Performance Committee - September 2024

This document contains the draft minutes from the Cairngorms National Park Authority Performance Committee meeting held on 14 June 2024. The meeting covered several topics including updates on the "Bringing back beaver's" project, the Cairngorms 2030 programme, delivery of statutory duties under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, the Cairngorms and Glenmore Strategy 2016, and the Cairngorms Capercaillie Project. Discussions involved board members questioning progress, budgets, and plans related to these projects, with responses and clarifications provided by the CEO, Head of Conservation, and other directors. The meeting concluded with a review of action points and scheduling the next meeting for 20 September 2024.

This document contains an update on the Cairngorms 2030 (C2030) programme for the second quarter of 2024 (April to June). The Park Authority received £12.5 million from The National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) to develop and deliver C2030, aiming to make the Cairngorms National Park the UK's first net-zero national park. The report discusses strategic risk management, including programme and future funding risks, particularly regarding Sustrans funding for Active Communities projects. The document also covers stakeholder engagement, volunteer activities, and theme lead highlights such as woodland expansion and peatland restoration. Furthermore, it mentions recruitment, training, governance meetings with NLHF, budget and cash flow updates, and upcoming programme delivery actions scheduled until the end of September 2024.

This document contains programme milestones for "Cairngorms 2030" as of 20 September 2024, presented to the Performance Committee. It outlines the progress and planned completion dates for various projects and initiatives across different areas, including woodland expansion, peatland restoration, nature recovery, future farming, climate resilient catchments, green finance, community wealth building, landscape and communities, community engagement, climate learning, community arts and culture, sustainable transport, and health and wellbeing. The document uses a colour-coded system to indicate the status of each milestone, whether it has been completed, added since the last report, or has had its wording changed.

This document contains a section of the Cairngorms 2030 activity plan (2024-2028) concerning engagement activities. It outlines the ethos and core principles of engagement, the practical elements of engagement activities, and how the Cairngorms National Park Authority plans to deliver them. The document details the three categories of engagement activities, which are to help target audiences connect with natural and cultural heritage, activities that will be developed and delivered by the Cairngorms 2030 programme team and partners and activities that will be community or target-audience led. The document specifies the methods of engagement that will be most relevant for the audiences. The document also goes into detail on the governance and staffing structure for engagement and the budget for engagement.

This document contains an update for the Performance Committee on the Cairngorms National Park Authority's Peatland ACTION programme. The report outlines progress against the programme targets for 2024/25 and provides consideration for plans in 2025/26. The Peatland ACTION programme aims to restore a minimum of 38,000 hectares of peatland by 2045. While the program is on track to meet its restoration target for 2024/25, it faces challenges due to a reduction in funding from the Scottish Government and uncertainty about future funding which affects confidence and engagement in the sector. However, there is increased interest from the private sector, and the Park Authority aims to increase private investment in peatland restoration and maintain relationships with land managers.

This document contains an update for the Performance Committee on 20 September 2024, regarding the work of the Cairngorms Local Action Group Trust (the Cairngorms Trust) and the Park Authority in Community Led Local Development (CLLD) activity. The Committee is asked to consider how the programmes of activity are contributing to the Park Authority's strategic outcomes, if the updates suggest any strategic impacts on agreed performance objectives, and any material impacts on strategic risk management. It also assesses the work being done by the Cairngorms Trust and the development of CLLD within the Cairngorms National Park, measured against key performance indicators, in comparison to a previous report from June 2023, as well as highlighting potential risks related to funding and strategic objectives. The Cairngorms Trust aims to increase donations to £30,000 each year by the end of their business plan in 2027.

This document contains the Cairngorms Trust's August 2024 quarterly report, which includes updates on various projects and fundraising efforts. Some Green Recovery Projects are now complete, and three Nature Resilience Fund projects have also finished. The ACE bike project is flourishing, and all bikes are currently out on loan. The Braemar Society Bridge has claimed their second tranche of funding, and repairs are underway. Fundraising events have raised £458.97 after fees, and the Trust is seeking support to reach its fundraising goals. The bank balance as of June 30th, 2024, was £235,429.20.

This document contains the minutes from the Cairngorms National Park Authority Performance Committee meeting held on 20 September 2024. Key topics discussed included updates on the Cairngorms 2030 program, focusing on risk management and sustainable transport projects, and how it will be affected by Scottish Government (SG) budget cuts. There was also a discussion on how to measure community views and engage local residents effectively. The committee also reviewed the Cairngorms Peatland Action Programme, highlighting funding opportunities and project progress and the Cairngorms Trust and Community Led Local Development, where discussions were held regarding funding and structure of the projects. The next meeting is scheduled for 13 December and the meeting closed at 11.27am.