The Authority recognises the value of a strong relationship with parish councils - the most local democratic representation of opinion - in order to achieve the objectives set out in the National Park Management Plan.
This part of the website is dedicated to supporting and engaging with parish councils.
Parish Forums
We have regular Parish Forum meetings for all parishes wholly or partially within the National Park, with the parishes divided into 3 areas. One Forum is for the parishes in the north of the National Park, one for the parishes in the south and one for the parishes in the west. The Forums encourage a two-way discussion about any and all National Park issues relevant to parish councils. Two meetings of each Forum per year are currently being held, in the spring and autumn. Meetings are chaired by the four parish-appointed Members of the Authority, and agendas are agreed in advance to include items requested by the parish councils.
Parishes are encouraged to take the opportunity at these forums to share innovative ideas/activities/projects that parishes have done - so that others can learn from them. A slot on the agenda will be available for a Parish Council or other local representative to give a presentation.
The next round of Forum meetings will take place in Autumn 2019. Details of dates and venues are below:
- SOUTHERN - Wednesday 16th October at The Devonshire Institute (Town Hall), Grassington, 7-9pm
- WESTERN - Thursday 17th October at Orton Market Hall, 7-9pm
- NORTHERN - Wednesday 23rd October at West Burton Village Hall, 7-9pm
Notes from previous meetings, including some of the facts, figures and general information from presentations, can be found on the Parish Forum Archive page.
If you would like to ask a question, written notice of the question should be submitted to the Chief Executive, no later than two days prior to the meeting. Questions should not relate to "individual circumstances", these should be taken up directly with the relevant National Park staff. Please use this form to submit a question. (Please note: this facility is only available prior to a meeting, once the meeting date has been set.)
Updates
A regular update on topical issues and current news that we hope will be of interest to local communities. Please click on the link(s) below to read more ...
Our Parish Appointed Members
The membership of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority is set out in legislation (Environment Act 1995). Of the 25 members, four are appointed by the Secretary of State to represent the parishes in the National Park. Those parish members are:
If you are interested in becoming a 'Parish Member' you can find out more by visiting our 'How to become a Member' page and by contacting the Committees Officer, Julie Payne on 01969 652364.
