AGENDA

MEETING: YORKSHIRE DALES NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY

VENUE: The National Park Authority Office, Yoredale, Bainbridge

DATE/TIME: Tuesday, 26 June 20 18 at 10 .30am

µµµ Please see the attached “ NOTES FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC AND AUTHORITY MEMBERS” µµµ

BUSINESS Indicative Part One - “Procedural” items Duration Page No

1. Membership of the Authority 1

2. Election of Chairman

3. Election of Deputy Chairman

4. Minutes of the meeting held on 27 March 2018 3

5. Public Question Time

6. Apologies for absence

7. Declarations of lobbying

Part Two – Items/Reports which require a decision from Members

8. Appointment of Members to: (15 mins) 7

(a) Authority Committees; (b) Partnership Bodies; (c) Member Champion for Development Management

9. Independent Member Appointment and review of Independent 25 Member Protocol ( 5 mins)

10. The Future of Farming (15 mins) 33

11. Performance Review of Member Parish Forums (10 mins) 37

Indicative Duration Page No

Part Three – Items/Reports which are for Members to note

12. National Park Management Plan (10 mins) 45

13. Progress on Authority Objectives 2017/18 (10 mins) 65

14. Public Rights of Way Annual report 2017/18 (15 mins) 73

15. Designated Landscapes Review (10 mins) 89

16. Joint working with the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust (10 mins) 93

17. Taxation of Member Travel Expenses (10 mins) 97

18. Chairman’s Report ( 5 mins) 101

19. Report of the Chief Executive ( 5 mins) 103

20. Member Feedback on Partnership Representation and Member Champions Reports ( 5 mins) 107

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21. Urgent business – where the Chairman has agreed that there are special circumstances

DAVID BUTTERWORTH CHIEF EXECUTIVE Yoredale, Bainbridge, Leyburn, Tea and coffee will be available before and during the North Yorkshire meeting. Lunch will be provided. DL8 3EL 14 June 2018

NOTES FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC AND AUTHORITY MEMBERS

1. Declarations of Interest: Authority Members should make any declarations of interest at the start of the appropriate item.

2. Public Questions/Statements: The National Park Authority has allocated up to 15 minutes at the start of meetings to allow members of the public the opportunity to ask questions and/or to make statements that relate to the work of the Authority or the appropriate Committee. Anyone wishing to ask a question or make a statement must ‘register’ that intention with the Chief Executive by 12 noon on the working day before the meeting. More detailed guidance is available from the Authority’s Committees Officer. (This procedure is in addition to the opportunity to speak on planning applications at the Planning Committee.)

For anyone registered to speak at today’s meeting – the Chairman will call you at the appropriate time – each Speaker will have up to three minutes.

3. Filming/Recording of Meetings: The National Park Authority routinely records all full Authority and Planning Committee Meetings. Filming/recording of Authority meetings, Committee and sub-committee meetings is permitted provided it does not disrupt the smooth running of the meeting. The Chairman reserves the absolute right to ask for filming or recording of a meeting to cease if, in his/her opinion, continuing to film/record would be disruptive to, or prejudice, proceedings. Ultimately the Chairman may suspend or adjourn the meeting. Anyone filming a meeting is asked only to focus on those actively participating. Those attending National Park Authority meetings should be aware that they may be filmed and that attendance at the meeting signifies agreement to this. The Authority cannot accept responsibility for the content of any recording made, once it has been taken away from the Authority’s premises.

4. Health & Safety: All members of the public and Authority members should sign the Visitors Book on entering and leaving the building – this is necessary in order that, if the building has to be evacuated, all persons can be accounted for.

In the event of the fire alarms being activated, all those present at the meeting should leave the building by the main entrance (if possible), go straight across the car park (with the central wall on your left) and assemble at the far right-hand side of the lower part of the car park by the Fire Assembly Point. Please go straight to the Assembly Point as not doing so may delay checks that everyone is accounted for.

5. Meeting Room(s) Hearing Loop: As well as using a conference sound system at Authority and Planning Committee meetings, each of the rooms used for formal meetings of the Authority and its Committees has an induction loop system fitted. If you have a hearing aid with a ‘T’ setting, please switch it to ‘T’.

6. Agenda Papers: The agenda and all public reports for meetings of the Authority (and each of its Committees) are normally available for public inspection five working days before the meeting. The papers are also posted on the Authority’s website and a limited number of copies are available for reference at each meeting.

If you have any general enquiries/comments about the above or the way in which the Authority’s decision-making processes operate, please contact the Committees Officer by post (to Yoredale, Bainbridge, Leyburn, DL8 3EL); telephone 0300 456 0030; or email: [email protected].

Committee Membership and Member Champions as at 23 May 2018

Member Appointing Planning Audit & Finance & Standards body Review Resources M’ship/Quorum → 17/7 12/6 13/6 5/3 Blackie John NYCC V V Clark Chris SoS(P) V V Cotton Nick CCC S2 V Donovan Judith SoS V V Foster Richard CDC S1 V V Heseltine Neil SoS(P) S1 * V V Heseltine Robert CDC V V Ireton David NYCC S1 V V Kirkbride Allen SoS(P) V V S Lis Carl CDC S2 V Manners-Armstrong Jocelyn SoS V V V Martin Julie SoS V V McPherson Ian SoS(P) V V Mitchell Ian SLDC V V Munday Jim SoS V V Patterson William EDC V V Pattison Margaret LCyC V V Peacock Yvonne RDC V V Quinn Gillian NYCC V V Sedgwick Karin NYCC V Swain Neil SoS V V Thornton-Berry Caroline RDC V V Towneley Cosima LCC V V Welch Richard NYCC V V Vacancy SoS *Neil Heseltine currently ineligible to ‘Sub’- Planning training lapsed (Mar 18)

CDC= Craven District Council; EDC= Eden District Council; LCyC= Lancaster City Council; RDC=Richmondshire District Council; SLDC=South Lakeland District Council; CCC=Cumbria County Council; LCC= Lancashire County Council; NYCC= North Yorkshire County Council; SoS=Secretary of State; SoS(P)=Secretary of State (Parish);

CHAIRMEN AND DEPUTY CHAIRMEN Date elected Chairman Deputy Chairman Authority (27/06/17) Carl Lis Ian McPherson Planning (11/07/17) Caroline Thornton-Berry Julie Martin Audit and Review (11/07/17) Yvonne Peacock Jim Munday Finance and Resource (12/9/17) Jocelyn Manners-Armstrong Nick Cotton Standards (07/11/17) Jocelyn Manners-Armstrong -

MEMBER CHAMPIONS Area of responsibility Member appointed Term of appointment Natural Environment Ian McPherson Nov15 – Nov18 Cultural Heritage Julie Martin Sep17 – Sep20 Recreation Management Nick Cotton Dec16 – Dec19 Promoting Understanding Judith Donovan June17 – June20 Development Management Robert Heseltine June15 – June18 Sustainable Development Chris Clark Sept16 – Sept19 Corporate Management Vacant

YORKSHIRE DALES NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY ITEM 1 FOR INFORMATION

Date: 26 June 2018

Report: MEMBERSHIP OF THE AUTHORITY

Purpose of the report

1. To report the current membership of the Authority – set out overleaf.

RECOMMENDATION

2. That the report be noted.

Julie Payne Committees Officer 8 June 2018

Background documents: None

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Member Appointing body

1 John Blackie North Yorkshire County Council

2 Chris Clark Secretary of State (Parish)

3 Nick Cotton Cumbria County Council

4 Judith Donovan Secretary of State

5 Richard Foster Craven District Council

6 Neil Heseltine Secretary of State (Parish)

7 Robert Heseltine Craven District Council

8 David Ireton North Yorkshire County Council

9 Allen Kirkbride Secretary of State (Parish)

10 Carl Lis Craven District Council

11 Jocelyn Manners-Armstrong Secretary of State

12 Julie Martin Secretary of State

13 Ian McPherson Secretary of State (Parish)

14 Ian Mitchell South Lakeland District Council

15 Jim Munday Secretary of State

16 William Patterson Eden District Council

17 Margaret Pattison Lancaster City Council

18 Yvonne Peacock Richmondshire District Council

19 Gillian Quinn North Yorkshire County Council

20 Karin Sedgwick North Yorkshire County Council

21 Neil Swain Secretary of State

22 Caroline Thornton-Berry Richmondshire District Council

23 Cosima Towneley Lancashire County Council

24 Richard Welch North Yorkshire County Council

25 Vacancy Secretary of State

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YORKSHIRE DALES NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY ITEM 1

Minutes of the meeting held at The National Park Authority Office, Yoredale, Bainbridge, on Tuesday, 27 March 2018.

Present:

Chris Clark, Nick Cotton, Judith Donovan, Richard Foster, Brenda Gray, Neil Heseltine, Robert Heseltine, David Ireton, Valerie Kendall, Allen Kirkbride, Carl Lis, Steve Macaré, Jocelyn Manners-Armstrong, Julie Martin, Ian McPherson, Margaret Pattison, Yvonne Peacock, Gillian Quinn, Karin Sedgwick, Neil Swain, Caroline Thornton-Berry, Cosima Towneley and Richard Welch.

COPIES OF ALL DOCUMENTS CONSIDERED ARE IN THE MINUTE BOOK

The Chairman paid tribute to and led a minute’s silence in memory of, former YDNPA Member Jerry Pearlman, who has died. The Chairman thanked Steve Macaré attending his last meeting as a Member, for all his hard work on behalf of the Authority.

01/18 MINUTES

RESOLVED –

That the Minutes of the meeting held on 19 December 2017, having been printed and circulated, be taken as read and be confirmed and signed by the Chairman as a correct record, with the following addition:

Judith Donovan was present at the meeting

02/18 PUBLIC QUESTIONS/STATEMENTS

No notifications of public questions or of the intention to make a statement had been received.

03/18 EXCLUSION OF THE PUBLIC

That pursuant to Section 100(A) (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting during the consideration Item No 16 on the agenda on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972.

04/18 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Apologies for absence were received from John Blackie and Jim Munday. NPA27mar18pubmins

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05/18 DECLARATIONS OF LOBBYING

All Members had been lobbied on Item 9.

06/18 HEALTH AND HARMONY: THE FUTURE FOR FOOD, FARMING AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN A GREEN BREXIT

CONSIDERED - the report of the Director of Conservation and Community.

Members welcomed the Government’s report which feels positive for farming and the environment. Having considered the report in detail, Members made a number of comments in relation to the importance of supporting upland farming in the National Park including:

• requiring clarification of funding beyond 2022; • requiring references wherever possible to the maintenance and restoration of landscape features; • concerns raised by paragraph 11 of the Executive Summary (appended to the report); • references to the ‘regulatory regime’ being very vague and not giving enough detail; • more communication with farmers will be required to underpin their uncertainties;

RESOLVED –

That the publication of the Agriculture Command Paper be noted and that a summary of Members comments be fed back to National Parks England to form part of the response to Government on behalf of all the English National Parks.

07/18 A GREEN FUTURE: OUR 25 YEAR PLAN TO IMPROVE THE ENVIRONMENT

CONSIDERED - the report of the Chief Executive.

Members welcomed the Government’s report and made comments on it.

RESOLVED –

That the content of the Environment Plan having been considered, Members initial views on its content be fed back to form part of a National Parks England response to Government.

08/18 TREASURY MANAGEMENT AND THE PRUDENTIAL CODE FOR CAPITAL FINANCE NPA27mar18pubmins

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CONSIDERED - the report of the Treasurer

RESOLVED –

That the Annual Treasury Management Strategy for 2018/19 as set out in the Appendix to the report be approved.

09/18 BUDGET 2018/19

CONSIDERED - the report of the Director of Corporate Services

RESOLVED –

That the 2018/19 Budget, as presented in the Annex to the report, be approved.

10/18 SCHEME OF MEMBERS’ ALLOWANCES 2018/19

CONSIDERED - the report of the Committees Officer

Members were informed that the Authority was in correspondence with HM Revenue and Customs concerning the taxation of Members’ travel allowances.

RESOLVED –

That the Scheme of Members’ Allowances 2018/19, appended to the report, be adopted.

11/18 REVIEW OF THE FRAMEWORK DOCUMENT ‘MANAGEMENT OF THE USE OF GREEN LANES (UNSEALED ROUTES) IN THE YORKSHIRE DALES NATIONAL PARK’

CONSIDERED – the report of the Head of Access and Engagement

RESOLVED –

That the revised version of ‘Management of the use of green lanes (unsealed routes) in the Yorkshire Dales National Park’ be approved.

12/18 CONSERVATION AREA REVIEWS AND CHARACTER APPRAISALS: DOWNHOLME

CONSIDERED – the report of the Senior Listed Buildings Officer

RESOLVED –

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That

a) the revised character appraisal for Downholme Conservation Area supporting the extension of its boundary to include an area inside the National Park be noted; and, b) the area within the National Park (shown on the map in the Annex, appended to the report) be designated as part of the Downholme Conservation Area.

13/18 CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

CONSIDERED – the report of the Chairman

RESOLVED –

That the report be noted.

14/18 REPORT OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE

CONSIDERED – the report of the Chief Executive.

RESOLVED –

That the report be noted.

15/18 MEMBER FEEDBACK ON PARTNERSHIP REPRESENTATION AND MEMBER CHAMPIONS’ REPORTS

CONSIDERED - the report of the Committees Officer.

RESOLVED –

That the report be noted.

The following item was considered in private

16/18 NATIONAL PARKS PARTNERSHIP

CONSIDERED – the report of the Planning Policy Officer

RESOLVED –

That

i. a £10k subscription be paid to NPP in 2018/19, on the basis that a review of performance is carried out ii. not to become a member of the National Park Charity, at this stage.

NPA27mar18pubmins

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YORKSHIRE DALES NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY ITEM 8 (a)

Date: 26 June 2018

Report APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS TO THE AUTHORITY’S COMMITTEES

Purpose of report

1. To provide information to enable the Authority to determine the memberships of the Authority’s Committees.

RECOMMENDATION

2. That:

(a) taking account of the nominations from the Groups, consideration be given to the appointment of members (and Substitute members for the Planning Committee) to serve on the Authority’s Committees; and

(b) in accordance with the Authority decision in June 2016, a member be appointed directly by the full Authority to serve on the Standards Committee, and a ‘substitute’ to this committee, be similarly appointed by the full Authority, to attend in place of a member unable to hear a member conduct case owing to a conflict of interest/bias. This substitute member to be from a different group to the member directly appointed by the Authority.

Background

3. Current legislation recognises three groups of Authority members: . Local Authority (LA) members . Parish Members appointed by the Secretary of State (SoS) . Other members appointed by the SoS

4. For the purposes of Committee representation, the Authority has adopted a local arrangement, recognising four groups, (but with the Local Authority members being split between County and District members).

5. For Members’ assistance -

 Annex A to this report sets out the total number of seats on the Authority’s Committees and their allocation across the Groups;  Annex B sets out the current membership of the Authority’s Committees;  Annexes C, D, E & F set out the responses received from the Groups, indicating Committee nominations.

7 of 114 6. A further issue for members to consider is that, at its meeting in June 2016, the Authority agreed that the Standards Committee should consist of five Authority members – one nominated from each Group and the fifth appointed directly by the full Authority. Additionally, it was agreed that a ‘substitute’ member should also be appointed to the Standards Committee each year at the AGM. This member to be called upon to hear any member conduct case in place of any one of the 5 existing members, should a conflict of interest/bias arise. This substitute to be from a different group to the member directly appointed by the Authority.

7. Members are reminded that, as per the Authority’s standing orders, any member elected to serve on the Planning Committee, or as a substitute, should meet the Authority’s requirements regarding attending planning training.

Julie Payne Committees Officer

Background documents: None 11 June 2018

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YORKSHIRE DALES NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY

MEMBERSHIP OF COMMITTEES

ALLOCATION OF SEATS BETWEEN GROUPS

Allocation of Seats COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP Local authority Secretary of State County District ‘Ordinary’ Parish Audit & Review # 12 3 4 3 2

Finance & Resources # 13 4 4 3 2

Planning 17 4 6 4 3

Standards* 5* 1 1 1 1

# - The memberships of the Audit and Review and the Finance and Resources Committees are allocated so that members serve on one committee or the other.

* - At the Authority meeting in June 2016, it was agreed that the Standards Committee should consist of five Authority members – one nominated from each Group and the fifth and a substitute, be appointed directly by the full Authority. It was also agreed that a ‘substitute’ member should also be appointed to the Standards Committee each year at the AGM. This member to be called upon to hear any member conduct case in place of any one of the 5 existing members, should a conflict of interest/bias arise. This substitute to be from a different group to the member directly appointed by the Authority.

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Committee Membership and Member Champions as at 23 May 2018

Member Appointing Planning Audit & Finance & Standards body Review Resources M’ship/Quorum→ 17/7 12/6 13/6 5/3 Blackie John NYCC   Clark Chris SoS(P)   Cotton Nick CCC S2  Donovan Judith SoS   Foster Richard CDC S1   Heseltine Neil SoS(P) S1*   Heseltine Robert CDC   Ireton David NYCC S1   Kirkbride Allen SoS(P)   S Lis Carl CDC S2  Manners-Armstrong Jocelyn SoS    Martin Julie SoS   McPherson Ian SoS(P)   Mitchell Ian SLDC   Munday Jim SoS   Patterson William EDC   Pattison Margaret LCyC   Peacock Yvonne RDC   Quinn Gillian NYCC   Sedgwick Karin NYCC  Swain Neil SoS   Thornton-Berry Caroline RDC   Towneley Cosima LCC   Welch Richard NYCC   Vacancy SoS *Neil Heseltine currently ineligible to ‘Sub’- Planning training lapsed (Mar 18)

CDC= Craven District Council; EDC= Eden District Council; LCyC= Lancaster City Council; RDC=Richmondshire District Council; SLDC=South Lakeland District Council; CCC=Cumbria County Council; LCC= Lancashire County Council; NYCC= North Yorkshire County Council; SoS=Secretary of State; SoS(P)=Secretary of State (Parish);

CHAIRMEN AND DEPUTY CHAIRMEN Date elected Chairman Deputy Chairman Authority (27/06/17) Carl Lis Ian McPherson Planning (11/07/17) Caroline Thornton-Berry Julie Martin Audit and Review (11/07/17) Yvonne Peacock Jim Munday Finance and Resource (12/9/17) Jocelyn Manners-Armstrong Nick Cotton Standards (07/11/17) Jocelyn Manners-Armstrong -

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Annex C

YORKSHIRE DALES NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY

MEMBERSHIP OF COMMITTEES ALLOCATION OF SEATS BETWEEN GROUPS & MEMBER NOMINATION FORM

______County______GROUP

ALLOCATION OF SEATS NOMINATIONS FOR NOMINATIONS FOR COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP Local Authority Secretary of State MEMBERSHIP SUBSTITUTE County District ‘Ordinary’ Parish David Ireton Cosima Towneley Audit & Review 12 # 3 4 3 2 N/A Richard Welch

John Blackie Finance & Nick Cotton 13 # 4 4 3 2 N/A Resources Gillian Quinn Karin Sedgwick John Blackie 1 David Ireton Cosima Towneley

Gillian Quinn Planning 17 4 6 4 3 Richard Welch 2 Nick Cotton

Standards 5* 1 1 1 1 David Ireton N/A

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YORKSHIRE DALES NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY

MEMBERSHIP OF COMMITTEES ALLOCATION OF SEATS BETWEEN GROUPS & MEMBER NOMINATION FORM

______District______GROUP

ALLOCATION OF SEATS NOMINATIONS FOR NOMINATIONS FOR COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP Local Authority Secretary of State MEMBERSHIP SUBSTITUTE County District ‘Ordinary’ Parish Robert Heseltine Margaret Pattison Audit & Review 12 # 3 4 3 2 N/A Yvonne Peacock Caroline Thornton-Berry Richard Foster Finance & Carl Lis 13 # 4 4 3 2 N/A Resources Ian Mitchell William Patterson Carl Lis 1 Richard Foster Ian Mitchell

William Patterson Planning 17 4 6 4 3 Margaret Pattison 2 Robert Heseltine Yvonne Peacock Caroline Thornton-Berry Standards 5* 1 1 1 1 Richard Foster N/A

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Annex E

YORKSHIRE DALES NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY

MEMBERSHIP OF COMMITTEES ALLOCATION OF SEATS BETWEEN GROUPS & MEMBER NOMINATION FORM

SoS (‘Ordinary’) GROUP

ALLOCATION OF SEATS NOMINATIONS FOR NOMINATIONS FOR COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP Local Authority Secretary of State MEMBERSHIP SUBSTITUTE County District ‘Ordinary’ Parish Judith Donovan Julie Martin Audit & Review 12 # 3 4 3 2 N/A Jim Munday

Jocelyn Manners-Armstrong Finance & Neil Swain 13 # 4 4 3 2 N/A Resources New Member

Jocelyn Manners-Armstrong 1 New Member Julie Martin

Jim Munday Planning 17 4 6 4 3 Neil Swain 2 Vacant

Standards 5* 1 1 1 1 Judith Donovan N/A

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Annex F

YORKSHIRE DALES NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY

MEMBERSHIP OF COMMITTEES ALLOCATION OF SEATS BETWEEN GROUPS & MEMBER NOMINATION FORM

______SoS (P)______GROUP

ALLOCATION OF SEATS NOMINATIONS FOR NOMINATIONS FOR COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP Local Authority Secretary of State MEMBERSHIP SUBSTITUTE County District ‘Ordinary’ Parish Neil Heseltine Allen Kirkbride Audit & Review 12 # 3 4 3 2 N/A

Chris Clark Finance & Ian McPherson 13 # 4 4 3 2 N/A Resources

Chris Clark 1 Neil Heseltine Allen Kirkbride

Ian McPherson Planning 17 4 6 4 3 2

Standards 5* 1 1 1 1 Neil Heseltine N/A

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# - The memberships of the Audit and Review and the Finance and Resources Committees are allocated so that members served on one committee or the other.

* - At the Authority meeting in March 2016, it was agreed that the Standards Committee should consist of five Authority members – one nominated from each Group and the fifth appointed directly by the full Authority.

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YORKSHIRE DALES NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY ITEM 8 (b)

Date: 26 June 2018

Report APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS TO REPRESENT THE AUTHORITY ON PARTNERSHIP BODIES

Purpose of report

1. To consider the appointment of members to represent the Authority on partnership bodies.

RECOMMENDATION

2. That consideration is given to the Authority’s representation on each partnership body listed in the attached Appendix.

Strategic Planning Framework

3. The information and recommendation(s) contained in this report are consistent with the Authority’s statutory purposes and its approved strategic planning framework:

• National Park Management Plan Partnerships underpin and underlay the aims and objectives of the Yorkshire Dales Management Plan and form one of the Management Plans common themes.

Background

4. The purpose of this paper is to provide information on the Authority’s partnerships in terms of Members’ attendance at the partnership meetings; question Member representatives and subsequently, make appointments to the partnerships.

5. The Authority tries to ensure that its resources are used effectively in partnerships that best achieve national park purposes and objectives and also relate to the Authority’s agreed priorities.

6. Attached as an Appendix to this report is a table that lists the partnerships in which Members currently participate, the number of meetings of each partnership since June 2017 and the number of those meetings attended by the Authority’s representative(s).

Julie Payne Committees Officer 12 June 2018

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APPENDIX PARTNERSHIPS

Member Meetings Officer Description/Effectiveness for NPA and Nat Park Partnership Appointments made Held Attended Contact NPA March 2017 Campaign for Jocelyn Manners- 2 1 David Provides a corporate voluntary sector voice on National Park National Parks Armstrong Butterworth matters and acts as an umbrella organisation for a range of national bodies interested in National Parks.

Cumbria Rural John Blackie 0 0 Gary Smith Forum for those involved in rural affairs in Cumbria that enables Forum [Watching discussions to help to clarify the rural dimension to current Brief] issues and to be an effective voice for rural communities. Rural Briefings, produced after each Forum event summarise the presentations, workshops, and issues discussed.

Dales Woodland M/C for Natural 1 1 Geoff Garrett To advise the Authority on a range of woodland issues. Forum Environment Destination Dales M/C for Promoting 2 2 Julie Barker Group to help guide the development of tourism in the Dales. Group Understanding To ensure that, through collaboration, the benefits tourism can bring to the area are optimized at the same time as the special qualities of the Dales are safeguarded. Farming & Land Neil Heseltine 1 1 Adrian Forum to feedback whether YDNPA and partners are doing Management Forum Shepherd what we said we would in relation to the Management Plan objectives for farming and land management to hear opinions of the farmers and land managers in the National Park, and identify ways to work together more effectively to deliver NPMP objectives. Grassington Moor Neil Heseltine 1 0 Phil Richards Duties under the Commons Act Section 9 Management Association Local Government Chairman 4 4 David Sub Regional Strategic Body responsible for interface with North Yorkshire and Butterworth region York [LGNYY] Leaders' Board

19 of 114 Member Meetings Officer Description/Effectiveness for NPA and Nat Park Partnership Appointments made Held Attended Contact NPA March 2017 LGNYY Spatial M/C for Sustainable 1 0 Peter To promote effective elected member-led strategic work Planning & Transport Development Stockton between local authorities in North Yorkshire & York on transport Board substitute: M/C for and spatial planning issues that are `larger than local'. Development Management

Local Government Chairman (with M/C 3 0 Peter Our governance structure is headed by the Local Government York, North for Sustainable Stockton York, North Yorkshire & East Riding Housing Board – Yorkshire & East Development as sub) representing all of the partner local authorities, the Home Riding Housing Builders Federation, the Homes and Communities Agency, Board Health & Well Being and the National Housing Federation. The Board is currently chaired by Cllr Richard Foster from Craven Dustrict Council. National Park Chairman 2 2 Gary Smith Group set up to monitor and oversee implementation of the 70 Management Plan objectives in the National Park Management Plan. Steering Group National Parks Chairman 4 4 David Political Grouping of English Chairs discussing and influencing England (NPE) Butterworth NP policy nationally

National Parks UK Chairman 5 5 David A body that promotes the value and wellbeing of National Parks (NPUK) Butterworth in the UK.

National Parks Chairman 1 1 David The Board is a vehicle established by all 15 UK National Parks Partnership Ltd Butterworth to develop commercial sponsorship for the equal and collective benefit of all Authorities One South Jocelyn Manners- 0 0 David A group tasked developing and producing a Community Lakeland Armstrong substitute: Butterworth Strategy; overseeing specific projects to provide strategic Partnership Carl Lis guidance and monitoring; seeking to provided efficient use of Hasn’t met since Feb resources available in South Lakeland through effective working 2015 and dialogue in partnership. On hold for now South Lakeland M/C for Sustainable 3 0 Peter Considers any housing issues related to the South Lakeland Housing Advisory Development Stockton District including the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales national Group park areas of the District.. Provides advice and support to the

20 of 114 Member Meetings Officer Description/Effectiveness for NPA and Nat Park Partnership Appointments made Held Attended Contact NPA March 2017 South Lakeland Local Strategic Partnership on housing issues The Group will meet every 4 months. Swinden Quarry Robert Heseltine & 1 1 Dave Parrish To manage the investment of the trust fund for the long-term Trust Jocelyn Manners- management of the site after the restoration of the quarry Armstrong Yorkshire Dales Neil Heseltine, 3 1 Mark Allum Forum established under the Countryside and Rights of Way Access Forum & M/C for Recreation 2 Act to advise the Authority on access issues. Management 0

Yorkshire Dales M/C for Natural 2 2 Tony Serjeant Advisory group for the development, review and implementation Biodiversity Forum Environment of LBAP. Responsible for the content of the LBAP

Yorkshire Dales M/C for Recreation 1 1 Kathryn Yorkshire Dales specific group looking at options for Green Lanes Management Beardmore management of individual green lanes in the National Park Advisory Group which provides users an opportunity to give 'advice' on green lane management before the matter is considered by members.

Yorkshire Dales M/C for Sustainable 5 3 Peter Development and implementation of the 2014-2020 LEADER LEADER Local Development Stockton programme in the Yorkshire Dales. Action Group

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YORKSHIRE DALES NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY ITEM 8 (c)

Date: 26 June 2018

Report: APPOINTMENT OF MEMBER CHAMPION FOR DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT

Purpose of the report

1. To appoint a member to the role of Member Champion for Development Management.

RECOMMENDATION

2. That Members consider the application for the role of Member Champion (Appendix) and make an appointment for a period of 3 years.

Background

3. Members will recall that the current Member Champion for Development Management, Robert Heseltine’s, term of appointment is due to expire at the end of June 2018 and Members will have received an invitation from the Chief Executive asking them to apply for the role, if they so wished.

4. Jim Munday has applied to take on the role and his written application is attached as an Appendix to this paper.

David Butterworth Chief Executive

6 June 2018

Background documents:

Guidance on the Member Champion Initiative – June 2014

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Member Champion – Development Management

Expression of Interest

I would like to be considered as the next Member Champion for Development Management.

It is two years since my appointment as a Secretary of State Member to the YDNPA. Since then I have served on both the Audit and Review and Planning Committees. Hopefully my contribution to the work has been constructive, progressive and worthwhile. I now believe that I can add to this with my skills, ability and experience as Member Champion for Development Management.

Communication has been a major part of my career. I have worked at Board level as Chief Executive, Director and as a non-executive director. I fully understand the difference between these roles. This helps working with staff to understand how to get the best results and is particularly useful in Committees where appreciation of staff time and resources are often overlooked. I have worked in a wide range of organisations – commercial, industry, government and charitable. In all cases I have recognised the importance of clear and timely communication to all levels of stakeholders.

These posts have included:-

• Chief Executive - English Butter Marketing Co. Ltd (Country Life). • Director – The Tea Council • Director of Meat Promotion – Meat and Livestock Commission • Director – Yakult UK and Head of Corporate Communications Yakult Europe BV • Trustee – Brewery Arts Centre Kendal & Non- Executive Director Kendal Catering Company Whilst the Sandford Principle is key, I believe it is vital that appropriate development is essential to secure both long term environmental and economic sustainability so that our National Park is a place for folk to live and work whilst being an asset for everyone. I believe I can help enhance the reputation, work and image of our development management work

What would you get – someone with:- • A strong commitment to the Yorkshire Dales National Park. • A national perspective but lives by and enjoys the Yorkshire Dales. • Understanding and familiarity with the Western extension of the Park. • Strong belief in both environmental and economic sustainability. • Communication skills to ensure all stakeholders are appropriately informed and involved. • Pragmatic decision making ability. • Understanding of commitment to long term strategic planning. • Considerable Board level experience to help inspire and involve professionals.

That’s it!

Jim Munday June 2018

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YORKSHIRE DALES NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY ITEM 9

Date: 26 June 2018

Report: INDEPENDENT MEMBER APPOINTMENT AND REVIEW OF INDEPENDENT MEMBER PROTOCOL.

Purpose of the report

1. To consider the recommendations from the Independent Person Recruitment Panel to appoint two new Independent Persons; to renew the appointment of the current Independent Person for a year, and to review the Independent Person Protocol.

RECOMMENDATIONS

2. That Members:

• Appoint Lynda Fothergill as Independent Person, for a term of 5 years to June 2023; • Appoint Alex Rocke as Independent Person for a term of 3 years to June 2021; • Renew the appointment of Keith Barker until June 2019; and • Adopt the revised Independent Person Protocol

Strategic Planning Framework

3. The information and recommendation contained in this report are consistent with the Authority’s statutory purposes and its approved strategic planning framework:

Corporate Plan 2018/19, Objective 26. Operate corporate governance and financial arrangements that are fit for purpose, as evidenced through the Annual Governance Statement, the Annual Governance Report and an unqualified audit opinion each year.

Independent Persons: Background

4. The Authority has a duty, under the Localism Act 2011 (‘the Act’), to promote and maintain high standards of conduct, and in accordance with the Act has arrangements in place for dealing with allegations of failure to comply with the Member Code of Conduct.

5. Section 28(7) of the Act provides for the appointment by the Authority of at least one Independent Person (‘IP’). The Act requires that:

• the IP’s views must be sought and taken into account by the Authority before it makes its decision on an allegation which it has decided to investigate;

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• the IP’s views may be sought by the Authority in relation to an allegation in other circumstances (e.g. before a decision to investigate is taken, and/or in relation to issues other than the final decision on an allegation); • the IP’s views may be sought by a Member of the Authority whose behaviour is the subject of an allegation of breach of the Code of Conduct

6. In 2015 the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2015 changed the procedures for dismissal of Statutory Officers. Any panel set up to consider disciplinary action in relation to the Statutory Officers - the Head of Paid Service, the Chief Financial Officer and the Monitoring Officer – should include at least two Independent Persons.

7. In June 2017 the Authority adopted a revised Member Code of Conduct. It also extended the term of office of both its IPs, Mr Keith Barker and Mr Eric Gledhill, to June 2018. Mr Eric Gledhill now wishes to retire, so arrangements have been put in place to appoint a replacement. Mr Keith Barker is willing to continue in office for a further 12 months to provide continuity whilst new IP appointments are inducted and trained.

The Recruitment Process:

8. The IP must be recruited following public advertisement and written applications. The Standards Committee appointed three Members to the Recruitment Panel, Mrs Jocelyn Manners-Armstrong, Mrs Judith Donovan and Mr Neil Heseltine. Interviews were held on 1st June 2018. The Solicitor/Monitoring Officer attended the interviews as advisor to the Panel.

9. The Panel recommends that Ms Lynda Joy Fothergill and Mr Alex Rocke are appointed as the Authority’s IPs. Details of the IP role are set out at Appendix A.

Term of office:

10. The term of office is not set out in legislation and is therefore at the discretion of the Authority. The Panel recommends that Ms Fothergill is appointed for an initial term of 5 years and Mr Rocke is appointed for an initial term of 3 years; this will provide the Authority with continuity. The terms could be extended for a second term of office in due course, if considered appropriate.

Allowances:

11. Travel and subsistence allowances are paid but no other remuneration.

Indemnity:

12. The IPs are office holders of the Authority in accordance with the duty under Section 28(7) of the Localism Act 2011, and are therefore entitled to be covered by the Authority’s indemnity to Members and Officers, provided that they act reasonably and within the terms of the Protocol and their Role Description.

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Independent Person Protocol

13. The Standards Committee reviewed the Independent Person Protocol (attached at Appendix B) in November 2017. The key matters taken into account were:

• to ensure there is a written contract and description of the IP role and to make sure that there is clear separation of the roles of the Standards Committee, Monitoring Officer and Independent Person . The role of the IP needs to be clear and in writing. This is dealt with in paragraphs 2.1, 2.2 and 4 of the Protocol; no changes are recommended.

• to be clear on access to confidential papers, how the IP should be contacted, and how the IP should contact the Authority. This is dealt with in paragraph 5, and the issue of confidentiality in paragraph 6.

• to be clear on how views of the IP are given and recorded. This is dealt with in paragraphs 2.3, 3.1 3.2 and 4.3; no changes are necessary.

14. There should be no separation of roles in a case, and only one IP should be assigned to a case. The Standards Committee considered that the Protocol was clear on separation of roles but recommended that recognition is given to the fact that all IPs have equal status. The Standards Committee recommended that the term “reserve” was deleted, provided that the Protocol is clear that there is one IP assigned to a case to ensure a consistent and independent approach.

15. The recommended changes to the Protocol are highlighted in Appendix B and, subject to those changes being approved, the Protocol is recommended for adoption.

Gillian Cooper Solicitor/Monitoring Officer 5 June 2018

Background documents: None

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Appendix A

ROLE DESCRIPTION FOR INDEPENDENT PERSONS APPOINTED TO ADVISE THE YORKSHIRE DALES NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY IN RELATION TO STANDARDS OF CONDUCT ISSUES AFFECTING AUTHORITY MEMBERS

Responsible to: The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (The Authority)

Liaison with: Monitoring Officer; Members of the Authority including the Chairman; Officers; and key stakeholders within the community

1. To assist the Authority in promoting high standards of conduct by its Members and in particular to uphold the Code of Conduct adopted by the Authority, and the seven principles of public office namely selflessness, honesty, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness and leadership.

2. To be consulted by the Authority through the Monitoring Officer and/or the Standards Committee before it makes a decision on an investigated allegation and to be available to attend meetings of the Hearing Panel of the Standards Committee for this purpose.

3. To be available for consultation by the Monitoring Officer and/or the Standards Committee before a decision is taken as to whether to investigate a complaint or to seek local resolution of the same.

4. To be available for consultation by any Authority Member who is the subject of a Standards complaint.

5. To develop a sound understanding of the ethical framework as it operates within the Authority.

6. To participate in training events to develop skills, knowledge and experience and in networks operating for Independent Persons operating outside the Authority’s area.

7. To attend training events organised and promoted by the Authority’s Standards Committee.

8. To act as advocate and ambassador for the Authority in promoting ethical behaviour.

To participate as an Independent Person in any Disciplinary Panel set up to make recommendations in respect of a Chief Officer, as set out in Standing Orders

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Appendix B

PROTOCOL RELATING TO THE INDEPENDENT PERSON

1. Introduction 1.1 This Protocol is intended to make clear how the relationship between the Authority, the Independent Person, the Monitoring Officer and the Standards Committee will interact within the system of standards of conduct of Members introduced by the Localism Act 2011 where the Authority has a duty to promote and maintain those standards, and to deal with allegations involving Member conduct. 1.2 The Protocol is not seeking to be prescriptive but rather to set out the general principles with which all parties will use their best endeavours to comply. 1.3 In addition to the Independent Person, tThe Authority has appointed a Reserve more than one Independent Person to ensure that one Independent Person is able to act in the absence of the other Independent Person or where the Independent Person is otherwise unable to act (see section 7 of this Protocol). Where the Reserve Independent Person is acting, this Protocol shall apply in the same way as it applies to the Independent Person. This Protocol applies to all Independent Persons in the same way as they are of equal status. 1.4 In addition to the roles and responsibilities referred to in this Protocol, under the provisions of the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2015 an Independent Person may be appointed to a Member Panel set up to advise the Authority on matters relating to the dismissal of a Statutory Officer of the Authority (the Head of Paid Service, the Chief Finance Officer, the Monitoring Officer).

2. Contact with the Independent Person 2.1 A Member of the Authority may contact the Independent Person if a formal complaint about him/her has been made in writing to the Authority. The Monitoring Officer will notify the Independent Person of all formal complaints. If a Member contacts the Independent Person prior to a formal complaint being lodged, the Independent Person will refer them to the Monitoring Officer. It is the role of the Monitoring Officer, not of the Independent Person, to advise Members on issues of conduct, unless and until a formal complaint is made.

2.2 The Independent Person should not discuss a potential or actual complaint directly with the potential complainant and shall refer the complainant to the Monitoring Officer to speak directly about any complaint.

2.3 The Independent Person shall keep a written record of all contacts they have had in relation to complaints, including the date and time of contact, who contacted them, what was reported to them, and what advice, view or response (if any) they made. Where a Member contacts the Independent Person and requests confidentiality, the Independent Person will explain that this is not possible, given their role in formally expressing views on the complaint to the Standards Committee.

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3. Considering written allegations

3.1 Where the Monitoring Officer is considering a written allegation of a breach of the Code of Conduct by a Member, the Monitoring Officer will consult and seek the views of the Independent Person before reporting the complaint to the Standards Committee for a decision on whether any further action should be taken on the complaint. The Independent Person should express such views in writing. The issue at this stage is not whether there has been a breach of the Code of Conduct but rather whether, in the light of the Authority’s criteria for assessing complaints, the complaint merits investigation or some other form of action. 3.2 When issuing the decision letter following the Standards Committee meeting, the Monitoring Officer will record that the Independent Person has been consulted and that their views have been taken into account. Where the view of the Standards Committee and Independent Person differ, the Monitoring Officer will record this, and the Committee’s reasons for following a particular course. The letter will make it clear that it is the Standards Committee and not the Independent Person who is the decision maker.

3.3 If so mandated by the Standards Committee, the Monitoring Officer may ask the Independent Person to support him/her in efforts to try to resolve a complaint informally, including assisting in mediation, conciliation or training. This may be appropriate where the basis of the complaint appears to the Standards Committee to be unsubstantial, or otherwise does not appear to warrant a formal investigation, or where an alternative route to formal investigation would appear to offer a better means of resolving the matter e.g. where it appears that complaints have been made on a tit-for-tat basis, or where a process appears to have become dysfunctional.

4. Relationship with the Standards Committee

4.1 The Monitoring Officer may consult the Independent Person where appropriate on recommendations to the Standards Committee particularly where these relate to the procedures for handling complaints.

4.2 Where the Standards Committee has referred a complaint to the Monitoring Officer for investigation, a copy of the resulting report of the investigation will be given to the Independent Person at the same time as it is given to the Member and to the complainant. The Standards Committee will consider the investigation report in accordance with the Authority’s procedure for the determination of complaints, and will seek the views of the Independent Person (both as to whether there has been a breach of the code of conduct and, if so, what action if any should be taken) before reaching its conclusions. The Independent Person will be provided with the agenda and report for the Standards Committee meeting, and invited to attend the Committee to convey their views.

4.3 The Independent Person’s view will be recorded in any decision notice and, where those views do not reflect the final outcome, reasons will be given. The decision notice will make it clear that it is the Standards Committee and not the Independent Person who is the decision maker.

30 of 114 5. Right of Access to Documentation

5.1 The Independent Person shall have a right of access to such files and other documents in the possession or control of the Authority as are necessary to fulfil their duties and obligations as set out in this Protocol, their role description, and the arrangements adopted from time to time by the Authority for dealing with standards complaints. The Independent Person shall not have a right to undertake a roving commission. Normally access to files and other documents will be through the Monitoring Officer, Deputy Monitoring Officer or other officer appointed on their behalf.

5.2 The Independent Person shall receive public agendas and minutes of all meetings of the Authority and its Committees and shall be entitled to attend such meetings as an observer whilst the meeting is open to the public, or otherwise with the permission of the Chairman of the meeting.

6. Confidentiality

6.1 The Independent Person shall respect the confidentiality of any documents provided to them and shall be responsible for their safe custody.

6.2 The Independent Person should respect the general confidentiality of the Authority’s standards process and should not make any comments to the media on any matter relating to the Authority’s standards business. Any requests for comments from the media should be referred in the first instance to the Monitoring Officer who may refer these to the Chair of the Standards Committee, or other person within the Authority as appropriate.

7. Role of Reserve Independent Person

7.1 The Reserve Independent Person shall act in place of the Independent Person where the Independent Person is not available to deal with a particular matter or where the Independent Person has a potential conflict of interest or otherwise where it is expedient in the opinion of the Monitoring Officer to do so. In general this should be determined at the time a written complaint is received, and a case given to the Reserve Independent Person at that stage should stay with them until its conclusion. Wherever possible, changing from the Independent Person to the Reserve, or vice versa, part way through a matter should be avoided.

7.2 Neither the Independent Person nor the Reserve Independent Person shall have any involvement, nor make any comment (whether to the complainant, the Authority or otherwise) on any case which is being dealt with by the other of them, unless the Monitoring Officer agrees in writing.

7. Role of Other Independent Person

7.1 Where one Independent Person is not available to deal with a particular matter, or where an Independent Person has a potential conflict of interest, or otherwise where it is expedient in the opinion of the Monitoring Officer to do so, another Independent Person may be nominated to deal with the matter. In general, which Independent Person will deal with a particular matter should be determined at the time a written complaint is received, and a case given to the Independent Person at that stage should stay with that person 31 of 114 until its conclusion. Wherever possible, changing from one Independent Person to another, or vice versa, part way through a matter should be avoided.

7.2 The Independent Person shall not have any involvement, nor make any comment (whether to the complainant, the Authority or otherwise) on any case which is being dealt with by another Independent Person, unless the Monitoring Officer so agrees in writing.

8. Other Matters 8.1 The Independent Person and Reserve has the right to raise any concerns about standards issues with the Authority’s Chief Executive, including the right to offer comment on the Authority’s performance of its general duty to promote and maintain high standards of conduct.

8.2 The Independent Person and Reserve will normally be consulted on any proposed changes to the Code of Conduct or procedures for handling allegations, and his/her views will be taken into account when decisions are made.

8.3 The Independent Person and Reserve is considered to be an office holder of the Authority in accordance with the duty under Section 28(7) of the Localism Act 2011, and is therefore entitled to be covered by the Authority’s indemnity to Members and Officers, provided that he/she acts reasonably and within the terms of this Protocol and the Role Description.

Approved September 2013 Reviewed November 2017

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YORKSHIRE DALES NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY ITEM 10

Date: 26 June 2018

Report: THE FUTURE OF FARMING

Purpose of the report

1. To: a. update Members on the bid to Defra to continue and expand the existing Results- Based Agri-environment Pilot Scheme in Wensleydale; and, b. seek approval for the Authority to commit to extending and funding the current agreements for up to 12 months should Defra be unable to do so.

RECOMMENDATION

2. That Members: a. note the positive discussions held with Defra in relation to funding the continuation and expansion of the Results-Based Agri-environment Pilot Scheme in Wensleydale; and, b. approve funding of up to £57,500 to cover the cost of the extension of the existing agreements for a further 12 months if Defra is unable to approve the funding to enable this in the short term.

Strategic Planning Framework

3. The information and recommendation(s) contained in this report are consistent with the Authority’s statutory purposes and its approved strategic planning framework:

National Park Management Plan objectives A1 Support farmers and landowners to deliver a wide range of environmental benefits by maintaining at least 80% of the National Park in basic ‘Environmental Stewardship’ agreements and increasing the area covered by enhanced management agreements to at least 55% by 2017.

Background

4. Members will be well aware of the critical role that agriculture – and ‘High Nature Value farming’ in particular – plays both in helping to conserve and enhance many of

33 of 114 the special qualities of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and the socio-economic well-being of its local communities.

5. In April 2017, National Parks England submitted a proposal to Defra on the ‘Future of UK Farming post-Brexit’. The proposal provided a framework for an approach that could be applied across all National Parks in England. The intention was that each National Park Authority would then develop more detailed proposals for how that approach might work in their National Park.

6. Members approved the establishment of a task-and-finish group, chaired by the Deputy Chairman, to develop more detail of how such a scheme might work in this National Park. Based on an outline approved at the December Authority meeting, a proposal was submitted to Defra in February 2018.

7. As reported to Members in March, the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan includes a commitment to “designing and delivering a new environmental land management system”. This was confirmed in the subsequent Agriculture Command Paper, which stated:

We will learn from the implementation of past schemes, consult with stakeholders on the design of new and ambitious schemes and pilot them in preparation for the introduction of the [new] system.

8. Members will recall that, while Defra is looking for new pilots to develop and then test in 2021, the Authority’s proposal is based on continuing and expanding the current RBAPS pilot in Wensleydale, working in partnership with Natural England. The pilot has been successful in promoting a new way of working with farmers in delivering environmental outcomes and has been influential with significant interest in the pilot leading it to be used as a case study in the Agriculture Command Paper.

9. The critical factor is that the EU funding for the existing grant scheme will end in September this year. That means that new funding needs to be found much earlier than envisaged in the Command Paper if the pilot is to continue. It was, therefore, agreed that - subject to the outcome of discussions with Defra - a further paper should be brought to this meeting of the Authority.

Recent developments

10. Since March there have been numerous discussions with Defra officials nationally and locally. This has included meetings during and after the Health & Harmony event at Penrith; the Cumbria and North & East Lancashire Rural Farming Network; an Environmental Land Management workshop with all NPAs and other stakeholders at Crewe in early April. This was followed by teleconferences with DEFRA and NE in May and June, and finally a visit by Defra hosted by NE to the National Park in early June.

11. Defra officials have indicated a clear intention to fund a continuation and significant expansion of the existing pilot in Wensleydale. However, as yet, there has been no formal confirmation that Defra will be able to secure appropriate funding in time to

34 of 114 support the existing agreements from September. Defra has now asked Natural England - working with YDNPA officers - to apply for funding to support a phased approach to continuing the current pilot as a trial then extending it to more farms utilizing more options and potentially extending the geographical areas. The proposal needs to be finalized and submitted to Defra for them to consider at a future meeting of the Environmental Land Management Test & Trials Programme Board.

Consideration

12. With only 3 months to go until the agreements run out, there is a very obvious risk that the farmers currently in the scheme will start to make alternative plans, meaning: a. Potential loss of the environmental gains (and the public money that went into them); b. A missed opportunity to get another year’s worth of experience in implementing this new results-based approach, and measuring its impact on the environment; c. A detrimental impact on the viability of the farms, resulting from the loss of payments. d. Likely significant difficulties and costs in trying to re-start the scheme once future funding from Defra has been agreed.

13. To avoid this scenario, it is vital that the farmers have some reassurance now that the agreements will continue beyond September. It is, therefore, proposed that the Authority should commit to funding a continuation of the current 19 agreements, if funding from Defra cannot be secured in time.

Financial implications

14. The proposal is based on the minimum costs necessary to extend the existing agreements for a further 12 months – on a clear expectation that an extension/expansion of the pilot will be funded by Defra beyond that date. If Defra does not confirm this longer-term funding, the agreements will end in September 2019.

15. The main element of the costs would be up to £40,000 in grant payments to the farmers in the scheme. The final exact amount will depend on the environmental outcomes achieved by each agreement. In addition, there will be an increased staff cost to the Authority because it will not be possible (without abandoning other important commitments) to extend the project for 12 months at the same time as managing the ‘close-down’ of the existing EU-funded pilot. Additional staff cover will be needed; amounting to the equivalent of a 0.5 FTE Band D post + travel costs (£17,500). It is stressed that this is the minimum staff resource necessary to keep the project (and its monitoring) alive. The development of an extended and expanded scheme, its subsequent implementation (and all the necessary monitoring, promotion, information sharing etc) will require significantly more staff resource – this is part of the current discussions with Defra.

35 of 114 16. Members will be aware that the Authority is in a relatively healthy position financially as result of recent efforts to secure more external funding. It would, therefore, be possible to fund the continuation of the pilot for 12 months through an allocation from Reserves, without any implications for the Authority’s current plans in other areas. Members should note that the project officer costs would have some impact on the Authority’s staff costs: gross income ratio in 2018/19 – but this would be temporary.

Conclusion

17. The future of high nature value farming is fundamental to the achievement of the statutory purposes, for which the Yorkshire Dales National Park was designated, and to the local economy – not only because of the direct employment it provides but because it manages the landscape on which a multi-million pound tourism industry depends.

18. The RBAPS pilot project in Wensleydale has begun to demonstrate practical ways to incentivize the production of locally-distinctive, high-quality food in a way that delivers an outstanding range of public benefits. It has been warmly welcomed by farmers, and has the potential to influence the way that the new national environmental land management system is designed and delivered. It is, therefore, vital that the project does not collapse before longer- term funding is secured from Defra for an expansion at the end of 2019.

Gary Smith Director of Conservation and Community

13 June 2018

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YORKSHIRE DALES NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY ITEM 11

Date: 26 June 2018

Report: PERFORMANCE REVIEW OF MEMBER PARISH FORUMS

Purpose of the report

1. To seek Members’ approval for the permanent establishment of the Member Parish Forums as recommended by the Audit and Review Committee.

RECOMMENDATION

2. That the three Member Parish Forums, representing the West, North and South of the national park, are continued and, where possible, enhanced.

Strategic Planning Framework

3. The information and recommendation(s) contained in this report are consistent with the Authority’s statutory purposes and its approved strategic planning framework:

• Corporate Plan objectives Objective 25: Provide high quality, efficient and effective services and communications to the public and in doing so maintain the ‘Customer Service Excellence’ (CSE) standard every year Action: Determine arrangements for the future of the Authority’s ‘Parish Forums’ initiative

Background

4. In December 2014 the Authority approved the creation of 2 Parish Forums and developed arrangements for how these would operate. These forums were pilots and their performance was to be reviewed. Members will be aware that, once the National Park was extended in August 2016, a third Western Parish Forum was established.

5. The Audit and Review Committee decided that the performance of the Parish Forum pilots should be one of their member performance reviews so that they might consider the matter in detail. That review reported in April earlier this year and the relevant paper is attached.

6. Members will see from the paper that the overall conclusion of the review was that those parishes that engaged with the forums found them extremely useful. They were very well received by those parishes and had led to the development of close working relationships with a number of parishes. However, not all parishes attended the

X:\Corporate Services\Committees\Committees Working Documents\Committee Reports Draft\2018\NPA\NPA26jun18PerformanceReviewofMemberParishForums.doc 37 of 114 forums regularly although 57 of the Authority’s 98 parishes did so over the period of the pilot. One of the notable features of the feedback from parishes which engaged with the process was the strong belief that the exercise was particularly useful because it involved ‘senior officials’ from the NPA.

Financial implications

7. The review concluded that the Forums are resource-heavy, both in terms of Member and Officer input. The total cost of the Forum meetings is approximately £7k p.a, principally made up of staff time. This was made up of preparation, attendance at the Forum and follow up action. There has been significant Authority commitment to the Forums in order to demonstrate to Parishes that the Authority is listening and open to dialogue. The creation of the Western Forum part way through the process provided economies of scale in the sense that work done for one Forum meeting often applied to all three. Funding is already provided within the Authority’s budget.

Conclusion

8. The Parish Forums continue to represent a useful opportunity for Authority engagement with the most democratic tier of the National Park’s population and, as a consequence, should be put on a permanent footing.

David Butterworth Chief Executive

31 May 2018

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YORKSHIRE DALES NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY ITEM 5

Committee: AUDIT AND REVIEW Date: 10 April 2018

Report: PERFORMANCE REVIEW OF MEMBER PARISH FORUMS

Purpose of the report

9. To provide an assessment of the performance of the Member Parish Forum Pilots and to determine whether they should continue.

RECOMMENDATION

10. That the Audit & Review Committee consider the attached report and agree the recommendations be reported to the full Authority.

Strategic Planning Framework

3. The information and recommendation contained in this report are consistent with the Authority’s statutory purposes and it’s approved strategic planning framework:

Corporate Plan objectives Objective 25: ‘provide high quality, efficient and effective services and communications to the public….’

Action 25.7: Carry out a detailed review of the performance of the Authority’s ‘Parish Forums’ initiative.

Background

11. Members considered a paper at the Authority meeting in December 2014 on future engagement with Parish Councils. Consequently the Authority approved the creation of two ‘Parish Forums’ and developed arrangements for how they would operate. These Parish Forums were to be ‘pilots’ and their performance was to be reviewed after 2 years. Subsequently, on the extension of the Park, a third ‘Western’ Forum was established.

12. At the April 2017 A&R meeting it was agreed to review the Parish Forum pilot as one of the Member led performance reviews. The Membership, timescale and issues to be considered as part of the review, were agreed at the November meeting of the Committee. Those issues to be considered were:

X:\Corporate Services\Committees\Committees Working Documents\Committee Reports Draft\2018\NPA\NPA26jun18PerformanceReviewofMemberParishForums.doc 39 of 114 • What are the views of Parish Councils who took part in the Forums? • What are the views of Parish Councils who did not take part, and why did they not want to take part? • What was the cost of delivering the Parish Forums? • What are the views of the YDNP Parish Members who led the events? • What data do we have on attendance? • What are the views of the officers who attended the events? • What were the views of those other Members of the Authority who attended the events? 13. The Review team comprised two Members and three Officers. They were: • Carl Lis – Chairman of the NPA. • Neil Swain – Member of the A&R Committee • David Butterworth – CEO. • Julie Payne – Committees Officer and principal administrator for the pilots • Peter Stockton – Head of Sustainable Development.

14. The Review Team’s paper is attached as the Appendix to this report. Its recommendations are set out at paragraph 24.

David Butterworth Chief Executive

26 March 2018

Background documents:

None

X:\Corporate Services\Committees\Committees Working Documents\Committee Reports Draft\2018\NPA\NPA26jun18PerformanceReviewofMemberParishForums.doc 40 of 114 Appendix Member Parish Forums: Review of Performance

The issues

What are the specific performance issues that the review has been set up to tackle?

15. The review has been established to assess whether the Parish Forum pilots have proved successful in delivering their objectives, with a view to the Authority determining whether they should continue indefinitely into the future. Those objectives were:-

• Parish Forums should be genuinely ‘two-way’ and would be run in partnership with Parish Councils. Meetings could be chaired by a representative of the Parish Councils, and agendas would be agreed in advance, to include items requested by Parish Councils.

• The Forums would be supported by officers but the Authority’s input would be led by Members.

• Authority representatives at the Forum would include the Chairman, Deputy Chairman and the relevant Parish Members.

• Authority Members would attend Parish Forums as representatives of the Authority (i.e. not wearing any of their other ‘hats’).

• The Forums could cover all and any issues related to the National Park Management Plan, i.e. not limited to issues for which the National Park Authority is the lead body.

• Other organisations would be invited to attend where there were specific items of relevance to their statutory responsibilities.

• Each Forum would meet twice a year.

16. In addition it was agreed to establish a web-page specifically devoted to matters of potential interest to Parish Councils, and promote its availability.

Why do the issues matter?

17. The Authority has a number of mechanisms in place, both formal and informal, to engage with Parish Councils and Parish Meetings wholly or partly within the National Park. Through the pilot, Members wanted to; establish the value of specific ‘political’ level engagement and develop the role of Members in promoting, representing and engaging with the parishes throughout the Park.

18. The discussion around this political engagement with Parish Councils was framed by two key issues:

X:\Corporate Services\Committees\Committees Working Documents\Committee Reports Draft\2018\NPA\NPA26jun18PerformanceReviewofMemberParishForums.doc 41 of 114 (a) The importance of a strong relationship with what is the most local representation of opinion in the Park, in order to achieve the objectives set out in the National Park Management Plan; (b) The on-going cuts to the Authority funding and resources which meant that more effective arrangements for engaging with parishes needed to be established.

Performance

How is the service currently being delivered?

19. The first two Parish Forums (‘Northern’ and ‘Southern’) took place in September 2015. As a result of the extension of the National Park boundary, a further ‘Western’ Parish Forum was established in 2016 (made up of the 3 Cumbrian parishes that were within the northern forum and the 26 new parishes that joined the Park in August 2016).

20. There are now 6 Parish Forums each year, two in each of the three areas. They are chaired by Member Parish representatives of the National Park Authority. All meetings are attended by the Chairman of the Authority, the Chief Executive, the Director of Conservation and other Officers as appropriate.

21. The agendas were to be determined by the Parish Councils/Parish Meetings (Parishes) but the reality of the pilot is that they have been largely driven by the Authority. However, there have been a number of presentations at the Forums by individual Parish Councils.

What happened during the pilot process?

22. The pilot has thrown up some rather stark results. Most Parishes did not engage with the process in the sense they did not attend the Forums. However, those that did attend, and have done so regularly, generally found the meetings to be extremely useful and the opportunity to engage directly with senior members and officers of the Authority has been very much appreciated.

23. Earlier this year a survey was carried out of all the Parishes in the Park to seek their views on the pilot. There was a disappointing response to this survey with only 19 responses out of 98. The details on which Parishes responded, along with their views, is shown at Annex 1.

24. Over the period of the pilot 57 Parishes attended one or more meetings which is a reasonable number until an examination of the data reveals that few Parishes attended all Forum meetings; although this appeared to reflect in which part of the Park the meetings were held. Further details on which Parishes attended the forums over the period of the pilot are shown at Annex 2 and the results of feedback from these Parishes (gathered at at/after each Forum meeting) are shown at Annex 3.

25. Although the attendance of Parishes was disappointing, all the evidence confirms the finding that those Parishes that did engage with the process found it valuable.

X:\Corporate Services\Committees\Committees Working Documents\Committee Reports Draft\2018\NPA\NPA26jun18PerformanceReviewofMemberParishForums.doc 42 of 114 Views from officers/members

26. Though the process was quite resource heavy, the general view from Members and Officers was that the exercise was valuable and useful. A number of very strong relationships have been formed with Parishes throughout the National Park. The formal views of those Members who regularly attended meetings are set out in Annex 4. Officer comments are set out at Annex 5.

How successful have we been in achieving the objectives of the pilot?

27. It has been a ‘mixed’ performance. The Forums have always been chaired by the Authority’s Member parish representative rather than another Parish Chairman. This decision was made very early in the process for practical reasons – primarily the desire to raise the profile of the Parish representatives with their constituent parishes and the need to ensure the meetings were well planned and effective. All the evidence we have received suggests this approach has been successful.

28. The Authority’s input to the forums has been led by both Members and Officers on a ‘horses for courses’ basis. Again this has worked well with most attendees seeing little distinction between the two. Indeed the forums have generally been so open that genuine ‘challenge’ between Members, Officers and members of the public has been an interesting and well received feature.

29. Other Members of the Authority who attended forum meetings did appear at times to be confused as to their role. The Authority were very clear at the outset that Members were welcome to attend but if they did so it was as Authority members, not in relation to other roles.

30. In terms of the items discussed; although it would be reasonable to state that they were ones covered by the NP Management Plan, this assertion could only be made if a very broad interpretation of the Plan was accepted. This wide agenda and breadth of views added to the interest, understanding and learning coming out of the Forums. The Authority’s concern that Development Management might dominate the agendas was not realised.

31. No outside bodies attended Forum meetings.

Resources

32. There is little doubt that the Forums are resource heavy, both in terms of Member and Officer input. There has been significant Authority commitment to the Forums in order to demonstrate to Parishes that the Authority is listening and open to dialogue. One of the notable features of the feedback from Parishes who engaged with the process was the strong belief that the exercise was particularly useful because it involved ‘senior officials’ from the NPA.

33. Each ‘set’ of Forum meetings (three in total) cost in the region of £3.5k in Officer time. This was made up of preparation, attendance at the Forum and follow up action. The

X:\Corporate Services\Committees\Committees Working Documents\Committee Reports Draft\2018\NPA\NPA26jun18PerformanceReviewofMemberParishForums.doc 43 of 114 creation of the Western Forum part way through the process provided economies of scale in the sense that work done for one Forum meeting often applied to all three.

34. All member costs/time was in addition to these figures but do not feature in any Authority accounts, other than the cost of travel.

35. The key point is that the cost of running the Forum meetings is expensive in relation to the relatively low levels of attendance.

Future Action

Conclusion

36. The Working Group conducting this review recognised that the evidence does not lead to an obvious conclusion as to the future of Parish Forums. This really is a judgement call for the Authority.

37. The overall conclusion of the Working Group is that the pilots have been very well received by those Parises that have engaged in the process and strong working relationships have been established that have gone beyond the Forums themselves. From the Authority’s point of view, the Forums have been well received by Members and Officers. Most of them have been a pleasure to attend and have involved a lot of very open and rigorous debate/discussion but conducted in a positive, respectful manner. The Authority’s Parish representatives have performed very well and their role among ‘their’ parish councils/meetings has been recognised and acknowledged. In addition these Members have recognised and been able to perform their twin roles of Authority ambassadors and the most democratic representatives of the local population of the Park.

38. However, the exercise has not been able to successfully engage most of the Parishes on a frequent basis and is resource intensive – money and time.

39. On balance the overall view of the Review Group is that the Parish Forums should continue and that, through further dialogue with the Parishes, incremental changes should be developed to try to improve attendance. Although it would be possible to adopt different approaches to the three different ‘regions’ of the Park (for example merging the Northern Forum into an existing local government vehicle) this is not believed to be helpful or appropriate at this point in time.

Recommendations.

40. That the YDNPA Parish Forums are continued and further research is carried out with the National Parks’ Parish Councils/Meetings to see how they might be improved upon.

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YORKSHIRE DALES NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY ITEM 12

Date: 26 June 2018

Report: NATIONAL PARK MANAGEMENT PLAN

Purpose of the report

1. To inform Members of the progress made in 2017-18 in implementing the objectives set out in the current National Park Management Plan 2013-18, and the results of the public consultation on objectives for a new Plan for 2019-24.

RECOMMENDATION

2. That Members note: a. the progress made by a wide range of bodies in implementing the objectives set out in the current National Park Management Plan; and, b. the response to the public consultation on the proposed objectives for the new Management Plan.

Strategic Planning Framework

3. The information and recommendation(s) contained in this report are consistent with the Authority’s statutory purposes and its approved strategic planning framework:. Corporate Plan Objective 27: In partnership with key organisations, and in consultation with local communities, update the National Park Management Plan by 2018 to take into account the needs and opportunities of the extended National Park.

Background

4. The current National Park Management Plan was published in March 2013. Members will recall that – as it is a Plan for the Park, not just for the Authority – both the production of the Plan and the monitoring of progress is carried out by the ‘National Park Management Plan Steering Group’. This is made up of those bodies and business sectors who have the main responsibility for funding or implementing the objectives.

5. This year’s progress report effectively marks the end of the current Plan. As Members will be well aware – the Steering Group is well advanced in preparations for the production of an updated Management Plan (for 2019-24), which includes the new

45 of 114 area of the National Park. Public consultation on a full draft Plan finished at the end of April.

The progress report on the current National Park Management Plan OBJECTIVE 15 6. The Steering Group’s latest annual report on progress is attached as Appendix A to this report. It contains: • a summary of progress in 2017-18, and of overall progress during the lifetime of the Plan; • a brief analysis of progress on each of the 53 objectives (Members should note that the objectives themselves are not always repeated in full – in order to keep the document reasonably concise).

7. Members should note that – other than where such figures are no longer available – progress is reported in relation to the former National Park area (which was the geographical basis on which the objectives were originally set).

8. Overall, the feeling in the Steering Group is that lots of good progress has been made, particularly in the context of the impacts of austerity on the budgets of many of the key delivery bodies over the Plan period. Twenty four of the objectives have been achieved, and 12 others remain on course to be achieved by their target date.

9. Some of the most significant achievements of the last 12 months, and over the lifetime of the Plan are identified on page 3 of the Annex. These reflect the work of many different organisations and individuals.

10. There are 16 objectives where progress has been more limited than originally hoped. Several of these areas will be the focus for new Management Plan.

Consultation on objectives for a new National Park Management Plan

11. In total 118 responses were received during the 7 week consultation period. All the consultation responses have been amalgamated into a single document and are available to view on the Management Plan webpage. .

12. In general there is support for the Plan’s proposed objectives although inevitably there are some strong areas of disagreement over specific issues. An overall summary – prepared for the Steering Group – is attached at Appendix B

Next steps

13. The Steering Group is now considering the response to the public consultation – together with this latest report on progress – to determine any final changes to the new Plan. The final draft will be brought to the Authority for formal adoption in September.

46 of 114 Conclusion

14. There are many good and positive things happening within the National Park, through the efforts of many local organisations and individuals. However, the longer-than- anticipated period of ‘austerity’ has had an impact on the speed and scale of progress in some areas – notably in relation to some of the services on which local communities depend (schools, transport, housing, and accommodation for the elderly).

15. These issues will be fundamental to the current review and updating of the Management Plan.

Gary Smith Director of Conservation and Community

11June 2018

47 of 114 [Type text]

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48 of 114 Appendix A

NATIONAL PARK MANAGEMENT PLAN 2013 – 2018

ANNUAL REPORT

JUNE 2018

Prepared on behalf of the National Park Management Plan Steering Group

49 of 114 Appendix A

Members of the Steering Group

Cllr. Richard Foster Craven District Council

John Pedley Dales Farmer Network (Cumbria/Lancs)

Anthony Bradley Dales Farmer Network (Yorkshire)

Lord Shuttleworth Dales Rural Estates (Cumbria/Lancs)

Adrian Thornton-Berry Dales Rural Estates (Yorkshire)

Jessica Goodfellow Dales Tourism Businesses (Cumbria/Lancs)

Jonathan Smith Dales Tourism Businesses (Yorkshire)

Jane Langston Eden District Council

Martin Christmas Environment Agency

Crispin Thorn Forestry Commission

Lancaster City Council

Lydia Dixon Natural England

Cllr. Yvonne Peacock Richmondshire District Council

Dan Hudson South Lakeland District Council

David Sharrod Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust

Carl Lis Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority

David Butterworth Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority

50 of 114 Appendix A

Summary

On 1st August 2016, the boundary of the National Park was extended to include parts of the Orton Fells, the northern Howgill Fells, Mallerstang, Barbon, Middleton, Casterton and Leck Fells. The National Park increased in size and population by roughly 23%. This report relates primarily to progress made in the last 5 years in the former area of the National Park.

Significant achievements in the last year include: • The creation of the ‘Swale Trail’, a new 12-mile, family-friendly mountain bike route between Keld and Reeth. • The National Park Authority and YDMT provided over 7,000 volunteer days; • The Yorkshire Peat Partnership helped farmers and landowners to restore natural drainage across a further 335 ha of degraded peatland; • Broadband for the Rural North Ltd installed ‘hyper-fast’ broadband across a further 11 parishes in the western part of the National Park; • Through Countryside Stewardship, the launch of programmes across the National Park to encourage take up of natural flood management measures. • YDNPA’s Sustainable Development Fund supported 36 local projects, with a total value of over £1.8 million. • The first Yorkshire Dales Cheese Festival

The most significant achievements over the lifetime of the Plan include: • Launch and implementation of the Ingleborough Dales Landscape Partnership’s £2.5 million programme of environmental and community projects; • The National Park being identified as the local authority area with the fourth darkest night skies in England; • Almost 11 km of overhead power lines have been removed by Electricity North West and Northern Power Grid. • 322 of hay meadow has been restored through YDMT’s Haytime project since 2013. • The Yorkshire Peat Partnership has helped farmers and landowners to restore natural drainage across [more than 19,000 ha] of degraded peatland; • The development and adoption of new Local Plan to guide and encourage development across the pre-1 August National Park area; • Hosting a stage of the Tour de France and the subsequent growth in cycling. • Improvements to 41km of RoW to make them accessible to people of all ages and abilities • ‘Hyper-fast’ broadband has been installed across 11 parishes in the western part of the National Park, through Broadband for the Rural North Ltd’s community scheme. • YDNPA’s Sustainable Development Fund supported 138 local projects, worth over £4 million.

51 of 114 Appendix A

• Over 30,000 ‘volunteer days’ have been provided by YDNPA and YDMT. • The provision of 38 apprenticeships in countryside management and rural skills, through a range of local organisations and businesses; • Launch of the £1 million Green Futures programme to inspire local young people to discover, explore and enhance their environment. • Over 395 ha of new native woodland has been planted. • Installation of new rail sidings to serve Arcow and Dry Rigg quarries in Ribblesdale.

In total, there are 17 objectives where the desired progress has not yet been achieved. These include: • The condition of Conservation Areas and the wider ‘barns and walls’ landscape of the National Park ( A2 and A4) • The condition of public rights of way (B2) • The condition of nationally-designated wildlife sites (C1) and rivers (C4) • Increasing up-take of renewable energy and energy efficiency measures (D2 and D3) • Attracting younger, working-age people to live in the National Park • The provision of new housing to meet local needs (F1) • Maintaining or improving local services (F2, F3, F7 and F8).

52 of 114 A distinctive, living, working cultural landscape that tells the ongoing story of generations of people interacting with their environment

Objective (edited) Progress Lead Body Status A1. Maintain at least 80% of the Park in basic ‘Environmental 83% of the former National Park was in Environmental Stewardship and 73% Natural Stewardship’ agreements and increase the area covered by in the ‘Higher Level’ scheme in 2016. However, there is likely to be a time lag England enhanced management agreements to at least 55% by 2017. in removing expired agreements from the figures, so the actual current coverage may be significantly less. Awaiting 2017 figures. A2. No more than 70 listed buildings, 15 scheduled monuments, 75 Listed Buildings, 11 Scheduled Monuments and 4 Conservation Areas YDNPA and no conservation area ‘at risk’ by 2020. currently ‘at risk’ [increased by extension of NP boundary] A3. By 2015 provide clear guidance on which traditional farm ‘Barns Toolkit’ published in 2016. It supports new policies on barn conversion YDNPA buildings should be a focus for public investment, and those that in the new Local Plan (adopted December 2016). V can best be adapted for re-use or allowed to decline. A4. Enhance the Swaledale-Arkengarthdale Barns and Walls New Local Plan policy L2 permits a wider range of new uses for roadside YDNPA Conservation Area so that by 2016 it is no longer considered ‘at barns. Muker barns restoration project restored 2 barns last year. A new risk’. capital grant scheme for traditional farm building repairs in National Parks was launched in March. However, the CA remains at risk. A5. Maintain the National Park as a place where a true sense of Satellite mapping by the Campaign to Protect Rural England showed that the YDNPA tranquillity can be found, and implement a range of measures to National Park is the fourth darkest area in England (behind Northumberland V enhance and promote its dark skies. NP, Exmoor NP and the Isles of Scilly). A6. Establish a professional network to encourage innovative, The full version of the new Design Guide , prepared as part of the new Local YDNPA V high-quality and more sustainable building design and publish Plan, was published in July 2017. new design guidelines by 2016. A7. Support local communities to establish the extent of North Yorkshire Police’s Rural Task Force was launched in April 2016. Its role NY Police & V potential threats from ‘Heritage Crime’ (theft, vandalism etc.), includes providing crime prevention advice regarding heritage sites. Cumbria and promote measures to help reduce it. Constabulary A8. Use the Historic Environment Record to research, record A rolling programme of annual surveys of listed buildings and scheduled YDNPA and promote the stories of the National Park area, and carry out monuments has been carried out by Dales Volunteers and local heritage and co-ordinate regular surveys of important historic structures groups. V and landscapes. A9. Put at least another 10 km of existing overhead power lines A single scheme carried out in and around Marrick has seen a further 3.4 km of ENW & underground by 2018. overhead power lines removed and replaced with an underground supply in Northern 2017. In total, 10.8km of overhead lines have been removed between 2013 - Power Grid V 2017. A10. Support delivery of large-scale projects such as the IDLP programme completed the second full year of its delivery programme. Yorkshire ‘Ingleborough Dales Landscape Partnership’ to enhance the More than £364,500 was distributed to groups and individuals, including for Dales wider landscape of Ribblesdale and Chapel-le-Dale by 2019. new native woodland; restoration of traditional farm buildings; historical Millennium features and dry-stone walls. Trust

P Achieved On course Some progress Little or no progress

53 of 114 A friendly, open and welcoming place with outstanding opportunities to enjoy its special qualities

Objective (edited) Progress Lead Body Status B1. Promote the Yorkshire Dales National Park as a leading The development of tourism is directed by the Destination Dales group. This Dales sustainable tourism destination in the UK, renowned for its included the annual forum for tourism businesses, and and a range of events Tourism local distinctiveness. and support for businesses based on NP special qualities, including a ‘Dark Partnership V Skies’ festival and a new Cheese festival. B2. Maintain and promote the network of public rights of way 85% of rights of way in the former National Park area were recorded ’as ‘easy to YDNPA so that, on average, 90% are ‘easy to use’ each year. use’ in 2017. The average over 5 years is now 89%. B3. Maintain and keep under review appropriate measures to 97% compliance with the Traffic Regulation Orders that were in place in the YDNPA manage the use of recreational motor vehicles on sensitive former National Park area. green lanes and continue to work with enforcing agencies as V required. B4. Work with the organisers of large-scale events to ensure Liaison with 45 large-scale events in 2017-18. £25,294 raised for the ‘3 Peaks’ YDNPA they are well run, and provide positive benefits for local fund in 2017-18. communities and businesses, and establish a fund to cover V the full cost of maintaining the ‘3 Peaks’ route. B5. Carry out works to improve access on appropriate routes A further 2km of routes were improved in 2017/18. In total 170km (8%) of the YDNPA so that 170 km (8%) of rights of way are suitable for users of public rights of way in the former National Park area are now suitable for users all ages and abilities by 2018, and introduce 5 short, of all ages and abilities. New waymarked routes have been introduced in all 5 V waymarked walks from main villages. main villages (Aysgarth, Grassington, Malham, Reeth and Hawes). B6. Make the Yorkshire Dales National Park accessible and 763 ‘session places’ provided by the National Park Authority in 2017/18, taking YDNPA relevant to a diverse range of groups, including providing the total so far to 1,996. V 1,000 session places for local disadvantaged people by 2018. B7. Through the ‘Green Futures’ project, use educational and Green Futures has in its second year of the programme worked with 918 young Yorkshire skill-based activities to inspire up to 4,000 young people from people and enhanced / improved 121 sites across the area. Dales in and around the National Park to discover, explore and Millennium enhance the environment by 2021. Trust B8. Continue to provide at least 5,000 volunteer days per year, 7,001 days provided in 2017/18, of which 1,212 days (17%) from under- YDNPA with 10% coming from under-represented groups by 2018. represented groups. V

B9. Work with local people to deliver world-class cycling The new ‘Swale Trail’ easy-going mountain bike trail between Keld and Reeth YDNPA events, and develop a range of new opportunities for people to was completed and launched this year. The legal work to create a new 8 km explore the National Park by bicycle, including creating 3 new route through Greenfield forest has also been completed. The third route, V routes for family-friendly cycling by 2018. around Malham Tarn, was created by the National Trust in 2015..

P Achieved On course Some progress Little or no progress 54 of 114 Home to the finest variety of wildlife in England

Objective (edited) Progress Lead Body Status C1. Support farmers and landowners to get 85% of the area 84% of priority habitats were in ‘good condition’ in 2017. Natural covered by priority habitats into ‘good condition’ by 2016, and There has been no change in the condition of SSSIs with 28% currently in England to get around 38% of Sites of Special Scientific Interest into ‘favourable’ condition, and 95% of geological SSSIs in ‘favourable’ condition. ‘favourable condition’ by 2020, including all geological sites. [Awaiting 2018 update] C2. Support farmers and landowners to increase the area of Through the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust ‘s Haytime project, a further 78 ha Yorkshire of upland hay meadow was restored in 2017-18, taking the total to 322 ha since Dales priority habitats, including creating at least 20 ha of upland hay V meadows by 2020. 2013. Millennium Trust C3. Ensure that 50% of all ancient semi-natural woodland is in Current figures unavailable at the present time. Forestry good condition or being well managed by 2018. Commission C4. Achieve good ecological status for at least 60% of rivers 47% of rivers and 17% of water bodies were in good ecological condition in 2017 Environment and 33% of water bodies by 2022. (no change from the previous year). [Not clear if more recent data is available]. Agency

C5. Establish baseline population estimates for all monitorable Baseline estimates established for 46 ‘monitorable’ species. The target is to get YDNPA priority species by 2016, and set targets to get the population 95% (43) of these stable or increasing by 2020 V of these species stable or increasing by 2020. C6. Work with parish councils, local community groups and A further 10 projects were completed during the 2017-18 year, bringing the total YDNPA landowners to increase from 20 to 45 the number of sites that of sites/groups involved to 50. are being managed for nature by local community or volunteer V groups by 2018. C7. Help landowners and other organisations to manage 136 sites in the National Park are being monitored by the Environment Agency, Environment invasive, non-native species, including establishing which including for the presence of invasive species. Agency ones can be effectively managed, and mapping their distribution by 2018.

P Achieved On course Some progress Little or no progress 55 of 114

Resilient and responsive to the impacts of climate change, storing more carbon each year than it produces

Objective (edited) Progress Lead Body Status D1. Through the Yorkshire Peat Partnership, help farmers and The Yorkshire Peat Partnership helped farmers and landowners to restore a Yorkshire landowners to restore more natural drainage across a further further 335 ha of degraded peat in the winter of 2017-18. This brings the total Peat 5,000 hectares of degraded peatland, taking the total to restored so far in the National Park to 19,018 ha. Partnership V 19,000 hectares by 2018. D2. Increase the take up of small-scale renewable energy so After significant increases in 2014 and 2015, there was a further small increase YDNPA that at least 5 megawatts have been installed by 2018. in capacity in 2017 to 4.2 mW.

D3. Promote take up of energy efficiency measures that are The Authority published new design guidance supporting energy efficiency, District suited to the traditional building stock, so as to support efforts including the retro-fitting of measures into existing properties. Councils to eliminate fuel poverty by 2016. D4. Make semi-natural habitats more resilient and adaptable An ecological opportunities map was published in 2015, and included in the new YDNPA to the uncertainties of climate change and the risks from new Local Plan. The £8m ‘Tees-Swale - Naturally Connected’ project has just pests and diseases by helping famers and landowners to secured ‘Stage 1’ approval from the Heritage Lottery Fund’. Work will start ‘buffer’ or link together a number of the key gaps by 2018. shortly to develop an extensive programme of habitat restoration in Swaledale. D5. Help local communities to adapt to the impacts of more Through Countryside Stewardship and other sources of funding, projects to County extreme weather conditions, including identifying sites most at introduce natural flood management measures are now underway in the Aire, Councils risk and using these to target appropriate local interventions Eden, Ribble, Lune, Swale, Ure and Wharfe catchments. V and resilience measures. D6. Support farmers and landowners to create at least 400 ha New agreements were entered into for a further 28 ha of woodland in 2017-18. YDNPA of new native woodland by 2020. This takes the total created since 2013 to 395 ha, which includes 170 ha funded

by the National Trust on its estate. These figures relate to the former National Park area. D7. Ensure that at least 66% of all woodland is in active 67% of woodland in the former National Park area is now in active management. Forestry management by 2018, and develop a locally-based wood-fuel Commission V initiative. D8. Establish rail links at the three quarries in Ribblesdale and Following the creation of new rail sidings at Arcow quarry in 2015, the road Quarry reduce combined road haulage from these quarries by at least haulage limit from the three Ribblesdale quarries in 2017 was 450,000 tonnes companies 50% (compared to 2011), by 2018. (35%) less than the limit that was in place in 2011. Further significant reductions remain dependent on the re-establishment of a rail link at Horton Quarry.

P Achieved On course Some progress Little or no progress 56 of 114

Providing an outstanding range of benefits for the nations based on its natural resources, landscape and cultural heritage, which underpin a flourishing economy

Objective (edited) Progress Lead Body Status E1. Promote the National Park as a high quality place to live The ‘Great Place: Lakes to Dales’ project was launched in September. A range District and work, so as to attract new ‘low impact’ businesses with of research has been carried out or commissioned to inform development of Councils high quality jobs, and increase the proportion of young adults measures to use culture to attract young people to the Yorkshire Dales. The 5 and people of working age living in the National Park. district councils and YDNPA are working together to develop a wider programme of activity to attract more families to move to the National Park. E2. Provide access to high quality (>10mbps) broadband Through B4RN, a community benefit society, hyperfast (1Gb) broadband has County across the whole National Park by 2019, and further increase been installed across Ireby; Barbon and Middleton; Chapel le Dale; Killington; Councils access to superfast broadband. Casterton; Ingleton; Thornton-in-Lonsdale; Clapham; Austwick; and, Mansergh. This is in addition to the on-going mainstream roll-out of superfast broadband installed through ‘Superfast North Yorkshire’ and ‘Connecting Cumbria’. E3. Maintain and develop strong business networks covering No information available Local farming, tourism, creative industries and knowledge-based Enterprise businesses. Partnerships E4. Increase the value of tourism by 20% in real terms by Value of tourism in 2017 was 18% higher (in real terms) than in 2012. Dales 2020. Tourism Business Network E5. Increase in real-terms the total level of financial support to The total annual value of national Environmental Stewardship Scheme Natural farmers and landowners through agri-environment and other agreements was £11.094 million in 2016-17, compared to £9.069 million in 2013. England environmental support schemes. However, there is likely to be a time lag in recording the removal of agreements that have expired, so the actual current level of funding may now be less. [Awaiting 2017 update] E6. Work to improve the quality and value of farm produce With EAFRD funding from Defra, YDNPA developed a range of activities that will Yorkshire from the National Park and promote local food, including encourage businesses to use the Park’s special qualities to promote their Dales V through the ‘30:30’ campaign. products – including local food. This included the launch of a new Yorkshire Farmer Dales Cheese Festival. Network E7. By 2015 prepare a new Local Plan that sets out how the The new Local Plan for the former area of the National Park was formally YDNPA local planning system will be used positively to help achieve adopted in December 2016. V the vision and objectives in this Management Plan. E8. Support the Settle-Carlisle Railway and the re-opening of WR considers its future lies as a heritage railway rather than as a public Wensleydale other rail lines, including Bolton Abbey to Skipton and transport corridor. WR still has an ambition to reach Garsdale but considers that Railway reinstatement of the Wensleydale Railway from Redmire to to be unlikely in the foreseeable future because of the very high cost of Aysgarth by 2020. construction and then maintenance. E9. Provide a range of apprenticeships with organisations in 15 apprenticeships were provided in the National Park in 2017, through the District the National Park, including at least 40 in farming, countryside Ingleborough Dales Landscape Partnership, the ‘Green Futures’ programme, Councils management and heritage skills by 2019. and at YDNPA. 38 have been provided over the 5 years of the Plan.

P Achieved On course Some progress Little or no progress 57 of 114

Home to strong, self-reliant and balanced communities with good access to the service they need

Objective (edited) Progress Lead Body Status F1. Support construction of at least 75 affordable dwellings 102 affordable or local market dwellings have been constructed since 2013. 190 Housing and 75 ‘local market’ dwellings by 2018. permissions have been granted over the same time period. Associations F2. Support improved community health facilities including the The new Local Plan supports specialist accommodation for elderly and County delivery of new extra care housing services in Grassington, vulnerable adults. No new extra care housing has yet been provided. Councils Hawes, and Reeth by 2020. F3. Safeguard services essential to the long-term viability of Comprehensive information for all services is not easily available but Horton County local communities, including retaining good access to: primary Primary school closed in 2017. Councils health care services; nursery provision; primary and secondary schools; and, colleges that serve the National Park. F4. Use the Sustainable Development Fund (SDF), New In 2017-18, YDNPA’s Sustainable Development Fund supported 36 local YDNPA Homes Bonus (NHB), and other funding sources to support at projects, worth over £1.8 million pounds. least 20 new projects each year that bring economic, social V and environmental benefits to the National Park. F5. Safeguard existing community meeting and recreational The new Local Plan contains a policy that prevents loss or significant harm to YDNPA places that th e community considers is particularly important community meeting spaces, except where they are no longer needed. A V to protect. separate policy identifies and safeguards important open space. F6. Publish criteria that communities can use to identify, The new Local Plan contains relevant policies to conserve, maintain and re-use YDNPA assess and record locally-important heritage features, and use locally-important heritage features and buildings. Criteria to support that policy the Local Plan to put in place appropriate measures for their have still to be published. management by 2016. F7. Maintain public and community transport services to meet The growth in community transport schemes – such as the Little White Bus and County the needs of local communities and visitors to the National the Upper Wharfedale Venturer, which was launched in 2016 - has helped to Councils Park. retain services for local communities and visitors. F8. Provide at least basic mobile phone coverage to all 7 new telecomms masts were approved in 2017-18 as part of the Emergency DCMS significant clusters of properties across the Park by no later Services Network, and can also be used by EE to provide commercial services than 2018. to local communities. F9. Support the development of ‘Community Led Plans’ and The Yorkshire Dales Local Plan protects important open space and community District the identification of buildings or land that are ‘Assets of buildings against development/alternative uses. 5 ‘Neighbourhood Plans’ have Councils V Community Value’. been adopted, and 7 buildings have been designated as Assets of Community Value by the District Councils. F10. By 2020, deliver a co-ordinated programme of support for To date, 23 projects have been supported by the Yorkshire Dales LEADER County local regeneration through the Yorkshire Dales and Cumbria programme, with grants of over £800k. A further 4 projects have been Councils Fells and Dales LEADER programmes. supported by the Cumbria Fells and Dales LEADER, with grants of over £160k.

P Achieved On course Some progress Little or no progress 58 of 114 Appendix B

DRAFT NATIONAL PARK MANAGEMENT PLAN 2019-2024

Consultation Response - May 2018

Response

1. In total 118 responses were received during the 7 week consultation period. 53 of these were by email and letter and 65 by online questionnaire. 85% of the online respondees stated that they either lived or worked in the Park. 30% have postcodes in Wensleydale, Sedbergh/Dentdale or Swaledale. All the consultation responses have been amalgamated into a single document and are available to view on the Management Plan webpage.

2. In general there is support for the Plan’s objectives although inevitably there are some strong areas of disagreement over specific issues.

3. Lots of positive suggestions have been made to improve the Plan although some of these do not fit with the Steering Group’s terms of reference (i.e. they cover issues that the implementing organisations cannot deliver).

Consideration

4. Annex A is a summary of the consultation response. Many of the detailed comments provide useful contextual information or explain an organisations or an individual’s point of view without necessarily requesting any specific modification to the Plan. A list of the organisations that responded is at Annex B.

5. The objectives that have received most support are:

• A2 (Dark skies) • B8 (Cycling) • C6 (Measures to tackle Bird of prey persecution) • D3 (Peat management) • E1 (Broadband) • F2 (Attracting families) • F7 (Public transport) • B10 (Farm and estate open days) • Improved biodiversity • Woodland planting

59 of 114 Appendix B

6. This fits reasonably well with the qualities that people stated they love about the Park and the issues that they wanted the plan to address ie: • Its landscape/scenery, wildlife and open spaces • The maintenance and improvement of footpaths, • access to caves • support for public transport • Community sustainability • Tackling wildlife crime and improving biodiversity

7. The following objectives attracted the most concern: • C6 Wildlife crime – the objectives do not go far enough • B9 Green lanes – the plan does not recognise the positive aspects of recreational trail riding and route management • E5 Wensleydale Railway – the Plan no longer identifies the whole corridor for reinstatement ie Aysgarth to Garsdale • F7 Public transport – YDNPA should be the lead body and provide more funding

Several consultees pointed to issues missing from the Plan which they consider should have a specific objective: • Coast to Coast route– there should be an objective to persuade Government to designate this as a national trail • Caves and Caving, there should be an objective to raise the profile of caves and caving in the Park • Biosecurity and invasive species – there should be an objective to recognise these risks to areas wildlife • Air quality – there should be an objective about air pollution

8. As part of the consultation the steering group also invited organisations and individuals to help deliver some of the objectives. That offer has been taken up and officers have a list of names and contacts that the group could approach to help implement some more of the Plan.

Peter Stockton NPMP Secretariat

60 of 114 Appendix B

ANNEX A: Summary of response to Public Consultation (the full responses are available here)

General • Support for the objectives • Opportunity to link to NY County Council health improvement strategy • Consider mapping the objectives eg. the location of new woodland, new visitor facilities, tranquil areas etc • Consider prioritising the objectives • Consider making the objectives SMARTER • Identify the funding for each objective • The plan is deficient in not having an objective about poor air quality ie. Nitrogen oxides and small particulates

Vision • It is unrealistic and undesirable to rely wholly on local people to deliver the vision. As a national asset Government must contribute with funding and strategic policy to National Park objectives • A map of the settlements would be helpful. • Is ‘finest variety of wildlife in England’ really appropriate? Suggest ‘teeming with wildlife and home to the finest variety of species in England’.

A. ‘Cultural Landscape’ objectives • Concern about post Brexit uncertainty • Strong support for the dark skies initiative • Tranquillity and dark skies should be separate objectives as tranquillity is so fundamental to the Park purposes. • No mention of noisy motorbikes • The Landscape Character Assessment could be used to underpin decision making • Update Conservation Area Appraisals where these are older than 10 years. • Question the ‘at risk’ target for heritage assets which is higher than the current position? • A7 ‘landscape projects’ should include modest programmes as well as large scale ones • Support for the appropriate reuse of barns

B. ‘Open and Welcoming’ objectives • A more ambitious target (95%) should be set for ease of use of PROWs

61 of 114 Appendix B

• Should support making the ‘Coast to Coast’ trail into a National Trail • Lots of supporting organisations should be added to the list for B5 (activities programme) • Farming and shooting estates can support B6 (volunteering) • Parish Councils and County Councils can support the large scale events objective • Clarify where the cycling hubs will be located (e.g. Sedbergh) • Add links to the existing national farm open day (objective B10) • There should be an objective about interpretation of caves and participation in caving.

C. ‘Wildlife’ objectives • Update the Biodiversity Action Plan to include the National Park extension areas. • Priority species could be clearly defined as NERC ACT species of principal importance. • The Plan should embrace population management for all species so that intervention is possible to legally correct imbalances. • General support for objective C6 (raptors), but also some strongly held views about the more general issue of persecution versus management • Should be aiming for more than 60% of semi-natural woodland in good management. • It is unclear how the objectives will achieve the finest variety of wildlife since they are aimed at protecting existing habitat, not increasing its variety? • There needs to be an objective on invasive species and/or biosecurity

D. ‘Climate Change’ objectives • ‘Good management’ of woodland in D1 needs to be clarified • D1 could also refer to the removal of conifer plantations where necessary • Heather burning is detrimental to the qualities of the National Park and should be addressed • Give more detail of the ‘significant opportunities’ to reduce quarry road haulage • Parish Councils/community groups can play an important role in emergency planning (D6)

E. ‘Economy’ objectives • Parish Councils are helping to deliver Broadband (e.g. the B4RN initiative). • A 1% growth target for tourism seems unambitious • The location of the visitor hubs in E3 should be identified. • Sedbergh should be one of the visitor hubs. Cumbria Tourist Board should take a more active role in promoting the western part of the National Park.

62 of 114 Appendix B

• YDNPA should be the lead for tourism objectives (E2, E3, E6) • The plan could include a target for people visiting by public transport. • The Plan should include support for the reinstatement of other rail lines (e.g. Hellifield to Blackburn) • The long term ambition to reinstate the Wensleydale line to Garsdale should be put back into the objective • It would be worth getting buy in from schools and business to promote E7 (apprenticeships). • 20 apprenticeships is unambitious • E9 (economic development) provide ideas on how to attract new farmers and new entrants. • The role of the farming and shooting communities could be identified in E10 (business innovation). • Surprised to see so little about the promotion of wool, rare breeds and crafts.

F. ‘Communities’ objectives • Mention community led housing (F1) and focus on affordable and local needs housing. • 325 homes will only generate 80 primary age pupils. That is not enough for the long term sustainability of the primary schools. • YDNPA should be lead body for housing (because of its planning role) • There should be an objective to address the challenges presented by high levels of second homes. • A fundamental issue for attracting families is the provision of a public transport to enable children to travel from their village. • It would be helpful if F2 could state some of the measures to promote the Park as a place for working age households. • Add parish councils and local charities to the list of supporting organisations for F3 and F4. • The Plan should support retention of medical facilities outside the Dales too • YDNPA could be a supporting organisation for F4 through its planning role • The Western Dales Bus Service is missing from the list of supporting organisations for F7 • The YDNPA should be the lead body for F7 (public transport) as access for all is a core responsibility of the Authority.

63 of 114 Appendix B

ANNEX B: List of organisations that responded to consultation, April - May 2018

Organisation 1. Aire Rivers trust 2. Association of Rural Communities 3. Austwick PC 4. British Association of Shooting and Conservation 5. Broadacres Housing Association 6. Campaign for Better Transport 7. Carperby PC 8. Cumbria Invasive Non-Native Species Initiative 9. Coal Authority 10. Council for National Parks 11. Council of Northern Caving Clubs 12. CPRE North Yorkshire 13. Crosby Garrett PC 14. Cumbria Association of Local Councils 15. Dales and Bowland CIC 16. Destination Dales 17. Friends of Dales Bus 18. Friends of the Dales 19. Highways England 20. Historic England 21. Natural England 22. Leeds Morecambe Community rail partnership 23. Muker PC 24. Network Rail 25. North Yorkshire County Council 26. Rail Future 27. Richmondshire DC 28. Royal Society for the Protection of Birds 29. Settle-Carlisle Railway Development Company 30. South Lakeland DC 31. Tarmac 32. The Wainwright Society 33. Western Dales Bus 34. Yorkshire Dales Biosecurity Steering Group

64 of 114

YORKSHIRE DALES NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY ITEM 13

Date: 26 June 2018

Report: PROGRESS ON AUTHORITY OBJECTIVES IN 2017/18

Purpose of the report

1. To provide Members with an overview of the Authority’s performance in achieving our objectives in 2017/18.

RECOMMENDATION

2. That Members note the progress made in 2017/18 towards achieving the Authority’s objectives.

Strategic Planning Framework

3. The information and recommendation contained in this report are consistent with the Authority’s statutory purposes and approved strategic planning framework: • Corporate Plan objective Ensure a robust and accountable Performance Management Framework is in place and is driving improvement, so that at least 75% of the Authority’s objectives are achieved or remain ‘on course’ each year.

Background

4. Each year, the Authority produces a Corporate Plan setting out its objectives - the major things we want to achieve over the next few years. Most are taken directly from the current National Park Management Plan, and all have specific, measurable targets attached to them.

Summary of overall performance

6. Good progress has been made on most of the 28 objectives. Overall: • 23 objectives (82%) have been achieved or are still on course; • 5 objectives (18%) were either not achieved or are not on course to be achieved by the original date set.

7. The Annex gives a brief assessment of progress on each of the objectives, including an explanation for any that were not achieved.

65 of 114 Achievements during 2017/18

8. In relation to the Authority’s four priority programmes, key objectives that are being achieved include: • almost 400 hectares of new native woodland have been created over the last 5 years (thanks in part to significant additional investment from the National Trust); • 50 sites are now being managed for nature by local community or volunteer groups. • over 7,000 volunteer days were provided; • 80% of minor and 91% of ‘other’ planning applications were determined within Government target times, and, 88% of planning applicants are satisfied with the service they received.

9. Two objectives for priority programmes are not on course: • The annual average proportion of rights of way that are ‘easy to use’ in the former area of the National Park has dropped to 89% (compared to objective of 90%). The extension of the National Park boundary means that an increased programme of investment in rights of way is already in train for the next 5 years, and additional short-term action to get back to 90% this year is unlikely to be worthwhile. • 84% of priority habitats are in good condition (compared to objective of 85%). The next assessment of condition will not take place until 2019.

10. The 3 other objectives that are not on course relate to: • Swaledale/Arkengarthdale Barns and Walls Conservation Area – the new Local Plan policies, and the return of some limited national funding for barn restoration works, are having positive impacts but the Conservation Area remains ‘at risk’; • three other Conservation Areas, so four in total, are still ‘at risk’; • affordable and ‘local market’ housing completions are still running below the annual average needed to meet the current objective. Members will be aware that work is underway, with the District Councils, to try to boost new builds, and it is still possible that the objective could be achieved.

Conclusion

11. Overall, good progress has been made on most of the objectives.

12. Members are reminded that – as a result of the decision to roll forward the existing objectives into 2018-19 (December NPA meeting) - the Authority remains ‘locked in’ to 3 objectives that cannot be achieved (relating to: restoring priority habitats; maintaining field barns; and maintaining Conservation Areas).

Gary Smith Director of Conservation & Community

11 June 2018

66 of 114 Annex A distinctive living, working cultural landscape that tells the story of generations of people interacting with their environment

Objective Target by Progress Status March 2018 1. Support delivery of large-scale projects that enhance and IDLP year 2 IDLP completed the second full year of its promote the National Park’s distinctive landscape, geology and programme delivery programme. More than £360,000 has cultural heritage, including the ‘Ingleborough Dales Landscape complete been distributed to groups and individuals. The Partnership’ (by 2019) and ‘Westmorland Dales Landscape WDLP ‘Stage 2’ bid to HLF is being finalised and Partnership’ (by 2021). will be submitted in July 2018. 2. Help people to conserve, enhance and bring back into use the 65 LBs 75 Listed Buildings, 11 Scheduled Monuments most important historic sites, buildings and structures in the 5 SMs and 4 Conservation Areas currently ‘at risk’ [increased by extension of NP boundary] National Park so that no more than 70 listed buildings (LBs), 15 3 CAs scheduled monuments (SMs) and no conservation areas (CAs) x are ‘at risk’ by 2020. 3. Secure the contribution that traditional field barns and drystone Evaluate New Local Plan policy L2 permits a wider range walls make to the National Park, including establishing a local impact of of new uses for roadside barns. Muker barns partnership to identify and implement positive measures to new barns restoration project restored 2 barns last year. A enhance the Swaledale-Arkengarthdale Barns and Walls policies new capital grant scheme for traditional farm x Conservation Area so that by 2019 it is no longer considered ‘at building repairs in National Parks was launched risk’. in March. However, the CA remains at risk. 4. Use the Historic Environment Record to research, record and All surveys Survey programme for Listed Buildings and promote the stories of the National Park area, and carry out and up to date Scheduled Monuments at risk has been rolled out co-ordinate regular surveys of important historic structures and to new area of NP. landscapes.

Status key: = ‘achieved’ = ‘on course’ × = ‘not achieved or on course’ 67 of 114 Annex A friendly open and welcoming place with outstanding opportunities to enjoy its special qualities

Objective Target by Progress Status March 2018 5. Maintain and promote public rights of way – including the Pennine 90% 85% of rights of way in the former National Park Way, Pennine Bridleway and other recognised regional routes and area were recorded ’as ‘easy to use’ in 2017. The trails − so that, on average, 90% are ‘easy to use’ each year. average over 5 years is now 89%. x 6. Carry out works to improve access on appropriate routes so that 170km A further 2km of routes were improved in 2017/18. 170km (8%) of public rights of way are suitable for users of all ages (8%) In total, 170km (8%) of the public rights of way in and abilities by 2018, and introduce five short, waymarked walks the former National Park area are now suitable for from Aysgarth, Grassington, Hawes, Malham and Reeth. users of all ages and abilities. 7. Maintain and keep under review appropriate measures to manage 90% 97% compliance with the Traffic Regulation Orders the use of recreational motor vehicles on sensitive green lanes, and compliance that were in place in the former National Park area. continue to work with enforcing agencies as required. with TROs 8. Develop a range of new opportunities for people to explore the 2 new The 12 mile ‘Swale Trail’ route between Reeth and National Park by bicycle, including creating 3 new routes for family- routes Keld has been completed and launched, and a new friendly cycling by 2018. route established in Greenfield Forest – to add to National Trust route at Malham Tarn. 9. Give people from all backgrounds an opportunity to enjoy and make 5,000 7,001 volunteer days provided in 2017/18 with a difference to the National Park by providing at least 5,000 volunteer 1,212 days coming from under-represented groups volunteer days per year, with 10% coming from under-represented days (17%). groups by 2018. 10. Work with organisers of large-scale events to ensure they are well Raise Liaison with 45 large-scale events in 2017-18. run and provide benefits for local communities and businesses, and £20,000 £25,294 raised for the ‘3 Peaks’ fund in 2017-18. establish a fund to cover full cost of maintaining the ‘3 Peaks’ route. 11. Make the Yorkshire Dales National Park accessible and relevant to 200 session 763 ‘session places’ were provided by the Authority a diverse range of groups, including providing 200 session places a places in 2017/18. year for local disadvantaged people. 12. Provide accessible, high quality information services so that at least 70% Surveys to date this year show satisfaction levels at 70% of users of National Park Centres are satisfied with the service 96%, and those who have also increased their and have increased their understanding of the special qualities of understanding at 71%. the National Park. 13. Increase the proportion of visitors to the free National Park Centre 17% 23% of all visitors to the NPC have opted to enter who opt to enter the paid museum attraction at Dales Countryside the paid museum. Museum from 11% in 2012 to 19% in 2018.

Status key: = ‘achieved’ = ‘on course’ × = ‘not achieved or on course’ 68 of 114 Annex Home to the finest variety of wildlife in England

Objective Target by Progress Status March 2018 14. Support farmers and landowners to get 85% of the area covered by 85% At the end of 2016, 84% of priority habitats were in priority habitats into ‘good condition’ by 2016, and then maintain at ‘good condition’. least that level. x 15. Work with parish councils, local community groups and landowners 45 sites 50 Parish Wildlife Projects were being managed at to increase from 20 to 45 the number of sites being managed for the end of March 2018. nature by local community or volunteer groups by 2018.

Resilient and responsive to the impacts of climate change, storing more carbon each year than it produces

Objective Target by Progress Status March 2018 16. Support farmers and landowners to create at least 400 hectares of 300ha New agreements were entered into for a further 28 new native woodland by 2020, to strengthen habitat networks, ha of woodland in 2017-18. This takes the total increase carbon storage and help to reduce flooding. created since 2013 to 395 ha. This includes 170 ha funded by the National Trust on its estate. 17. Ensure that at least 66% of all woodland is in active management by 66% 67% of woodland in the former National Park area 2018. is now in active management. 18. Make semi-natural habitats more resilient and adaptable to the Map key Ecological networks in the new area of the NP have uncertainties of climate change and the risks from new pests and gaps in been mapped using existing data. The Tees-Swale diseases by helping farmers and landowners to ‘buffer’ or link extension habitat network project secured Stage 1 approval together key gaps between priority sites by 2018. area from HLF in December 2017.

Status key: = ‘achieved’ = ‘on course’ × = ‘not achieved or on course’ 69 of 114 Annex Providing an outstanding range of benefits for the nation based on its natural resources, landscape and cultural heritage, which underpin a flourishing local economy Objective Target by Progress Status March 2018 19. Provide an efficient development management service that supports 65%/80% 80% of minor and 91% of ‘other’ applications appropriate opportunities for economic and community development determined within eight weeks during 2017/18. whilst helping to conserve and enhance the special qualities of the National Park, including ensuring that 65% of minor and 80% of 80% of 88% of applicants satisfied with the service ‘other’ planning applications are determined within eight weeks and applicants provided. at least 80% of applicants are satisfied with the service provided. satisfied 20. Take on at least 6 apprentices in countryside management and 8 8 apprentices appointed (2 through the YDMT heritage skills by 2019. apprentices Green Futures Project; 2 through the Ingleborough Dales Landscape Partnership; and 4 recruited directly by the Authority). 21. Improve the quality, variety and marketing of the tourism ‘offer’ 15% 18% increase in economic impact (indexed) for based on the local distinctiveness within the National Park to increase 2017 compared to 2012. increase the number of overnight visitors and increase the value of tourism by 20% in real terms by 2020 (compared to 2012).

Home to strong, self-reliant and balanced communities with good access to the services they need

Objective Target by Progress Status March 2018 22. Support construction of at least 75 affordable dwellings and 75 ‘local 150 13 affordable or local market dwellings were built in market’ dwellings by 2018. dwellings 2017-18, taking the total to 102. 190 permissions have been granted over the same period. x 23. Use the Sustainable Development Fund (SDF), New Homes Bonus 20 local 36 local projects were supported in 2017-18 with and other funding sources to support at least 20 new projects each projects grants worth £175,000. year that bring economic, social and environmental benefits.

Status key: = ‘achieved’ = ‘on course’ × = ‘not achieved or on course’ 70 of 114 Annex An effective organisation, providing high quality services

Objective Target by Progress Status March 2018 24. Plan and manage all aspects of the National Park Authority’s £6.6 million Income in 2017-18 totalled £8.0 million. business to make the most effective use of our resources, and develop our capacity for income generation to maintain annual income at £6.6 million. 25. Provide high quality, efficient and effective services and CSE Standard was retained, following reassessment on 2 communications to the public and in doing so maintain the standard October 2017 ‘Customer Service Excellence’ (CSE) standard every year. retained 26. Operate corporate governance and financial arrangements that Unqualified AGS and AGR completed. Unqualified audit opinion are fit for purpose, as evidenced through the Annual Governance audit opinion gained on 26 September 2017 Statement, the Annual Governance Report and an unqualified audit opinion. 27. In partnership with key organisations, and in consultation with Completed Completed public consultation on a full draft of a new local communities, update the National Park Management Plan, consultation National Park Management Plan. by 2018 to take into account the needs and opportunities of the extended National Park. 28. Ensure a robust and transparent Performance Management 75% 82% of objectives are achieved or currently on Framework is in place and is driving improvement, so that at least course to be achieved. 75% of the National Park Authority’s objectives are achieved or remain ‘on course’ each year.

Status key: = ‘achieved’ = ‘on course’ × = ‘not achieved or on course’ 71 of 114

72 of 114

YORKSHIRE DALES NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY ITEM 14

Date: 26 June 2018

Report: PUBLIC RIGHTS OF WAY ANNUAL REPORT 2017/18

Purpose of the report

1. To provide Members with the opportunity to comment on the Rights of Way Annual Report (April 2017 to March 2018), prior to submission to Cumbria County Council (CCC) and North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC).

RECOMMENDATION

2. That the Rights of Way annual report in the Appendix is submitted to CCC and NYCC, subject to any comments from Members at the Authority meeting.

Strategic Planning Framework

3. The information and recommendation(s) contained in this report are consistent with the Authority’s statutory purposes and its approved strategic planning framework:

• Corporate Plan Objective Manage and improve the network of public rights of way so that: a) at least 90% are ‘easy to use’ by members of the public even though they may not follow the definitive line.

Background

4. The Authority has responsibility for rights of way maintenance functions, delegated from CCC and NYCC, because a well managed rights of way network is important for delivery of the National Park Authority’s statutory purposes. Many people use the rights of way network to enjoy the special qualities of the area. A network that can be used with confidence is beneficial to visitors, land managers and residents alike.

5. As part of the delegation agreements the Authority is required to submit a report to the County Councils each year. The Rights of Way Annual Report (see Appendix) explains what the Authority has delivered during 2017/18, under our delegated powers, and highlights achievements and progress against the delegation agreement and our own targets. It should be noted that this report now covers the newly extended National Park.

6. A revised delegation agreement was agreed with CCC for the new extension in April 2017. However, despite discussions having taken place with Lancashire County Council (LCC) since 2016, an agreement is still outstanding. Work in this area is being undertaken on a case by case basis.

73 of 114 Objectives and Actions

Corporate Plan target

7. The Authority’s current objective for Rights of Way maintenance is based on the old National Park area, it will be revised when the new National Park Management Plan is adopted. The current objective is:

• Maintain and promote the network of public rights of way so that, on average, 90% are ‘easy to use’ by members of the public (by 2018).

8. ‘Ease of use’ in this context is based on a nationally established performance indicator for rights of way and is defined as:

I. signposted or waymarked where the right of way leaves the metalled road and to the extent necessary to allow users to follow the path; II. free from unlawful obstructions and other interference, (including overhanging vegetation); III. surface and lawful barriers (e.g. stiles, gates) in good repair and to a standard necessary to enable the public to use the way without undue inconvenience.

In simple terms, a member of the public should be able to follow a route easily and not encounter anything that detracts from the enjoyment of the route whether on foot, horse, bicycle or using a mobility aid.

9. It should be noted that the average ease of use figure for the five years from 2012 to 2017 is 90%. However, the ease of use figure for 2017/18 was 85% for the old National Park area, and 82% for the old and new areas combined.

10. This year’s result, while disappointing, is not altogether surprising. The ‘ease of use’ indicator measures a 5% random sample of rights of way across the network. A significant length, 5.8km of Public Bridleway, failed in Swaledale due to being obstructed by a landslide, this reduced the overall figure by 5 percentage points.

11. Our initial ‘ease of use’ survey of the additional 478km of rights of way for the new area, conducted prior to August 2016, indicated a figure of 67%. This year’s survey shows 72%. This may be due to the random nature of the sample or that we are already starting to make an impact on improving routes in the new area. Most likely the 5% improvement is a result of a combination of both.

12. Based on the current resources available and the additional £150k secured from CCC as part of the new delegation agreement we aim to have the ‘ease of use’ figure for the whole National Park back up to 90% in 5 year’s time.

Pennine National Trails Partnership

13. The Authority continues to perform the ‘lead partner’ role for management of the Pennine National Trails Partnership, which oversees the management of the Pennine Way and Pennine Bridleway. Functions of the lead partner include:

• Accept the grant offer from Natural England and claim and receive payments;

74 of 114 • Have an oversight of delivery and report to Natural England about how our financial support has been used by the Partnership and what has been achieved; • Ensure that partners have the opportunity to participate in the management and development of the maintenance of the trails.

14. During the past year that the Authority has performed this role the partnership has worked well and has:

• Distributed 22 grants totalling £343.3k to 9 different partner bodies; • Collated a total of £207.5k match funding i.e. 38%, (Natural England expect a minimum of 25%); • Secured an additional grant of £32.8k from Natural England for a further 4 projects to improve the trails.

Volunteers

15. During the last year three Dales Volunteers Area Teams were established in line with the three area Ranger teams (Western Dales, Northern Dales and Southern Dales). Volunteers continue to assist with both practical rights of way works (1,361volunteer days), and the surveying of the public rights of way network (489 volunteer days). This is a significant contribution to the work of the Authority and equates to approximately 9 full time equivalent members of staff.

This work included:

• Conducting both ‘ease of use surveys and Parish Path surveys of the entire network of the National Park; • A visual inspection and report on each bridge in the National Park; • Inputting all survey information into Authority’s IT database; • Numerous practical rights of way projects to improve the network.

Funding

16. The rights of way programme has continued to tap into income streams to resource this area of work. During 2017/18 the Authority was successful in bringing in £440k of external funding and in-kind contributions. In addition, we have already identified a number of opportunities for securing funding for works in 2018/19.

Yorkshire Dales Access Forum

17. Ahead of consideration by Members a draft of this report has been considered by the Yorkshire Dales Access Forum (YDAF) in their role as statutory advisor to the Authority on opportunities for open-air recreation.

18. Members of the YDAF made reference to general management issues including the possibility of deleting those rights of way which do not receive any use from the ‘ease of use’ calculations; use of reclaimed mill stone flags and potential warning signs on Bruntscar, Whernside. These issues were discussed at the meeting but do not directly affect the Annual report. Members of the YDAF also acknowledged the value of volunteers in assisting in maintaining the rights of way network, the wealth of work

75 of 114 conducted by field staff throughout the Park and the effort in raising external funding by the Ranger Service to aid works. YDAF Members welcomed the report subject to comments from the Authority.

Conclusion

19. Rights of way maintenance and volunteering continue to make an important contribution to the work of the Authority. The Authority helps farmers and landowners maintain their stiles and gates, whilst users of the network (both visitors and residents) have certainty about where they can go, and have an enjoyable experience of the area. Businesses benefit because access to the area’s special qualities, through the rights of way network, underpins the visitor economy.

20. In 2017/18 a further 478km (463km Cumbria and 15km Lancashire) was added to the rights of way network making a total of 2,623km in the National Park. We are already seeing the benefits of managing the new network with an increase in its ‘ease of use’ by 5% in the new area. This level of improvement will need to continue, year on year, over the next 5 years across the whole rights of way network to reach the proposed National Park Management Plan target of 90%‘easy to use’ by 2023.

21. The importance placed on rights of way maintenance is often cited as one of the advantages of being in a National Park. Whilst all National Park Authorities undertake this work, to a greater or lesser extent, we strive to ensure the Yorkshire Dales National Park has one of the best maintained rights of way networks in the country as befits the priority given to it by Members. This work is undertaken on behalf of the County Councils who retain the statutory responsibility.

Alan Hulme Head of Ranger Service

Background documents None 9 May 2018

76 of 114

APPENDIX

Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority

Public Rights of Way Delegated Highway Authority

Annual Report 2017/18

77 of 114 MAY 2018 Introduction

1. For the period of this report, April 2017 to March 2018, the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (the Authority) had delegated Highway Authority responsibilities for maintenance of 2,608km of rights of way (footpaths, bridleways, byways open to all traffic, and restricted byways) within the ‘new’ National Park area. The current Delegation Agreements are with North Yorkshire County Council (1898km) and Cumbria County Council (710km). There are a further 15km of rights of way in the Lancashire area of the National Park, but this is not currently under a Delegation Agreement making a total of 2,623km in the ‘new’ National park.

2. These Delegation Agreements cover a broad range of functions that allow for the management of public paths on the ground. These functions can be summarised as:

• Signposting of public paths • The maintenance and improvement of public paths • The maintenance of river crossings • Traffic Regulation Orders and Temporary Closure Orders • Enforcement and protection of public rights.

3. The Authority has taken on these responsibilities because it recognises that a well- maintained rights of way network is fundamental to the achievement of its statutory purposes, particularly its second purpose - promoting the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of the National Park.

About this Report

4. This report identifies the key achievements for the year 2017/18. Then it goes on to considers, in detail, the Authority’s corporate actions and targets and progress relating to the following areas of work: • General maintenance • River crossings • Major projects • Path Orders and Definitive Map • Pennine National Trails Partnership Management

Key Achievements 2017/18

Public Rights of Way Maintenance

5. During 2017/18 the following maintenance work was undertaken:

• 857 improvements to public rights of way infrastructure: stiles, gates and signposts; • 72 river crossings maintained or replaced (71 bridges and 1 set of stepping stones); • 6km of engineered paths maintained (including National Trails works); • 6.2km of new engineered paths created (including works along the Swale Trail).

78 of 114 6. A total of £439,423 of external funding was secured for rights of way projects including £75,000 of contributions in kind as follows:

Value Description £153,763 Swale Trail (LEADER, Richmondshire DC and Natural England); £ 60,389 National Trails Partnership Manager and Lead Role; £ 48,578 Pennine Way; £ 23,317 Pennine Bridleway; £ 25,294 Three Peaks Project (Friends Scheme, merchandise and donations); £ 11,484 Nidderdale (delivering HLF rights of way project in AONB) £ 12,985 Fisherman’s Bridge (various donations) £ 3,370 Various bridges Western Dales (Friends of the Lake District) £ 1,461 Various works Northern Dales £ 950 Various works Southern Dales £ 782 Path Orders £ 500 Smithy Bridge Dales Way Association £ 50 Lady Anne’s Way ( individual) £ 17,000 Unsurfaced Unclassified Country Roads NYCC £ 2,500 Trail Rider Fellowship £ 2,000 Green Lanes Alliance

Contributions in kind:

Value Description £ 15,000 Stone Flags Network Rail; £ 60,000 Fisherman’s Bridge structure and works CCC

Pennine Way

7. Total funding secured for the Pennine Way, for 2017/18, was £59,408:

• £28,328 for Pennine Way Ranger post, including general maintenance works to stiles, gates and river crossings; • £20,250 for works on Pen Y Ghent summit.

Pennine Bridleway

8. Total funding secured for the Pennine Bridleway, for 2017/18, was £23,317:

• £22,281 for Pennine Bridleway Officer post including general maintenance works for stiles, gates and river crossings. • £1,036 for surfacing repairs Settle Loop

Pennine National Trails Partnership

9. During 2017/18, the Authority was the Lead Partner for the Pennine National Trails partnership and will continue performing the role for the foreseeable future. 10. Functions of the Lead Partner include to:

• Accept the grant offer from Natural England and claim and receive payments;

79 of 114 • Have an oversight of delivery and report to Natural England about how our financial support has been used by the Partnerships and what has been; achieved • Ensure that partners have the opportunity to participate in the management and development of the maintenance of the trails.

Over the last year the Authority through the partnership has:

• Met on 2 occasions between April 2016 to March 2017; • Distributed 22 grants totalling £343,298 to 9 different partner bodies; • Collated a total of £207,498 (38%), where Natural England expect a minimum of 25%in match funding; • Secured an additional grant of £32,758 from Natural England for a further 4 projects to improve the Trail.

The Authority received £55,389 for the Partnership Manager post and £15,000 in relation to its role as Lead Partner and hosting of the Partnership Manager.

Three Peaks

11. During 2017/18 implementation of the 3 Peaks Project included:

• 1,000m resurfacing of Whitber Hill between Pen Y Ghent and Whernside,

12. The numbers of Friends (386) and Corporate Members (115) have remained constant during the year. The project brought in sufficient income to cover the cost of the Three Peaks Ranger plus funding for additional works:

• £ 25,294 was raised to fund the 3 Peaks Project Ranger; • A second BMC ’Mend our Mountains’ Campaign was launched for a project on Whernside for 2019/20.

Path Orders and Definitive Map

13. During 2017/18 progress has continued on Public Path Orders. The following Orders were completed by the Authority:

Public Path Orders:

North Yorkshire Order Process Date Swaletrail, Reeth Diversion Order Completed Cumbria Kingfisher Mill, Killington Confirmed 2017/18

Creation Agreements

North Yorkshire Order Process Date Greenfield Bridleway Deed of Dedication Creation Completed Helwith Bridge Railhead Creation Agreement Consultation On-going

Temporary and Emergency Closure Orders

North Yorkshire Order Process Date Footpath Giggleswick collapsed wall Temp Closure Completed Hambledon Beck Bridge Dales Way for works Temp Closure Completed

80 of 114 Priory Bridge Bolton abbey for works Temp Closure Completed Cumbria Sowerrmire Beck, Middleton 6 month closure Completed Double Croft Lane Bridleway (closed to horses only) 6 month closure Active

Corporate Plan 2017/18

14. The National Park Authority’s Corporate Plan, 2017/18, sets out a programme of works and measures to assist in achieving the aims of the National Park Management Plan.

Specific performance indicators were identified for 2017/18:

Performance Indicators 13/14 14/15 15/16 16/17 17/18 17/18 Actual Actual Actual Actual Target Actual % of public rights of way that are 98.2% 98.1% 98.2% 96.2% 97% 95% signposted where they leave a metalled road % of rights of way that are easy to use 92% 88% 88% 88% 90% 85% but may not follow the definitive line

old National Park area only (new National Park area) (82%)

15. Specific Corporate Plan actions for 2017/18 were:

Action NYCC CCC Total Achieved In the In the park park Maintain at 97% the number of places where a right of way is signposted from a metalled road. 96% 93% 95% No Carry out engineering works to 750m of eroded routes, including new surfacing at Long Ashes, 6.2km 6.2km Yes Threshfield and Back Lane, Wharfe. Repair 2.65km of previously engineered routes, including significant works on the Three Peaks route 5.9km 0.040km 5.94km Yes Whitber Hill, Hetton Common and Aysgarth Falls. Lead the new Pennine Way and Pennine Bridleway National Trails Partnership and administer the grant Yes system. Carry out significant works to Hole House Bridge on the Sedbergh/Firbank Parish boundary, and 90% 89% 90% Yes Waterfall Bridge, West Burton, and maintain 16 river crossings including the stepping stones at Brush House, Worton Repair stiles and gates in areas highlighted through the parish path surveys to maintain the rights of way 91% 92% 91% No infrastructure so that 92% remain in condition 1. Assist Cumbria County Council to replace 3 Bowber Head Bridge not No Footbridges (at Maulds Meaburn, Great Asby, and completed postponed to Bowber Head), and repair the riverside path at 18/19 Kirkby Lonsdale

81 of 114 Implement the Pennine Way maintenance plan Yes 150m Yes 2017/18 including the repair of 150m of previously engineered work on Pen-y-ghent summit

Performance Indicators by area

16. The table below breaks down the performance indicators further. The individual county figures are given in relation to the network of rights of way within each individual area. (Results are taken from the Yorkshire Dales Access Recording Database, rather than field survey, and for the whole National Park area unless stated).

Performance Indicator Target NYCC CCC LCC YDNPA In the park In the park In the park % of Rights of Way that are Easy to Use by 90% 84% 86% 26% 82% members of the public (but may not follow the definitive line) (Field Survey) % of Rights of Way that are signposted 97% 96% 93% 93% 95% where they leave a road % of infrastructure - stiles gates and signs 92% 91% 92% 77% 92% in ‘condition 1’ % of River Crossings in ‘condition 1’ ( that 90% 90% 89% 100% 90% is in good order and will last up to three years % of Rights of Way accessible for 0.6% 0.7% wheelchairs

% of rights of way that are accessible for 170km 168km people with limited ability 8% 7.8%

Resources

17. In 2017/18 there were 8.2 full time equivalent (FTE) members of staff working on rights of way maintenance, and 1 Rights of Way Officer undertaking Path Orders. The Authority’s rights of way maintenance budget was £134k.

18. In addition, there were a further 2.4 FTE externally funded posts. These were:

Pennine Way Ranger The Authority received 75% funding from Natural England for the Pennine Way Ranger.

Pennine Bridleway Project Officer (0.6 FTE) The Authority received 75% funding for their maintenance role.

Three Peaks Ranger (0.8 FTE) The Three Peaks Ranger post was funded through income and donations generated by the project during 2017/18 with £25,294 collected through the Friends and Corporate Members, Merchandise and Event Donations.

19. The Authority also supports the Dales Volunteers and other volunteers. In total 1,361 days of practical work and 489 days of surveying were undertaken on the rights of way

82 of 114 network, by Volunteers, this year. This equates to approximately 9 full time staff equivalents; this is a similar number of volunteer days to the previous year.

Ease of Use results

20. The Authority’s current objective for Rights of Way maintenance is based on the ‘old’ National Park area it will be revised when the new National Park Management Plan is completed. The current objective is:

Target Maintain and promote the network of public rights of way so that, on average, 90% are ‘easy to use’ by members of the public (by 2018).

21. In 2013 the English National Park Authorities Joint Improvement Group (JIG) agreed to collect one indicator, across all the English National Parks. The indicator for ‘Ease of Use’ for the English National Parks is:

• % Percentage of rights of way that are ‘Easy to Use’ but may not follow the exact definitive line.

22. Each year’s survey selects, randomly, a number of paths making up 5% of the overall network. In total, approximately 121km were surveyed (84km NYCC, 32km CCC and 5km LCC) in the ‘new’ National Park in 2017. The ‘Ease of Use’ figure is then calculated from the length of routes which pass the ‘Ease of Use’ definitions as agreed by the English National Parks Joint Improvement Group. For the purpose of this report both figures have been calculated for the ‘old and new’ National Park. This allows for a result to be calculated in relation to the current National Park Management Plan 2012/17 target and for the level of ‘ease of use’ for the new National Park area.

2017 Ease of Use Results NYCC CCC LCC YDNPA In the Park In the Park In the park % Percentage of rights of way that are ‘Easy to 84% 92% 85% Use’ but may not follow the exact definitive line in the ‘old’ National Park % Percentage of rights of way that are ‘Easy to 84% 86% 26% 82% Use’ but may not follow the exact definitive line in the ‘new’ National Park Signing

Target. Maintain at 97% the proportion of public rights of way that are signposted where they leave a metalled road in 2017/18.

23. The Authority’s current objective for ‘signing’ is based on the ‘old’ National Park area and previous Maintenance and Corporate Action Plan targets. The following calculations take account of the new area and give a true picture of the situation in the National Park.

24. The Access Recording System indicates that there were 2,904 places in the National Park requiring a signpost at the roadside. There were 2,770 (95%) actually in situ with 134 (5%) missing. During 2017/18, 131 directional signs were replaced or repaired where they leave metalled roads, indicating designation (footpath/bridleway), distance and destination. In addition, 77 signposts have been replaced or repaired indicting direction, distance or status along public rights of way in the National Park.

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Based on the Yorkshire Dales National Park Access Recording System:

Total Present Missing % in situ YDNPA 2904 2770 134 95% NYCC 2066 1989 77 96% CCC 808 753 55 93% LCC 30 28 2 93%

General Maintenance

25. The following section provides a brief breakdown of the main areas of works carried out, during 2017/18, in relation to the maintenance of stiles, gates and signage along the rights of way network.

Infrastructure

Total improved Type 2017/18 Ladder Stile 19 Timber Step Stile 62 Stone Step Stile 79

Stone Squeeze Stile 148 Fieldgate > 5ft 128 Handgate < 5ft 92 Kissing Gate 10 Boardwalk 13 Signpost (directional on route) 78 Waymarker post 48 Information Sign 3 Roadside Signpost Present 131 Steps 18 Culvert 28 Total 857

River Crossings (includes bridges and stepping stones)

TYPE Cumbria CC NYCC YDNPA repair/replaced/ repair/replaced/ Total Total in erected erected improved park

Bridges 16 55 71 916 Stepping Stones 1 1 28 Total 72 944

Miles without Stiles (access for those with limited ability)

26. During 2017/18 the Access for All programme became one where the Authority has said it will make ‘satisfactory’ rather than the ‘limited’ progress it had said previously. This still means for ‘miles without stiles’ routes it is important to secure additional funding through a partnership approach to achieve specific ‘limited mobility’ projects which are beyond routine maintenance.

84 of 114 27. Wherever an existing right of way is being maintained, every opportunity to replace difficult barriers with more accessible features will be considered, e.g. replacing a ladder stile with a gap or gate. The less remote a route, the more stringently this criterion will be applied.

28. We will also continue to measure the two ‘access for all’ indicators against very strict criteria as laid out by Natural England. This is based on the Countryside Agency ‘Zone A’ national standard which is equivalent to BT Access for All Standard 3, that is routes designed for wheelchair use (1st indicator) rather than more challenging routes capable of being used by wheelchair users with strong pusher (2nd indicator).

29. There are, however, possibilities to review both indicators due to the change in the programme and extension of the National Park, which provides further opportunities for those visitors with limited mobility.

30. Over the year we have continued to make progress by increasing the length of rights of way that are accessible for people with limited ability to 168km. We have continued to reduce physical barriers along rights of way by removing stiles and replacing with gates. There has also been some initial work to identify and test, practically, routes by less abled visitors in th new area at Smardale. However, the most significant success is the dedication by the landowner of 7km of new Public Bridleway ‘accessible to all’ through Greenfield woodland.

Major Projects

31. Under the Delegation Schemes the Authority has responsibility for the surface condition of rights of way. Each year projects are identified, by Rangers, for specific works which either improve ‘Ease of Use’ or enhance a route. The projects listed below are those with a capital expenditure greater than £1,000, and in most cases significantly more.

Route Works Undertaken North Yorkshire County Council New Engineering Works Long Ashes Footpath, Threshfield 200m aggregate surfacing works Stinking Bank Bridleway, Feizor 500m aggregate surfacing works Swale Hall to Stubbins Farm, Grinton 1000m aggregate surfacing works Low Lane, Low Whita to Low Houses 2400 m aggregate surfacing works Haverdale to Gunnerside New Bridge 1130 m aggregate surface/drainage works Muker Parish nr Keld 85m engineered surfacing Swinner Gill C2C, Muker Parish 215m flagging 560m of surface/drainage works FP 4 Muker Parish, Dirty Piece 110m flagging Low Force Path (FP), Raydale 35m stone flag footpath surfacing Total 6235m

North Yorkshire County Council Maintain Previously Engineered Routes Hetton Common Bridleway 650m aggregate re-surfacing works Dalesway Footpath at Hartlington 100 aggregate re-surfacing works Whitber Footoath, Three Peaks 1000m aggregate re-surfacing works Landscape Trail, Malham 250m aggregate re-surfacing works

85 of 114 Swale Hall to Stubbins Farm, Grinton 750m aggregate re-surfacing works Dubbin Garth Lane 1240m re-surfacing and drainage works Rampsholme to Keld, Muker 160 m re-surfacing/drainage works Snaizeholme 74m aggregate surfacing & drainage Aysgarth Falls Trail 620m aggregate re-surfacing works Busk Lane (UUR) , Raydale 620m aggregate surfacing & drainage Total 5464m

Cumbria County Council Maintain Previously Engineered Routes Dandra Garth bridleway 40m replacing boardwalk with stone flags Total 40m

North Yorkshire County Council Maintain Previously Engineered Routes Pennine Way PYG Summit 300m landscaping vegetation Pennine Way, Hawes 40m stone flagging Pennine Bridleway, Settle Loop 110m aggregate resurfacing and drainage Total 450m

Conclusion

32. Rights of way maintenance and volunteering continue to be ‘priority programmes’ and areas of work where the Authority makes a clear visible difference to the National Park. We help farmers and landowners maintain their stiles and gates, whilst users of the network (both visitors and residents) have certainty about where they can go, and an enjoyable experience of the area. Businesses benefit because access to the area’s special qualities, through the rights of way network, underpins the local tourism economy. 33. This past year has been an excellent year in relation to securing external funding. A total of £439,423 of external funding and in-kind contributions has been secured from a number of different sources to support rights of way work across the National Park. In addition, the work with Dales Volunteers and other volunteers goes from strength to strength, with all rights of way surveying in the National Park being carried out by volunteers now.

Looking ahead to 2018/19

34. The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority maintained 2,142km of public rights of way in 2016/17 on behalf of North Yorkshire and Cumbria County Councils. In 2017/18 this increased to 2,608km (an increase of 22%) with a new Delegation Agreement signed with Cumbria County Council in April 2017 (463km) and with Lancashire County Council (15km) Delegation Agreement to follow, this will make a total of 2,623km in 2018/19.

35. An initial survey conducted by volunteers in 2016 indicated an ‘ease of use’ figure of 67% for the 478km in the new area of the National Park. After one year this is now indicating 72%. This in turn, has had an overall impact on the previous ‘ease of use’ total for the new National Park which now indicates 82% for the entire National Park. We have given ourselves five years, to ensure all of the rights of way are to the same standard across the whole National Park and to bring the overall level of ‘ease of sue’ back to 90%.

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Further Information

Further information regarding the report is available from: Alan Hulme, email Direct Line Head of Pak Management [email protected] 01756 751647 Colvend, Hebden Road Grassington BD23 5LB

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YORKSHIRE DALES NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY ITEM 15

Date: 26 June 2018

Report: DESIGNATED LANDSCAPES REVIEW

Purpose of the report

1. To inform members of the recent announcement of the Designated Landscapes [National Parks & AONBs] 2018 review.

RECOMMENDATION

2. That members note the content of the paper.

Strategic Planning Framework

3. The information and recommendation contained in this report are consistent with the Authority’s statutory purposes and its approved strategic planning framework:

• National Park Management Plan objectives Objective 26: Operate corporate governance and financial arrangements that are fit for purpose, as evidenced through the annual governance statement, the annual governance report and an unqualified audit opinion.

Background

4. Members will be aware that in January 2018, the Government published its 25 Year Plan for the Environment. One of the actions within this plan was a commitment to undertake a review of National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty [AONBs].

5. At the end of May the Government published terms of reference which will guide the review. The Government are being very clear on what the review will not do. It will not propose reductions in either the Geographic extent or the protections given to the designated landscapes within England. The philosophy which underpins the review was set out as follows: -

The review aims not to diminish the character or independence of our designated landscapes, or to impose new burdens on them and the people who live and work in the areas they cover. Instead, its purpose is to ask what might be done better, what changes could assist them, and whether definitions and systems – which in many cases date back to their original creation – are still sufficient.

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Objectives of the Review

6. The review will examine and make recommendations on: -

• The existing Statutory Purposes of the National Parks and AONBs and how effectively they are being met, • The alignment of these Purposes with the goals set out in the 25 year plan for the environment, • The case for the extension or creation of new designated areas, • How to improve individual and collective governance of National Parks and AONBs, and how that governance interacts with other national assets, • The financing of National Parks and AONBs, • How to enhance the environment and biodiversity in existing designations; • How to build on the existing ‘8 Point Plan for National Parks’ and to connect more people with the natural environment from all sections of society and improve health and wellbeing, • How well National Parks and AONBs support local communities.

7. In addition, the Government intends to take advice from Natural England on the process of designating National Parks and AONBs and extending boundary areas, with a view to improving and expediting the process.

Management & Timing

8. The Government anticipate that the review will report in 2019 though, as yet, no definitive timetable has been established. This is expected following commencement of the review.

9. The writer and former Government advisor Julian Glover has been appointed to lead the review and he will be supported by an advisory group. The review is ‘cross government’ and Defra will provide the secretariat to undertake the review. Final recommendations will be made to the Government with implementation to be led by the Defra Secretary of State.

Next Steps

10. The detail of the review has still to be published and once it has been, it will be brought to a future meeting of this Authority. One issue that will need to be determined is the extent to which the Authority engages with other NPAs within England and with our local AONBs in our response. It is clear that many of the challenges presented in the review are on a landscape scale and it is likely that appropriate responses should be made at that level.

11. A further issue to be determined when more detailed information is available is the impact of the review on one of the Authority’s targets for the coming year. That being to ‘Review the structure of the YDNPA Board in light of the extension to the NP boundary.’

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Conclusion

12. The initial response of National Parks England, which warmly welcomed the review, sets out the context in which the review will take place. “National Parks are iconic and inspirational cultural landscapes. The Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan refers to their establishment as among the outstanding environmental achievements of the past 100 years. We very much welcome the announcement of the review and intend to play a full part.

13. Our National Parks offer so much to the country. And as we approach the 70th anniversary of the founding legislation we look forward to a future where their beauty is enhanced; they are loved and accessible for everyone; and they continue to support thriving communities in these working landscapes.”

David Butterworth Chief Executive 31 May 2018

Background documents: [List relevant documents]

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YORKSHIRE DALES NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY ITEM 16

Date: 26 June 2018

Report: JOINT WORKING WITH THE YORKSHIRE DALES MILLENNIUM TRUST (YDMT)

Purpose of the report

1. To provide a brief review of the effectiveness of the joint working between YDNPA and YDMT during 2017/18

RECOMMENDATION

2. That Members note the report in the Annex.

Strategic Planning Framework

3. The information and recommendation contained in this report are consistent with the Authority’s statutory purposes and approved strategic planning framework: • Corporate Plan objective Plan and manage all aspects of the Authority’s business to make the most effective use of our resources and develop our capacity for income generation to maintain our annual income at £6.6 million.

Background

4. The Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust (‘the Trust’) was set up in 1996. It was intended to provide a vehicle for bringing funds into the National Park area that the Authority – as a local government body – was not able to access. The Trust is a key partner in the delivery of several objectives in the current and emerging National Park Management Plan.

5. In recognition of the importance of the relationship between the two organisations, a Memorandum of Understanding was adopted in 2015. It requires the two organisations to review jointly the effectiveness of the programme of work carried out the previous year. This is then reported to the Trust and the Authority.

Consideration

6. The 2017-18 review is attached as an annex to this report. It outlines, briefly, the considerable and varied programme of work, which is underway and delivering significant economic, social and environmental benefits across the National Park over

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the next few years. Further information about some of these projects can be found by clicking on the hyperlinks provided in the document

7. In addition to the programmes of activity in the National Park, the Trust has also had a positive impact on the Authority’s own financial situation. In 2017-18, the Authority received almost £120,000 in funding from the Trust towards the delivery of the following elements of the joint programme of work:

Apprentices £24,500 Young Rangers (North) £36,000 Ingleborough Dales (Geodiversity website) £3,000 Every Barn Tells a Story £5,000 Muker Barns project £20,000 Ribblehead Access Enhancement £30,000

Conclusion

8. The Authority and the Trust have continued to work closely together over the last 12 months on a range of significant projects that are benefitting the communities and environment of the National Park.

Gary Smith Director of Conservation and Community

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YORKSHIRE DALES MILLENNIUM TRUST & YORKSHIRE DALES NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY REVIEW OF JOINT ACTION PLAN 2017/18

In accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding between the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (‘the Authority’) and Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust (‘the Trust’), set out below is a brief review of the effectiveness of the joint-working between the Authority and the Trust during 2017/18.

1. Ingleborough Dales Landscape Partnership

The £2.5m Ingleborough Dales Landscape Partnership – led by the Trust, and supported by the Authority – completed the second full year of its delivery programme. More than £364,500 has been distributed to groups and individuals. Grants have helped fund. • 1.7ha of new native woodland; • Restoration of 1 traditional farm building; • A range of projects to conserve and interpret historical landscape features; • 1 apprenticeship with the Ranger Service, and recruitment of 2 new apprentices for 2018/19; • Restoration of 1,633m of dry-stone wall; • Installation of various interpretation projects; • Good progress on the Ribblehead access enhancement project.

2. Dales Woodland Restoration

Through the Dales Woodland Restoration programme (co-funded by the Trust, the Authority and the Forestry Commission), the Authority worked with the Trust to identify and secure agreements for 28 ha of new native woodland.

The first full year of the Authority’s ‘Dormouse Woodland Restoration’ project in Wensleydale (for which the Trust is providing £48,000) delivered a survey of 12 km of hedgerows; 745 m of new hedgerows; 875 m of restored or enhanced hedgerow, and 2 small areas of new woodland.

3. Green Futures

The Trust’s £1.1m, 4-year Green Futures programme is providing environmental opportunities for up to 4,000 young people (aged 11 to 24) in the Yorkshire Dales. In its second year, the programme worked with 918 young people and enhanced 121 sites across the area. This included the ‘Young Rangers’ group in the north and west of the National Park and one apprentice with the Authority’s Ranger Service. In addition, £3,500 has been provided through the Youth Environmental Action Fund to support projects led by young people in the area.

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Dales Young Rangers have had a very exciting year discovering, exploring and conserving the Yorkshire Dales National Park and surrounding area. The groups took part in 20 task days, which included dormouse box repair and maintenance, Himalayan Balsam bashing, and helping train the local search and rescue dogs! 57 young rangers have joined the North & West group whilst another 195 young people have taken part in the young ranger experience activities. Six John Muir Awards have been gained in this time and another nine have recently been awarded to sixth form students at Kirkby Stephen Grammar School.

4. Muker Barns/Every Barn Tells a Story project

A £200,000 programme, including £25,000 from the Trust and £65,000 from HLF, to restore several traditional barns in Muker, and to work with the local community, businesses and visitors to record and interpret the history and stories of local field barns. Two barns were restored this year and contracts have been let for 3 more.

The Every Barn Tells a Story project was completed. It included researching and recording the history of barns in Muker Parish; organising training events for people to learn more about the architecture, structure and history of barns in the area; and, providing opportunities for local people and visitors to hear, see and share the stories of the barns (e.g. through guided walks, school resources, leaflets, videos and exhibitions. The programme was complemented by the Trust funding of two major arts-based activities, including ‘Ghost Cow Night’, a large-scale and extremely well-received community event celebrating the end of the project.

5. Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership

The Westmorland Dales Landscape Partnership is nearing completion of the development phase. The projects have come together well with most of the match funding identified, and the majority secured – including a donation of £100k from the Trust. The Landscape Management Plan is now being written with the aim of submitting the bid in August for consideration by HLF in December.

6. Organisation and Co-operation

An annual review of the effectiveness of the joint working was reported to Trustees and Authority Members in June 2017. The Authority also provided an opportunity for several Trust staff to have in-house GIS training.

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YORKSHIRE DALES NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY ITEM 17

Date: 26 June 2018

Report: TAXATION OF MEMBERS EXPENSES

Purpose of the report

1. To inform Members that payments for mileage incurred on their journeys to and from Bainbridge will be treated as taxable.

RECOMMENDATION

2. That the report be noted.

Strategic Planning Framework

3. The information and recommendation contained in this report are consistent with the Authority’s statutory purposes and it’s approved strategic planning framework.

• Objective 26: Operate corporate governance and financial arrangements that are fit for purpose.

Background

4. As reported in March this year, the Authority had received correspondence from Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) asserting that Members’ travel allowances (mileage payments) for journeys to and from meetings at Bainbridge should be - and should always have been - treated as taxable income.

5. Subsequently and as reported in the Committees Officer’s e-mail of 23 May 2018, we received a visit from three HMRC inspectors, one outcome of which was the conclusion that all payments for travel expenses for all journeys to and from Bainbridge for meetings should be taxed.

6. HMRC’s decision has some history to it. Some years ago, there was a lengthy (national) discussion about volunteers travel expenses, and whether these were taxable. The eventual decision was that they were not, given the argument that as volunteers were not employees, the reimbursement of expenses incurred in undertaking unpaid volunteering duties could not reasonably be regarded as taxable pay.

7. A related but slightly later discussion emerged about the taxation of travel expenses for Members of local authorities, with HMRC taking the position that, because such Members (though not all…for example, members of Parish Councils) received attendance or other allowances which fell to be treated as taxable income, such Members were – for tax purposes – employees. Any ‘home to work’ travel payments or, in this case, home to the main premises of a local authority, should therefore be taxable. This had always been the situation with regards to travel expenses for officers, in that home to (main) place of work expenses are taxable (note: this Authority does not pay such expenses). NPA26jun18TaxationTravelExpenses

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8. This discussion took place in 2015 and concluded with a change via the Finance Act 2015 to HMRC’s rules, exempting local authorities from taxation of such travel expenses from Members. Politically, the argument for the change was that the rules as HMRC were seeking to apply them were likely to discourage participants in local democracy.

9. HMRC, which works closely with the Treasury, appeared to have accepted the argument that was put forward in relation to local authority members, that their attendance at committee meetings was only a part of their role, and that those same members would spend more time on authority business away from the main place of such meetings, principally at home, whether that be discussing issues with constituents, reading committee papers, etc. So the rules were changed in 2015, that change then being widely publicised in the local government press.

11. HMRC and the Treasury have taken the view that, as the regulations do not exempt NPAs, travel expenses for Members journeying to and from home and ‘office’ (Yoredale) are taxable. Although National; Parks England (NPE) have presented a series of arguments to HMRC as to why we believe this is an omission in the regulations, we have, as yet, made no headway on this matter.

Practicalities

13. We are now faced with the obligation of taxing Members’ travel expenses for journeys between their homes and Bainbridge, the latter deemed by HMRC to be our Members’ ‘office’.

14. The failure to charge tax on such expenses is regarded - in HMRC parlance - as an ‘employer error’, although most NPA officers with responsibilities in this area might point to a lack of consultation and communication when the original regulations were drafted. This has three implications:

(i) The standard approach in such situations is for HMRC to calculate back-tax relating to the preceding 6 years (i.e. going back to April 2012). To this value, they will then add interest, compounded over the period.

(ii) The tax then calculated for these ‘old’ years is (normally….i.e. this is what we are expecting to happen) then charged to the employer, rather than to individual members. This is a pragmatic approach, given that collecting the - in many cases - tiny amounts of tax due from many different Members over different years would be a logistical challenge and highly cost-ineffective.

(iii) Since the Authority is (likely to be) paying this tax, that in itself will be treated as a taxable benefit (because the individual isn’t having to pay their own tax liability), so the Authority will incur an additional charge, usually calculated at the basic rate of tax, on top of the back-charge.

15. At this stage, without agreement from HMRC as to the actual sum, the likely ‘back payment’ appears to be between £9,000 and £11,000, based on the figures we have now prepared and submitted to HMRC. This sum will be paid from Reserves.

16. Going forward, all such travel expenses will be taxed at source, and then paid (net of tax) within the monthly pay, which also includes Member allowance payments. Where we are aware that a Member has a tax code which exempts them from taxation, we will apply

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17. We will make sure that we differentiate between any mileage incurred by Members that doesn’t relate to travel to Bainbridge (for example, for site visits or to Parish Forum meetings), as such payments are not taxable.

19. As a final point, in a search for something positive amongst an otherwise difficult story, HMRC is likely to treat the sandwiches provided to Members who attend committee meetings as a tax exempt benefit. The (provisional) view is that, because sandwiches are also available at the twice yearly all-staff meetings, the ‘availability to all’ of such food qualifies the Authority for an exemption that extends to Members sandwiches. This avoids the need to undertake a challenging analysis of who ate what and when.

Richard Burnett Director of Corporate Services

6 June 2018.

Background Documents: Scheme of Member Allowances, March 2018

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YORKSHIRE DALES NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY ITEM 18

Date: 26 June 2018

Report: CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

ENGAGEMENTS • Since the last meeting of the Authority, the Chairman has been involved in the following:-

Events • Grassington Festival Supporters' Reception & Programme Launch at Threshfield • Settle Stories Opening Reception • Spring full staff meeting • Swale trail launch held at the Dales Bike Centre, Fremington • Attended the funeral of former NPA member Stephen Butcher • RHS Chelsea Flower Show (refer to ‘Issue for Members to Note’ within CEO’s report) • Celebrating Eden Network Dinner at North Lakes Hotel in Penrith

Meetings • Along with the CEO, an introductory meeting with the CEO and Chairman of Broadacres Housing Association • Along with the Deputy Chairman and Directors of Park Services and Corporate Services, a liaison meeting with Friends of the Lake District • Along with the CEO, a National Parks England Board meeting in Northumberland • The CEO’s annual appraisal. • Shortlisting and recruitment for the Secretary of State board member vacancy • Farm & Land Management Task & Finish Group • 2019 National Parks Conference organising group • National Park Management Plan Steering Group • Along with the CEO, a meeting with the CEOs and Leaders of Craven, Richmondshire and South Lakeland District Council to discuss the development of the Attracting Families Initiative • Asby Parish Council AGM • Chaired a meeting of the Member Champions • Along with the Deputy and CEO, a liaison meeting with counterparts from North York Moors NPA • Along with the CEO, an introductory meeting with the new Chair of the LEP.

Carl Lis OBE Chairman

Background documents: None 11 June 2018

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YORKSHIRE DALES NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY ITEM 19

Date: 26 June 2018

Report: REPORT OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE

ENGAGEMENTS

1. Since the last meeting of the Authority, the Chief Executive has been involved in the following:-

Events

• Hosted a visit by a member of the Land Use Team at Defra • A Senior Management ‘awayday’ looking at current issues in the Eden part of the Park. • Tour de Yorkshire, Eve of Tour Celebrations held in Leeds • The Richmond start of the Tour de Yorkshire. • Dalesman Awards held at Broughton Hall, Skipton • RHS Chelsea Flower Show Media Launch • Launch of Adam Sedgwick biography at DCM, Hawes • Member induction for Mr Patterson

Meetings

• Introductory meeting with the Chief Executive of the ‘Pub is the Hub’ to discuss potential joint working. • An introductory meeting with a representative of Lower Wensleydale Business Network to discuss the development of the Wensleydale School Business and Innovation Centre • Along with the Chairman an Introductory meeting with CEO & Chair of Broadacres Housing Association. • A meeting with the Secretary of Europarc Atlantic Isles to discuss the CEO’s role as Chair of the group. • The Western Parish Forum held at Tebay Services. • A meeting with the Director of Wensleydale Creamery. • A meeting with the CEO of Dartmoor NPA to discuss matters of mutual interest. • Along with the Chairman, National Parks England Board meeting held in Northumberland where the following was discussed: Lead NPO report and Business Plan Update; Priorities from 25 Year Environment Plan; NPE Refocused Business Plan and Resources; NPE / FC Accord; Engagement with MPs / Peers; Update on Farming and Rural Development. • The Northern Parish Forum held at West Burton Village Hall.

NPA26jun18CEOsreprt 1 103 of 114 • The Southern Parish Forum held at Grassington Town Hall. • Led a full staff meeting examining the Authority’s efforts in Income Generation. • A meeting of the Farm & Land Management Task and Finish Group • A meeting with Rory Stewart MP to discuss matters of mutual interest. • A meeting with representatives from Lower Wensleydale Business Network and Wensleydale School to discuss joint working on; student mentoring and internships, Apprentices and Teacher internships. • Along with the Chairman, a meeting with the CEOs and Leaders of Craven, Richmondshire and South Lakeland District Council to discuss the development of the Attracting Families Initiative. • A day with the Visitor Service Manager • A meeting of the Chief Executives Group - North Yorkshire and York where the following were discussed: Public finance; Yorkshire Devolution – vision and ambition for York, North Yorkshire & East Riding; LEP update • A meeting of the National Park Management Plan Steering Group • A day with the northern Area Ranger. • Along with the Chairman & Deputy a liaison meeting with counterparts from the North York Moors NPA to discuss matters of mutual interest. • Along with the Chairman, an introductory meeting with the new Chair of the LEP.

ISSUES FOR MEMBERS TO NOTE

RHS Chelsea Garden – Awards and Media Coverage

The Authority’s involvement in the Welcome to Yorkshire Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show must be gauged a great success against the original objective, “to ensure that the Park itself, its landscape, communities and businesses remain in the public eye and benefit accordingly.”

The garden was inspired by the Yorkshire Dales and authentically created out of materials sourced from Wensleydale and won three awards:

• RHS Chelsea Gold Medal • Best Construction Award • The People’s Choice Best Show Garden

Many experts and observers commented that it should possibly have won the overall ‘Best Show Garden’ award and all this success ensured masses of overwhelmingly positive media coverage across the week of the Show.

Media exposure began weeks earlier, with the announcement releases from Welcome to Yorkshire and the gathering of materials from the Bolton estate in Wensleydale. The Authority picked up mentions in much of this initial coverage.

In the building stage, leading up to the Show, we issued a joint news release with Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust featuring our newest ranger, and recent apprentice, Tom Hickey, helping to create the garden down at Chelsea. http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/16234329.Ranger_takes_the_Yorkshire_Dales_to _London/

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International, national, regional and local coverage then took off with the press preview day at Chelsea with the Welcome to Yorkshire garden, featuring prominently and very positively, for example, on the BBC TV coverage. The garden received visits from the Queen and the Prime Minister and many celebrities were seen and heard extolling the virtues of the garden and the Yorkshire Dales. https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/watch-as-the-queen-visits-yorkshire-garden-at- chelsea-flower-show-1-9175574 https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/chelsea-flower-show-prime-minister-marvels-at- genuine-manure-cl3rws673

Coverage was only boosted by the winning of a gold medal and then at the end of the week, the announcement of the People’s Choice Award. http://www.itv.com/news/calendar/2018-05-22/yorkshire-themed-garden-wins-gold-medal- at-chelsea-flower-show/ http://www.cravenherald.co.uk/news/16241345.GALLERY__Yorkshire_Dales- inspired_garden_wins_top_honour_at_Chelsea_Flower_Show/ https://www.harrogate-news.co.uk/2018/05/25/welcome-to-yorkshire-garden-wins-bbcs- peoples-choice-award/ https://www.housebeautiful.com/uk/garden/a20918803/chelsea-flower-show-2018-people- choice-winner-welcome-to-yorkshire-garden-secret/

Welcome to Yorkshire has reported the following media coverage headline statistics for their Chelsea garden:

Total Reach: 124,257,560 Editorial Value Equivalent (EVE): £10,977,918

Total pieces of broadcast coverage: 248 Broadcast Reach: 65,824,009 EVE: £5,057,445

Total pieces of print/online coverage: 509 Print/online reach: 58,433,551 EVE: £5,920,473

We also carried out a comprehensive social media campaign, predominantly on Twitter and Facebook, both our own posts and re-tweeting Welcome to Yorkshire. This generated our largest social media engagement for some time.

Tour de Yorkshire 2018

The 2018 tour came through the national park on Day 4 of the event taking in Wharfedale and Coverdale. This was the most gruelling day of the tour taking in the Park Rash ascent. The Authority was involved with the communities of Kettlewell and Carlton in Coverdale to help them get the most from the event. We also worked with NYCC in terms of the preparation of the route.

NPA26jun18CEOsreprt 3 105 of 114 On the day, Ranger staff worked alongside the Tour de Yorkshire team, North Yorkshire Police and NYCC at key locations, to help ensure cyclists and spectators had a safe and enjoyable day.

This year’s tour was judged to be the most successful yet. Welcome to Yorkshire’s social media and website stats for the event showed significant increases in engagement:

TTDYDY Race weekend 2018 (2 May --- 7 May)7 May)

@letouryorkshire Twitter Potential Reach: 81.9 million accounts (66 million last year so +24%) Organic Reach: 5.6 million accounts (4.8 million last year so +17%) Mentions: 17,475 (14.1k last year so +24%) Retweets: 12,144 (11.9k last year so +3%) Favourites: 29,943 (21.9k last year so +37%) Followers Gained: 3,948 (3,724 last year so +6%) Digital Jersey: 1,311 votes (1,718 last year so -23%) #TDY, #WTDY, #TourdeYorkshire, Tour de Yorkshire, Greg Van Avermaet, Megan Guarnier, Harry Tanfield, Magnus Cort Neilson all trended on Twitter.

TDY Facebook 7,100,415 reach: (7,074,793 in 2017 so +1%) 589,710 engagements (432,821 in 2017 so +36%) 35,481 page views (19,332 in 2017 so +84%) 4,046 page likes (3,972 in 2017 so +2%) Tour de Yorkshire trended on Facebook numerous times throughout the weekend letouryorkshire Instagram 24,859 likes (17,106 in 2017 so +45%) 247,484 views of our Instagram stories (50,000 in 2017 so +395%) 2,338 followers gained (1,267 in 2017 so +85%) 611,400 impressions (2,804 in 2017 so +21,704%)

Letouryorkshire.com Website 3,385,839 page views: (1,900,828 in 2017 so +78%) 530,938 unique visitors (466,265 in 2017 so +14%) Traffic from 165 countries (top 5 were UK, France, Spain, Netherlands and USA)

The Tour continues to promote the Yorkshire brand worldwide and, this year, the Yorkshire Dales National Park in particular. One of the area’s market towns, Richmond, was chosen as one of the starts and had a particularly successful day for residents and visitors alike illustrated by the fact, for the first time ever, all of the town’s cash points ran out of money.

David Butterworth Chief Executive

Background documents: None 11 June 2018

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YORKSHIRE DALES NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY ITEM 20

Date: 26 June 2018

Report: MEMBER FEEDBACK ON PARTNERSHIP REPRESENTATION AND MEMBER CHAMPIONS REPORTS

Purpose

1. For Members to report back from meetings attended as representatives of the National Park Authority since the last Authority meeting.

RECOMMENDATION

2. That Members consider and note the reports from the Authority’s representatives.

Background

3. Members represent the Authority on a wide variety of Partnerships and, in order to keep Members and Officers updated on this representation, formal reports are brought to each full Authority meeting.

4. This provides the opportunity to update members on the work of the various partnerships we are involved, a chance to question member representatives and a means by which we can continually assess the value of these partnerships.

5. Reports from Partnership meetings attended by Members this quarter are included in the Appendix.

Julie Payne Committees Officer

5 June 2018

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Appendix

List of Partnership Meetings Apr – Jun 2018

Title Member Date Attended Report Campaign for National J Manners-Armstrong 17/05/18 No - Parks Local Government York Chairman 23/04/18 No - North Yorkshire & East Riding Housing Board National Park Chairman 08/06/18 Yes See Chairman’s report Management Plan Steering Group Yorkshire Dales Access N Heseltine & 05/06/18 No - Forum M/C for Recreational No Management Yorkshire Dales M/c for Sustainable 05/06/18 Yes Attached LEADER Local Action Development Group

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Yorkshire Dales Leader Programme (YDLP) Update June 2018

Current situation • The programme was closed to further Full Applications, as of 10/05/2018;

• Current advice from the RPA is that if YDLP has projects that exceed its’ allocation, further funding may be possible in limited amounts but is not guaranteed; o Further funding may become available from underperforming LAGS; o The YDLP is a strong performing programme, so if further funding is made available then YDLP will be in a strong position to gain some of that funding;

• At the June Executive approximately £400k was approved for 18 projects;

• The Panel meeting in July is heavily over-subscribed.

Project Progress to date Current programme allocations; separated into LEADER priorities

Total for projects after revised 0.834 £1,925,098.90 exchange rate calculation

Approved so far at Executive Group (excluding June & July allocations) (against new overall project budget of £1,925,098.90):

• Farm productivity £511,983 • SME / Farm div £571,605 • Tourism £156,967 • Forestry £76,704 • Rural Services £80,755 TOTAL £1,398,014 72% committed

Currently, after the June Executive and if all the projects are contracted, the 72% committed has risen to something over 90% of the revised budget.

Chris Clark Member Champion for Sustainable Development

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Annual Report of Member Champion for the Natural Environment

to Full Authority meeting on the 26th June 2018

This report covers my work over the past twelve months. It divides into four main areas of activity:-

1. Chairing the Supporting Farming and Land Management Task and Finish Group

2. Dealing with issues arising from raptor persecution in both the Park and the wider Yorkshire Dales

3. Input into the proposed new YDNPA Management Plan (YDMP) via the Biodiversity Forum and Woodland Forum drafting sub-groups

4. Attendance of meetings relating to the broader issues contained in my Member Champion folio

To deal with each of these in more detail:-

1. The Task and Finish Group was set up by the Authority in June 2017. To date there have been seven meetings of this group and two reports back made to the Authority of which members already have cognizance. The process was initially set in motion by a report prepared by National Parks England (NPE) “Farming in the English National Parks” which was subsequently endorsed by all the English National Park authorities. The Task and Finish group was created to put flesh on the bones of the NPE Report and to particularise it with regard to the specific needs and requirements of our own Authority. Our approach was welcomed by Defra especially with regard to the setting up and running of the results-based agri-environment pilot scheme in Wensleydale and we were subsequently requested to provide an additional piece of work to enable Defra to extend the scheme for a further period of time. It would not be an understatement to say that the future of farming in the Yorkshire Dales National Park is perhaps the single most vital matter effecting the Park at the moment and it is heartening the extent to which Defra is supporting our work maybe to the extent of the results-based scheme being rolled out over the whole of the country in the fullness of time. The work of the Task and Finish group is ongoing. I would like to thank the group (Officers and Members) for the hard work and effort they have put into what has proved to be an extremely worthwhile and essential process.

2. Putting it bluntly the Yorkshire Dales National Park (and contiguous areas outside of the Park) is acknowledged the worst black spot in the whole of the country for Hen Harrier persecution in particular but also that of Peregrine Falcon, Merlin, Red Kite and Buzzard. It was also one of the principal matters of concern raised by members of the public during the course of the YDMP consultation. Progress has been made this year as a result of greater co-operation between North Yorkshire Police, other environmental agencies and ourselves culminating in the police launching Operation Owl and basically a zero tolerance

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approach to raptor persecution and wildlife crime in general. The Authority also produced an in depth and extremely detailed, lengthy and well evidenced report on the subject “Birds of Prey in the Yorkshire Dales National Park Evidence Report”

3. Input into the preparation of the new YDMP via the drafting groups mentioned above has been an important part of my activities this year. Whilst I am very pleased with the provision made for the environment and biodiversity within the two drafting groups’ recommendations the final version of the consultation document still awaits approval by the YDMP Steering Group.

4. I have attended the following meetings during the course of the year:-

6 meetings of the Farming and Land Management Task and Finish Group

5 meetings of the Biodiversity Forum (including drafting sub-group)

1 meeting of the Woodland Forum

1 meeting of the YDNP Annual Forum

3 meetings of Member Champions

3 meetings of Conservation and Community Directorate (both staff and team)

3 meetings of the Land Management Section (LMS) team

1 joint meeting of the Farming and Land Management Forum, the Biodiversity Forum and the Woodland Forum

As always I would like to acknowledge the unfailing help and support from all members of the LMS without whom it would have been difficult even to begin to address all the issues arising within my Natural Environment portfolio. Thank you for your continued assistance.

Ian McPherson

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Note of the meeting of Member Champions Tuesday 22nd May 2018

Present: Carl Lis [CL] (Chair) Julie Martin [JM] (Cultural Heritage) Ian McPherson [IMc] (Natural Environment) Judith Donovan [JD] (Promoting Understanding) Nick Cotton [NC] (Recreation Management)

Apologies: Robert Heseltine; Chris Clark

Action 1. Welcome from Chairman

The Chairman updated Champions as follows: • The Action Plan for current year had been agreed by F&R • Staff costs: F&R had agreed to 55% of gross income in current circumstances • Good progress on farming issues was being made with Defra • Hopefully the two vacancies for MCs would be determined at the June AGM – Corporate Management and Development Management • Reminded Members that, in terms of deciding planning committee membership, a member who wasn’t on the Committee at the moment would take precedence over existing Members – to ensure fairness.

Julie Payne to be asked to make it explicit to Members who was the co- ordinator on each group/which group each Member was in for Committee JP appointments.

2. Action points arising from notes of meeting 27 November 2017

JD asked that Champions (in particular herself and IM) be given regular CL updates on social media activity. This was discussed at the last meeting. Chairman to raise with CEO. 3. Updates from individual Champions

Natural Environment (IMcP)

• Since last meeting has attended Biodiversity Forum and Woodlands Forum; feedback via committee agendas; • Attends regular Land Management team meetings, which is useful in keeping up to date with grassroots work; • Has been involved with two NPMP drafting groups; • Chairs Future of Farming Task & Finish Group; had been put on hold pending Defra feedback but now back on track after very positive reaction to Results-Based pilot; have green light for proposal to extend pilot as model for national agri-environment schemes. Note possibility of funding gap which the Authority might be asked to fill.

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Cultural Heritage (JM)

• Cultural Heritage team now fully resourced; • Concern that Natural England’s Traditional Farm Buildings grant scheme is hugely bureaucratic and oversubscribed; • Countryside Stewardship now has moorland restoration scheme options; • NPE brochure has had input from Miles Johnson to ensure historic environment retains high profile; • Reported that recent Day School (held in Richmond) was very slick and successful, with 180 participants.

Recreation Management (NC)

• There have been recent updates produced for the cycle guides for north and south parts of the Park; interesting to see how routes have changed since last publication. Would report back to Alan Hulme; • Successful opening of the Swale Trail; • Had attended a conference on Natural Flood Management with Steve Hastie.

Promoting Understanding (JD)

• Annual Tourism Forum at DCM had low attendance due to severe weather; included focus on events marketing, Swaledale Festival, disabled access advice/toolkit. Key speaker was the CEO from the Eden Project; • Had met with tourism bodies from “new” area – Eden and Lancashire; • YDNPA is hosting the NP Conference 2019, at Conistone Cold. Champions felt it was important that all Members participate, for example in a meet-and-greet capacity; Important to have sufficient choice for delegates within the programme. Biggest issue is attracting sponsorship.

4. Rewilding

IM reported that Prof Alastair Driver would be talking to Members about re-wilding/re-introduction of species, at the PDF prior to the December NPA meeting. He wondered how Members would feel about also inviting Mark Cocker, author of the recently published book on ecological and environmental conservation “Our Place”, to address Members at the same meeting, and suggested that some Members could give him a tour of the National Park the following day?

It was suggested that the session should be limited to one speaker only, to help Members get a clear understanding of the subject within the time available. The Chairman would raise the matter with Gary Smith to CL discuss and see how arrangements were proceeding.

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5. Ratio of Staff Costs to core DEFRA grant

This had been discussed at the F&R committee prior to the Champions meeting.

6. Application of Barns Policy

JM expressed some concerns about the Authority’s Barns policy, which was designed to be a conservation measure, but was being used as a vehicle to deliver affordable housing. It was felt the Member Champion should raise this matter further.

Date of next meeting Tuesday 21 August 2018 @ 10 am

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