1.1       The Outdoor Partnerships Enterprise Manager welcomed everyone to the first meeting of the Board which marked a new direction for the Local Access Forum.

1.2       Members introduced themselves and outlined their interests.

1.3       The Committee Clerk reported that apologies for absence had been received from Ruby Hartshorn, Deb Hughes, and Mark Weston.

1.4       The Committee Clerk pointed out that under the Constitution the quorum required 8 Members to be present and that the meeting there was not quorate.  The Outdoor Partnerships Enterprise Manager commented that this figure had been carried over from the previous LAF Constitution. Members present felt that given that the Board had a smaller membership, the quorum should be reduced. The Committee Clerk advised that the normal quorum for a committee with a membership of 10 – 12 would be 4 members. The Outdoor Partnerships Enterprise Manager agreed to look at amending the constitution accordingly.

Nominations for the positions of Chair and Vice-Chair should be made in writing prior to the meeting and sent to the Committee Clerk Tim Ward (tim.ward@shropshire.gov.uk)

2.1       The Committee Clerk informed the meeting that the following nominations had been received: -

            Chair – Alex Carson Taylor

            Vice-Chair – Mark Weston

To receive any questions, statements or petitions of which notice has been received from members of the public.

3.1       There were no public questions received

Members are reminded that they must not participate in the discussion or voting on any matter in which they have a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest and should leave the room prior to the commencement of the debate.

4.1       There were no declarations of interest made

Clare Fildes, Outdoor Partnerships Enterprise Manager, will summarise the role of the Board, the responsibilities of members and discuss individuals to be approached who may cover interests not addressed by existing members

5.1       The Outdoor Partnerships Enterprise Manager gave a short presentation on the role of the Strategy Board.  She stated that the Local Access Forum had worked at a very operational level and that the Board would have a more strategic role in raising awareness of the wider aspects of getting out in the countryside and in the development of the Outdoor Economy which was a massive resource which had not been fully developed.  She added that the Board represented a unique opportunity to influence other organisations and to get the message out to the wider community.

5.2       A discussion took place around areas of interest not currently covered on the board and the following were suggested: -

·         4X4 Drivers

·         Canal Rivers Trust/IWA

·         Young Ramblers

·         A representative from the outdoor activity education sector

·         Federation of Small Businesses

·         A representative from the Walkers are Welcome Towns

·         A representative from Telford & Wrekin LAF

·         Landowner representatives such as the National Trust/Forestry Commission

The Outdoor Partnerships Enterprise Manager agreed to look into these suggestions.

Cllr Lezley Picton, as the new Portfolio Holder for Culture and Leisure will give an overview of the Council’s priorities. The Corporate Plan can be found here:

https://shropshire.gov.uk/shropshire-council/corporate-plan/

6.1       Ms Picton advised the meeting that the Corporate Plan was being updated but that the main thrust of the document would not change and that there would continue to be an emphasis on encouraging economic growth and that the visitor economy would play a big part in this.  She added that the health agenda was also important.

6.2       Mr Chapman commented that there was a need to make the Council more sustainable in the long term, and that the proposed changes to the way Councils are funded would be an additional challenge.  He added that with regards to health one of the main challenges would be funding the care of Shropshire’s aging population.

Clare Fildes, Outdoor Partnerships Enterprise Manager, will give a presentation about the work of the Outdoor Partnerships Service in 2016/17 and priorities for 2017/18.

The report and appendices can be found here:

https://www.shropshire.gov.uk/outdoor-recreation/strategic-documents-for-outdoor-recreation/

7.1       The meeting received a presentation from The Outdoor Partnerships Enterprise Manager on the work of the Outdoor Partnerships Service in 2017/17 and priorities for the forthcoming year

7.2       The Outdoor Partnerships Enterprise Manager referred to the work carried out by the Outdoor Partnership Team in the year 2016/17 and drew attention to the following: -

·         There had been income of £398,665, which was an increase of 24% on 2015/16

·         There had been an 21% increase in the use of Parks, Sites and Greenspaces

·         There had been over 1,500 improvements carried out to RoW, Parks and Sites

·         1,177 volunteers had contributed the equivalent time of 21 FTE members of staff

·         External funding of £343,300 had been secured for special projects, including LEADER funding

·         The Shropshire’s Great Outdoors membership scheme had been launched in December 2016 and currently there were 43 members.

·         Southern Shropshire Local Action Group for LEADER is the best performing in the West Midlands

7.3       Mr Chapman suggested that the membership scheme may link up with a credit card such as MNBA which aid the marketing of the scheme.

7.4       Mr Carson Taylor commented that the new website was excellent and would prove a useful tool.

7.5       In response to a query The Outdoor Partnerships Enterprise Manager confirmed that the target for earned income in the current financial year was £460,000

7.6       The Outdoor Partnerships Enterprise Manager advised the meeting that priorities for the forthcoming year included: -

·         Carrying out a review of the Countryside Access strategy

·         Development of the Rights of Way Improvement plan 2018 – 28

·         Development of a Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan

·         Working more closely with the Planning Department

·         Development of a Charitable Foundation

·         Working to increase contributions from Town & Parish Councils

7.7       Members congratulated The Outdoor Partnerships Enterprise Manager on the work that she and her team had done.

The Board will discuss the immediate and longer term priorities and consider which Working Groups need to be set up.

8.1       The Outdoor Partnerships Enterprise Manager led a discussion around priorities for the Board for the forthcoming year.  The following were suggested: -

·         RoW Improvement Plan

·         Need for co-ordination across all Council departments

·         Update on Planning

·         Input into the Cultural Strategy

8.2       Mr Chapman suggested that a timeline be drawn up of when work needed to be completed which would aid in work programming.

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To set dates for future meetings

9.1       The Outdoor Partnerships Enterprise Manager advised members that meetings would be held quarterly and that the next meeting would be held in September, and that the Committee Clerk would advise members of the date once it had been set.