieve sustainability and deliver more. And we have been extremely successful in our funding bids –

HLF for hillforts, LEADER for a walking festival, DEFRA for a food and drink initiative and HLF for our first Landscape Partnership


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http://www.futurebucks.co.uk/

http://www.southbucks.gov.uk/mlgsb

Scheme. And we continue to deliver landscape enhancement through restoring chalk streams, advising woodland owners, providing

planning expertise and even by undergrounding power cables.

Increasing our impact

The Chilterns Conservation Board covers 830km2 across 13 local authorities, we are facing unprecedented change in the landscape and

special qualities are threatened and we have ten million people within an hour. Going forwards we need to have more impact both in

conserving the AONB and in delivering benefits to society. To do this we need new resources, more capacity and large-scale

programmes of activity. This will also deliver a greater return for our public sector funding and preserve our core grant for expenditure

which will not be funded by other sources of income.

Over the next three years we will therefore focus on

- Devising, resourcing and delivering initiatives which deliver conservation and appreciation of the AONB and its special qualities;

and, as far as possible, economic and social wellbeing

- Creating a comprehensive list of prioritised needs and opportunities, covering a wide range of qualities and geography

- Designing propositions which will attract new resources, packaging activity which appeals to funders and delivers our purposes

- Building support, of many kinds, for the AONB and seeking new resources and funding

- Playing to our strengths such as with HLF and trying to avoid competing with our partners for funding

- Lead the creation of a new Chilterns Management Plan

- Maximising impact from, and return on, our core grant

Building our profile

We must build the profile of the Chiltern Hills and the reputation of the CCB if we are to have more impact. The Chilterns are not as

well-known as many other protected landscapes and the total suite of special qualities and the rarity of these qualities are not fully

appreciated: HS2 would not be over-ground in the Lake District. Furthermore, we must promote the most significant opportunities

that the Chiltern Hills gives to society – to contribute to the health and well-being of people and by delivering natural capital services.


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Over the next three years, we will therefore focus on

- Making the case for supporting the AONB - the philanthropic, the economic and the social cases – more strongly

- Communicating compelling evidence of the value that landscape and the Chilterns gives to society

- Delivering persuasive advocacy which ensures that decision-makers are fully equipped to make the right decisions for the AONB

- Creating inspiring communications to engage many more people especially those who can support us caring for the Chilterns

- Promoting the opportunity the Chilterns provides to boost the physical and mental health of the ten million people who live

within an hour

Growing our resources

We have to prepare for a future with less public sector funding but the reality must be understood: fundraising is extremely

challenging and very competitive; most donors give to charity not to the public sector; some funders do not fund existing activity and

staff e.g. HLF; some fundraising has very long lead in times e.g. corporate partnerships; some fundraising produces extremely low

returns on investment e.g. individual giving; some income is very small or very low return on effort e.g. events; some funding only pays

for the work it generates e.g. woodland advice; little alternative funding is available for some of our functions e.g. planning work and

some fundraising would compete with our close partners e.g. membership.

We will prioritise alternative funding and resourcing but we must also continue to defend the need for central and local government to

fund a landscape of international significance which offers huge benefit to millions of people.

In the next year, due to recent successes obtaining development grants for hillforts and the landscape partnership (which will deliver

much greater impact), raising match-funding is a top priority so, despite the reality check above, it is full steam ahead and we will need

all staff, partners, board members and local authorities to help with this challenge. Functional leads have responsibility for

development in their functional area and projects in their area. A new Development and Funding Manager will co-ordinate project

development and several funding streams and will lead on a few projects, but most CCB roles will, going forwards, have responsibility

for development and resourcing, of all kinds.

Over the next three years we will therefore focus on


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- Developing projects and activity which deliver our purpose and generate additional funding for the Chilterns

- Working with partners and collaborators who share our ambitions and purpose

- Seeking ambassadors and connectors to make introductions and facilitate relationships with individuals, companies and funders

who could support the Chilterns

- Building pro bono expertise and gifts of time from people and organisations who care for the Chilterns

Developing our organisation

2017 will be a year of change partly due to the changes to the team and partly due to the significant increase in project activity. By

January there will be three new staff in the team (Development and Funding Manager, Communications Officer and maternity cover

Admin Officer) and two new contract staff (Finance Officer and Walking Festival Project Manager) and by March there will be a further

three new members of staff (HS2 Programme Manager and Landscape Partnership Manager and Officer).

We have started making improvements to our governance and have appointed a Monitoring Officer and a Deputy Monitoring Officer.

We also have a Governance Review being led by Board Member, Ray Payne. These give us the chance to modernise our governance

and administration further, improving both effectiveness and efficiency.

Creating the next AONB Management Plan will create the opportunity to reaffirm and build the commitment of partners to the

Chilterns AONB and its statutory body, the CCB. We will start the Management Plan review in 2018.


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Purposes, Strategic Objectives and Key Activity

Chilterns Conservation Board Statutory Purposes

1. To conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the AONB

2. To increase the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of the AONB

And in fulfilling these purposes, the Board has a duty

3. To seek to foster the economic and social well-being of local communities

Strategic Objectives in 2017-18

1. Build impact in landscape conservation and enhancement

2. Build contribution of the Chilterns to society and contribution of society to the Chilterns

3. Build influence in planning and development

4. Build appreciation of landscape and the Chilterns

Key Activities in 2017-18

Please note that, whilst activities are displayed within a primary strategic objective, they will often also contribute to other objectives.

Build impact in landscape conservation and enhancement

1. Contribute to HS2 Review Group; management of Review Group Officer RG targets achieved KD

2. Bids to HS2 Community & Environment and Business Funds and LEI fund 3 projects submitted KD NJ

3. Develop and resource Phase I Landscape Partnership Scheme Phase I targets achieved KD

LSP team

4. Successful delivery and development of the Chalk Streams Project Work programme achieved AB

5. Successful delivery and development of the Chilterns Woodlands Project Work programme achieved JM


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6. Develop and resource Beacons of the Past (hillforts) project Submit stage two bid June CH

7. Develop a land manager engagement project Plan underway by May NJ

8. Create, with partners, an action plan for Chiltern Woods & Trees Brief agreed by September SH

9. Scope landscape scale conservation programme Herts/Beds LPS scoped KD

Build contribution of the Chilterns to society and contribution of society to the Chilterns

10. Set up the Walking Festival project, first festival takes place May Achieve LEADER targets AV

11. Build Local Produce initiative, following completion of DEFRA funded project Phase III bid submitted AV

12. Lead Chiltern Tourism Network; bid for further tourism development project Bid submitted to LEP AV

13. Scope a new people engagement and learning/skills programme (including

Activate and Explorers Pass)

Agree plan by September AV

14. Devise and initiate a health & wellbeing programme Planned by October CR

Build influence in planning and development

15. Respond to all Local Plans being developed (and to key planning applications) Model Policy adopted LM

16. Create online tools to enable others to engage with planning in the AONB Underway by August LM

17. Create a policy on development in the AONB and cumulative impacts assessment Agreed by October LM

18. Implement a plan for natural environment CIL/developer contributions Plan agreed by May LM NJ

Build appreciation of landscape and the Chilterns

19. Create high impact communications on the value of and action for the AONB

including Outstanding Chilterns & the Chilterns Economic and Social Value Report

Communications throughout

year

EvD

20. Engage stakeholders through Annual Forum and Lead Officer Forum, including

local authorities, partners, NGOs, agencies, LNPs, LEPs and MPs

Annual Fora held EvD

CR

21. Implement a programme to work with and build support from Parish Councils Plan agreed by July CR

22. Devise a consultation plan for the AONB Management Plan Plan agreed by October EvD


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23. Build evidence for a new AONB Management Plan including State of the Chilterns

Environment, online surveys and landscape character interpretation

Plan underway by August KD

24. Work closely with the Chiltern Society on planning, Building Design Awards,

hillforts, landscape partnership, communications and walking festivals.

Positive feedback ALL

25. Modernise and build interactivity of website and social media Priorities agreed by May EvD

26. Develop Chilterns Champions programme (including advisors and speakers) Scoped by June CR

Organisational Effectiveness

27. Governance – complete governance review; establish practices with new

Monitoring Officer and Deputy Monitoring Officer

Complete by December SH

28. Review financial regulations, investment strategy and delegation framework Agree changes Sept SH GH

29. Project development – rollout a process for co-ordinating project development

and for scoping new ideas, prioritised needs and opportunities

Framework in place by April CR

30. Develop and test a corporate partnership offer, generic and project Test complete by June CR

31. Establish new roles and develop team Two team events SH

32. Contribution to joint initiatives with AONB family and NAAONB At least four SH

33. Partnership working with LNPs, agencies and NGOs Minimum ten partners KD SH


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In summary, we hope that, in the future…

The Chilterns will be recognised and appreciated as a landscape of international significance, for all its special qualities and its natural capital, which are being conserved and enhanced

Those making decisions, which impact the Chilterns, have a clear understanding of why the Chilterns are important

The Chilterns landscape will be recognised for its potential to benefit society especially the health and well-being of the 10 million who live within an hour

The CCB will scale up its activity and impact, deliver a greater return for its public funding and will bring in significant new resources for the Chilterns


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Financial Plan 2017-18

Description Budget 2016-17 Revised Budget 2016-17 Budget 2017-18

Core income:

Defra 419,969 419,969 427,193

Local authorities, town & parish councils 110,557 109,932 95,375

Earned income 11,470 19,720 12,285

Total: 554,246 549,621 534,853

Core expenditure:

Employment costs 407,844 408,229 348,151

Members’ allowances 20,325 17,845 19,390

Other costs 144,378 125,225 145,351

Total: 572,547 551,299 512,892

Net core income / expenditure: -18,301 -1,678 21,961

Project income 65,647 77,099 322,274

Project expenditure 91,341 92,045 362,274

Net project expenditure: -25,694 -14,946 -40,000

Grand total income 619,893 626,720 857,127 Grand total expenditure 663,888 643,344 875,166 Grand total net expenditure: -43,995 -16,224 -18,039

NB. A deficit budget has been agreed as we are investing some of our reserves in project development and sustainability


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Chiltern Hills

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 Section 85/87

Parliamentary Establishment Order SI1778 July 2004

AONB Management Plan 2014-19

Chiltern Conservation Board 13 Local Authority Members

6 Parish Council Representatives 8 Sec of State Appointees

Staff Team

Executive Committee Planning Committee

DEFRA

Designation 1965

National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949

Aylesbury Vale District Council

Buckinghamshire County Council

Central Bedfordshire Council

Chiltern District Council

Dacorum Borough Council

Hertfordshire County Council

Luton Borough Council

North Herts District Council

Oxfordshire County Council

South Bucks District Council

South Oxfordshire District Council

Three Rivers District Council

Wycombe District Council

National Association of AONBs

Chilterns Conservation Board Statutory Framework

Chilterns Conservation Board Purposes

To conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the AONB To increase the understanding and enjoyment of the special quality of the AONB And in fulfilling these purposes, the Board has a duty To seek to foster the economic and social well-being of local communities

Parish & Town Councils (117)

Statutory Framework


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Chief Officer

Countryside

Officer

Conservation & Landscape Officer

Chalk Streams

Project Officer

Hillforts Project

Officer

Planning Officer

Part time

People & Society Officer

Part time

Walking Festival

Project Manager

Part time

Development & Funding Manager

Communications Officer

Part time

Administration Officer

Part time

Finance Officer PT

Committee Clerk/Deputy Monitoring Officer PT

Planning Consultant

Part time

Landscape Partnership

Manager

HS2 Co-ordinator

Landscape Partnership

Development Officer

Chilterns Conservation Board Staff Team

(new posts in green boxes)


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