NAAONB Annual General Meeting Business Meeting Agenda

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Item 3 - AGM November 23rd 2017 - Minutes and matters arising

NAAONB Annual General Meeting Business Meeting Agenda Thursday 29th November 2018 3.15 - 5.00pm Stevenson Room, Broadway House, Tothill Street, London, SW1H 9NQ 0845 862 33 66 (Broadway House) or 07969 888823 (Jill Smith)

Item 1 Apologies

Item 2 Introduction of current NAAONB Board members (verbal) - for information

Item 3 AGM November 23rd 2017 - Minutes and matters arising - for agreement

Item 4 Chairman’s Annual Report 2017-18 (verbal) - for Information

Item 5 Financial Report 2017-18 - for agreement

Item 6 Chief Executive’s Report of work completed for NAAONB Business Plan Oct 2017 - Oct 2018 - for information

Item 7 Appointment of Trustees and auditors (verbal) - for information

Item 8 AOB

The National Association for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Belmont House, Shrewsbury Business Park Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY2 6LG

07964 535166 [email protected] Twitter @NAAONB

A company limited by guarantee no: 4729800 1 Charity Number: 1158871 Registered office as above

Item 3 - AGM November 23rd 2017 - Minutes and matters arising Item 3 - AGM November 23rd 2017 - Minutes and matters arising Report to The Annual General Meeting of the National Association for AONBs Subject AGM November 23rd 2017 - Minutes and matters arising Date 11th October 2018 Purpose For agreement

MINUTES OF THE NAAONB ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING HELD ON THURSDAY 23rd NOVEMBER 2017 AT 3.15PM HELD AT BROADWAY HOUSE, LONDON

NAAONB AGM Attendance List - Thursday 23rd November 2017 Name Blackdown Hills AONB Partnership Tim Youngs Chilterns Conservation Board Sue Holden Cotswolds Conservation Board Martin Lane Cotswolds Conservation Board Elizabeth Eyre Cranborne Chase AONB Partnership David Blake Dedham Vale AONB Partnership Simon Amstutz Suffolk Coast & Heaths AONB Partnership Dedham Vale AONB Partnership Robert Erith Dedham Vale AONB Partnership Nigel Chapman Dedham Vale AONB Partnership Peter Stevens Dorset AONB Partnership Tom Munro East Devon AONB Partnership Graham Godbeer East Devon AONB Partnership Chris Woodruff Gower AONB Partnership Paul Lloyd High Weald AONB Partnership Sally Marsh Howardian Hills AONB Partnership Paul Jackson Isle of Wight AONB Partnership Jonathan Bacon Isle of Wight AONB Partnership Richard Grogan Isles of Scilly AONB Partnership Johann Hicks Kent Downs AONB Partnership Nick Johannsen Lincolnshire Wolds AONB Partnership Steve Jack Lincolnshire Wolds AONB Partnership Stuart Parker Malvern Hills AONB Partnership Paul Esrich North Pennines AONB Partnership Jan Simmonds North Pennines AONB Partnership Chris Woodley-Stewart North Wessex Downs AONB Partnership Henry Oliver Shropshire Hills AONB Partnership James Williamson Shropshire Hills AONB Partnership Phil Holden South Devon AONB Partnership Roger English Surrey Hills AONB Partnership Rob Fairbanks Surrey Hills AONB Partnership David Wright Tamar Valley AONB Partnership Corinna Woodall The National Association for AONBs Howard Davies The National Association for AONBs Jill Smith The National Association for AONBs Richard Clarke The National Association for AONBs Amber Carter The National Association for AONBs Rose Day The National Association for AONBs Paul Walton Wye Valley AONB Partnership Andrew Blake

Item 3 - AGM November 23rd 2017 - Minutes and matters arising

Item 1 Apologies Apologies were received from the following.

NAAONB AGM APOLOGIES - Thursday 23rd November 2017 Name Arnside and Silverdale AONB Partnership Brian Meakin Arnside and Silverdale AONB Partnership Lucy Barron Chichester Harbour AONB Partnership Richard Austin Chichester Harbour AONB Partnership Roger Price Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB Partnership Howard Sutcliffe Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB Partnership Hugh Jones Campaign for National Parks Fiona Howie Dorset AONB Partnership Jim White Forest of Bowland AONB Partnership Elliott Lorimer Gower AONB Partnership Chris Lindley Lincolnshire Wolds AONB Partnership Stuart Parker Malvern Hills AONB Partnership John Raine National Association for AONBs Mat Roberts National Association for AONBs Nick Holliday National Trust Karin Taylor North Wessex Downs AONB Partnership Ted Hiscocks Pennine Prospects Helen Noble Suffolk Coast & Heaths AONB Partnership David Wood

Item 2 Introduction of current NAAONB Board members The Board members present introduced themselves - Rose Day, James Williamson, Paul Walton and Chris Woodley-Stewart

Item 3 AGM 24th November 2016 - Minutes and matters arising The Chairman introduced this paper and went through the minutes and matters arising page by page and took the following corrections. On p4, Tim Vines from Norfolk Coast should read Tim Venes.

Agreed: Unanimously

Steve Jack made an additional comment about the upcoming data protection regulations and the publication of attendance signatures within the AGM papers. The response from NAAONB was that his concerns will be addressed, and these will be redacted from published papers.

Item 4 Chairman’s Annual Report 2016-17 Chair introduced this and took questions from the floor.

Item 5 Chief Executive’s Report of work completed for NAAONB Business Plan Oct 2016 - Oct 2017 The Chief Executive introduced and elaborated on this report, then took questions from the floor. There was a question from Nigel Chapman around the NAAONB stance on dark skies in AONBs. The response from NAAONB was that there is no specific stance.

Item 3 - AGM November 23rd 2017 - Minutes and matters arising

Item 6 Company Secretary’s Financial Report 2016-17 Jill Smith introduced this report and took questions from the floor.

Proposed: Colette Beckham Seconded: Paul Jackson Agreed: Unanimously

Item 7 Consultation on NAAONB business plan 2018-20 The Chief Executive introduced and elaborated on this report, he highlighted that comments on this can be received until the 7th of December 2017, and then took questions from the floor.

Proposed: Paul Lloyd Seconded: Andrew Blake Agreed: Unanimously

Item 8 Review of membership rates The Chief Executive introduced this report and took questions from the floor. There was a comment from Andrew Blake, though not an objection, he wished to highlight that a 1% increase in Defra grant aid has been agreed, as the NAAONB proposed increase is higher than 1% it potentially squeezes the work the AONB unit can do locally. Chris Woodley-Stewart commented that this represents a very small amount of money 2.7% of £2500 = £67.50. Chris Woodruff added that it is up to lead officers to justify the value for money of the NAAONB back to the Partnerships, and he finds it easy to justify - his Chairman backed this up. Paul Jackson supported the notion of a progressive increase to avoid problems caused by infrequent, but more significant increases.

Proposed: Andrew Blake Seconded: Graham Godbeer Agreed: Unanimously

Item 9 Election of Trustees and appointment of Auditors The Chairman introduced this paper, he corrected the paper as only one has nomination been put forward, rather than two, the Board has endorsed Lucy Barron to move from cooption to full Board member.

Proposed: Corinne Woodall Seconded: Henry Oliver Agreed: Unanimously

There was then a proposed change to new auditors - Whittingham Riddell.

Proposed: James Williamson Seconded: Rose Day Agreed: Unanimously

Item 10 AOB None received.

Meeting closed 15.41

Item 6 - Chief Executive’s Report of work completed for NAAONB Business Plan Oct 2017 - Oct 2018

Item 5 - Financial Report 2017-18 Report to The Annual General Meeting of the National Association for AONBs Subject NAAONB Financial Report for year ending 31st March 2018 Date 29th November 2018 Author James Williamson (Honorary Treasurer) Purpose For information and agreement

The Trustees have adopted the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) “Accounting and Reporting by Charities” issued in March 2005.

These financial statements (distributed separately) have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small charitable companies and with the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities (effective April 2008).

The accounts show a surplus of £33,735 (not including restricted surplus) for the year ended 31st March 2018.

On approval by the membership at the AGM, the Accounts will be submitted to Companies House and the Charities Commission.

Item 6 - Chief Executive’s Report of work completed for NAAONB Business Plan Oct 2017 - Oct 2018

Annex 1

Item 6 - Chief Executive’s Report of work completed for NAAONB Business Plan Oct 2017 - Oct 2018

Item 6 - Chief Executive’s Report of work completed for NAAONB Business Plan Oct 2017 - Oct 2018 Report to The Annual General Meeting of the National Association for AONBs Subject Chief Executive’s Report of work completed for NAAONB Business Plan Oct 2017 - Oct 18 Date 29th November 2018 Purpose For information

As we approach the end of this year as ever it seems sensible to consider what we have achieved over the last year, how we used your support to direct action, and what the year ahead may bring, but in doing so I am reminded of the quote “uncertainty is the only certainty there is, and knowing how to live with insecurity is the only security”.

This time last year, recognising the uncertainty ahead, you agreed to a short-term business plan, designed to direct our activities towards achieving a limited number of clear outcomes over the next two years. Within 12 weeks of making that decision we had a grant application turned down by Natural Resources Wales leaving a significant hole in our budget, and the publication of England’s 25 Year Environment Plan setting out the bold ambition of government over the way it wanted to direct and support environmental management. A plan that represented better than ever before ‘landscape’ and the input of the National Association into policy development.

In Wales, the National Association had worked hard to bring together AONB and National Park staff with staff of the Wildlife Trusts, RSPB, National Trust, and the National Farmers Union to really deliver on a joined up, collaborative approach to nature conservation in a way that had never been done before, and on top of this the Environment Minister in Wales had asked us, and others, how we might address the issues of disparity between AONBs and National Parks.

Soon after, a Review of AONBs and National Parks in England was launched, with a clear role for the National Association in not only serving the needs of its members but helping to service the requirements of Defra and the Review team.

So, on one hand we are presented with multiple opportunities, but on the other markedly reduced resources to deliver.

In the spring we received news of our Resilient Heritage Grant; funding designed to enable us to help support the development of 40 AONB staff members, such that the AONB Family can become more resilient. HLF is acutely aware of the funding they have put into AONBs, a figure amounting to over £80 million, and see this as a measure to support their investment. It is clear that future access to HLF funding will be more competitive and consequently harder to access. This Resilient Heritage grant follows hotly in the footsteps of a protected settlement; a settlement designed to act as an investment in change. We were all tasked with improving our resilience and decreasing our dependency on a limited number of mainly publicly funded income streams. This has been the subject of much discussion amongst National Association trustees and will figure highly in our current governance review – a detailed review also funded by HLF to help design resilience into the National Association.

So, on reflection, our ability to deal with uncertainty, change tack as and when required, channel efforts into unexpected opportunities, and generate high levels of support for your work from a wide range of internal and external stakeholders has characterised this last year. It isn’t an easy space to work in, but our flexibility has arguably given us greater leverage than has been the case in the past.

Item 6 - Chief Executive’s Report of work completed for NAAONB Business Plan Oct 2017 - Oct 2018

So that gives you a general feel for some of the headline activities of the year, and how the context has changed. The ways of working that are necessary to deliver hasn’t changed – real collaboration, continued learning, skill sharing, enterprise, effective communication, and maintaining a strong supportive, and supporting, relationship with governments. This last element of our work always takes time but, when departments reorganise as often as they have over the last few years, it becomes more time consuming and even more important. With an increasingly smaller public sector with which to engage centrally, the value of a single voice for AONB partnerships and conservation boards is higher than ever.

With regards the detail we continue to work with Defra to advance discussions on a number of important topics including planning, biodiversity net gain, the duty of regard, agri- environment delivery post Brexit, and performance metrics particularly those around 25-year plan delivery. Likewise, we continue to work with Defra and Natural England on nature recovery and embedding the ecosystem approach in AONB management plans.

In Wales, our normal activity has been restricted through lack of core funding but our work to advance a collaborative approach to nature conservation across the AONBs and National Parks in Wales has been funded by Welsh Government through the National Park Authorities; a useful piece of work that demonstrates how the National Association can help work with different types of designated landscape on a set of shared objectives.

The Review of National Parks and AONBs in England has clearly demanded our complete focus and attention. We have targeted trustee and lead officer meetings at generating our asks and gathering the evidence to support this and have worked hard to maximise opportunities for you all wherever we can. The amendment to the Agriculture Bill, tabled in October, whilst at the time of writing has not generated the exact outcome we want, clearly highlights our ability to work together and have a positive impact. We should reflect on this and ensure this is recognised in our response to the Review. We clearly have great potential to work well together, and this will be further developed through the HLF Resilience work that is currently underway.

Working with the brilliant Kent Downs AONB team our conference in the summer was probably one of the best yet. It raised the bar significantly and set a clear challenge to Suffolk Coasts and Heaths and Dedham Vale AONBs with regards next year. Not only do we have to at least match the standard of this year’s conference, but also ensure that it is a suitably outward facing celebration of ‘natural beauty’ as it will be 70 years since the 1949 National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act laid the foundations of our designated landscape system.

We have worked on your behalf to strengthen our relationship with the Landscape Institute. You asked us to progress professional accreditation for the work that you do, and through the Landscape Institute we have made huge progress in this area. I would specifically like to thank Sally Marsh for helping take this forward. Our work in landscape may be multidisciplinary, but it is no less professional than that of other disciplines. Professional accreditation will help us achieve a greater consistency of approach, give greater weight to our advice, especially in planning terms, and provide a pathway that helps us succession plan at the local and national level.

We continue to strengthen our strategic relationships at the national level, particularly with organisations that can help amplify our asks of governments and strengthen support from the public – CPRE and the National Trust are two such organisations where we have focused attention, but our continued engagement with Wildlife and Countryside Link exposes our thinking to others as well as giving us insight into their thinking. We have also worked closely with the University of Derby,

Item 6 - Chief Executive’s Report of work completed for NAAONB Business Plan Oct 2017 - Oct 2018 specifically around gathering evidence and data to support the value of connecting people with landscape in order to create healthy communities.

We continue to support our relationship with the arts at the national and local level. Being peripherally involved and fully supportive of the Lifecycles and Landscapes project and keeping a watching brief on the Wye Valley River festival has served to drive home the effectiveness of approaching the delivery of our purposes from a different angle. We are working with the Arts Council of England on a strategic national partnership and will continue to support innovative approaches to delivery going forwards.

Finally, I have two ‘thank-yous’ to make - one to you for your membership of the National Association. I am really proud of what we achieve with such a small staff team. I am also really grateful to those of you that regularly step up and help deliver on national challenges. That pool is increasing and you give us the detailed technical support that we need to effect change. The second thank you is to Jill Smith. In December Jill will be leaving the National Association after nineteen years of absolute commitment to you all. She was first employed when we were little more than a good idea, and has continued to work long hours, over and above the call of duty, to deliver on your behalf. Thank you, Jill.

Howard Davies Chief Executive National Association for AONBs

Please visit the below to view a complete RAG for period covering April 2018 - to October 2018 http://www.landscapesforlife.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/NAAONB-Activity-Report-apr- oct-2018.pdf

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