Types of committee
Meetings of the Authority's Members
The full National Park Authority, made up of 25 Members, meets formally four times a year:
- to determine issues of policy and strategy and set the content of important documents that guide how the National Park Authority operates; and
- to discuss and agree targets and priorities for the Authority's work.
The National Park Authority also has several smaller committees with specifically defined roles and who can make decisions on behalf of the full Authority. The roles and responsibilities of these committees are set out in the Scheme of Delegation and Committee Terms of Reference. Members are appointed to serve on these committees at the Annual General Meeting.
Audit and Review Committee
The Audit and Review Committee meets three times a year to:
- review the Authority's performance;
- consider issues relating to corporate governance; and
- receive external and internal audit reports.
Finance and Resources Committee
The Finance and Resources Committee meets five times a year to:
- manage and monitor financial forecasts and budgets
- determine personnel policies and monitor their implementation; and
- manage the Authority's land, property and other assets effectively.
Planning Committee
The Planning Committee meets every month except January to:
- decide on the most significant planning applications, including those for listed buildings; and
- consider action against breaches of planning legislation.
Standards Committee
The Standards Committee usually meets once a year in November. Additional meetings are convened as required, for example, to consider issues relating to the Members' Code of Conduct.
Access Committee - now closed
Until March 2011, the National Park Authority also had an Access Committee. Its archived papers are available for download. Access and recreation matters requiring a decision are taken to meetings of the full Authority.
How are meetings conducted?
All meetings of the National Park Authority and its committees are regulated by the Authority's Standing Orders. These set out details including how the chairs and deputy chairs of committees are selected and what their duties are, how and when meetings should be held and how Members should conduct themselves in those meetings.
There are also codes of conduct for both Members and Officers of the National Park Authority relating to standards of behaviour at committee meetings. Details of the Authority's Codes can be found on the Members' conduct and Officers' conduct pages, along with our organisational values and how the National Park Authority is governed.
Public involvement in meetings
All of our meetings are open to the general public (with the exception of certain items of business that are marked as being private on agendas). You are welcome to ask questions and/or make comments that relate to the work of the appropriate committee.
There is a 15 minute 'public question time' at the start of every meeting. There are certain rules concerning this period to ensure its smooth running. For example, each speaker is limited to a maximum of three minutes. Read more in:
If you have any questions or would like to speak in a meeting, please contact us.
The arrangements for speaking at Planning Committee meetings are slightly different from other meetings - these are dealt with on the Planning Committee page.
Forthcoming meetings and document downloads
The dates and venues for forthcoming meetings of the National Park Authority and its committees are listed on the Forthcoming meetings page.
You can download the agenda and papers for the meetings by following the links to the meeting you require.
