Board Meeting - March 2020

This document contains the agenda for a Cairngorms National Park Authority board meeting. The meeting, held on Friday, 27 March 2020, via video conference, will cover several items including welcoming attendees, reviewing apologies, approving minutes from 6 December 2019, discussing matters arising from previous meetings, and noting declarations of interest. Key decisions will be made regarding the 2019/20 budget and operational plan, and a review of standing orders for business continuity. The next meeting is scheduled for Friday, 12 June 2020, at the Park Authority headquarters in Grantown on Spey.

This document contains the draft minutes from a Cairngorms National Park Authority board meeting held on 6 December 2019. The meeting covered a range of topics, including updates on action points from previous meetings, a CEO report highlighting strategic priorities (such as the Local Development Plan Review), discussions about the Cairngorms National Park's response to climate change, and the approval of the Cairngorms Economic Action Plan 2019-2022. The board also adopted the Place Principle and reviewed the Authority's corporate performance and strategic risk management. The next board meeting was scheduled for 27 March 2020.

This document contains a report from the Cairngorms National Park Authority's Chief Executive, highlighting key strategic areas of work. These include conservation efforts like the Cairngorms Nature Action Plan and the Capercaillie Project, along with woodland expansion and peatland restoration initiatives. Progress on landscape partnerships, such as the Tomintoul and Glenlivet project, is also detailed, covering various projects from wader scrape installations to woodland management and skills training. The report further covers visitor experience, focusing on access improvements, long-distance routes, and promoting responsible access. Finally, updates are given on planning, community-led housing, economic action plans, and various communications and stakeholder engagement activities.

This document contains the Cairngorms National Park Authority's 2020/21 budget and operational plan. It outlines the park's financial position, proposed budget allocations for core income and expenditure, and planned operational investments. The plan aims to deliver the authority's corporate plan objectives. The document requests board review of the proposed budget and resource allocation, consideration of potential risks, endorsement of the plan, and ongoing monitoring of budget and resource allocations considering the impacts of Covid-19. The plan includes details of staffing levels, income sources including grants, and spending across conservation, visitor experience, and rural development. Success will be measured against the corporate plan's key performance indicators and regularly reported to the board.

This document contains the Cairngorms National Park Authority's draft budget for 2020/21. The budget outlines spending across several areas, including land management, conservation, visitor services, planning and development, corporate support, and communications. Each area has detailed breakdowns of costs, showing planned spending, committed spending, staff costs (in pounds and full-time equivalent positions - FTE), and percentages of the overall budget. The total operational plan budget is five million, seventy-nine thousand, five hundred pounds, with significant allocations to staff and running costs. Supporting documents detail individual projects and their associated costs, staff, and value, across all budget sections.

This document contains a proposal from the Cairngorms National Park Authority to temporarily change their standing orders. This is in response to the coronavirus outbreak and the need for business continuity planning. The changes would allow for flexible meeting arrangements (including the possibility of ceasing face-to-face meetings) to manage the impact of the pandemic. The document includes recommendations for the board's approval, along with details of the proposed changes and how they'll be implemented.

This document contains a business continuity plan from the Cairngorms National Park Authority in response to the Coronavirus pandemic. The plan addresses potential disruptions to board and committee meetings due to illness, travel restrictions, and guidance to minimise large gatherings. Key considerations include maintaining quorum for meetings (half the members plus one), allowing for participation via telephone or video-conference in certain circumstances, and establishing contingency plans for decision-making if key members are unavailable. These contingency measures involve pre-listing potential decision items, potentially adjusting quorum requirements with approval, and designating alternative decision-makers. The plan prioritizes the continued functioning of the board and committees, even with potential limitations caused by the pandemic.

This document contains amendments to the Cairngorms National Park Authority's standing orders, to be implemented during a public health emergency or other disruptions. These changes temporarily suspend public access to meetings, reduce quorum requirements, and allow for remote participation via telephone or video conference. A specific procedure is outlined for initiating and managing these temporary arrangements, involving key officers and board members to ensure continued operation of the board and committees. The changes also affect the scheduling of meetings and elections for committee officers.