This paper provides members with a summary update of recent activity of the AONB Partnership staff team and a budget update.

3.1          A report had been circulated updating the Partnership on recent activity by the AONB Partnership staff team.

3.2          The AONB Partnership Manager took the meeting through the report and highlighted the following points: -

3.3          The Shuttles service for 2013 had been completed with over 7,500 passenger journeys made between May and September.  Two services had been commissioned for 2014, the Long Mynd - Stiperstones Shuttle and the Castle Connect service.

3.4          Additional funding had been secured for the Sustainable Development Fund, and the Panel were starting to assess the applications for the next round of funding.  The annual awards were about to take place and any Partnership members that would like to assist with the Panel were asked to contact the Development Officer as soon as possible.

3.5          The AONB Management Plan for 2014-19 had been approved by both local authorities, following endorsement by the Partnership and formal observations by Natural England.

3.6          Further work on the development of a new charitable body linked to the AONB Partnership had taken place, and contract had been let to provide specialist advice.  Following receipt of this advice, the Management Board had agreed to take more time to consider the options for this body due to the possibility of potential for divergence of such a body from the aims of the AONB Partnership and the difficulties of establishing the links in an appropriate way.  There were also issues around the amount of officer time necessary against the likely financial benefits in the short term.

3.7          Mr L Smith paid tribute to the AONB Partnership Manager and the AONB staff for all the work involved in the production of the new Management Plan.

3.8          The AONB Partnership Manager then took the meeting through the new staff structure.  He informed the meeting that Mike Kelly had taken up a new broader role as Natural Environment Officer across the whole AONB.  He went on to advise that the Planning & Landscape Officer was being made redundant at the end of March due to financial cuts.  It was intended that the planning role would now be split between other members of staff and that he would maintain oversight of planning matters. 

3.9          Mrs Kidd expressed concern regarding the capacity of the team to deal with planning matters, as with the current difficulties caused by the lack of a five year land supply she expected number of applications would be made.  The AONB Partnership Manager shared the concern, but said that the level of planning policy work had reduced and that a number of the staff would be involved with dealing with planning matters.  The Chair commented that there was need to have a degree of co-ordination to ensure that nothing was missed.

3.10       The AONB Partnership Manager then took the meeting through the budget update.  He advised the meeting that staff costs had risen in the 2014 - 15 budget due to the fact that Mike Kelly’s salary now formed part of the core budget rather than the project budget as previously.  He went on to say that further consideration was being given to alternative office accommodation for a number of reasons including operational, the possibility of reducing costs and also financial risk.

3.11       The Chair commented that securing a future round of LEADER was a critical part of the future for the AONB Partnership.