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CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY 
Finance Committee Paper 2 20/10/06 


CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY 
FINANCE COMMITTEE 


FOR DECISION 


Title: 
RATIFICATION OF PREVIOUSLY APPROVED 

EXPENDITURE PROPOSALS and APPROVAL OF 
EXPENDITURE PREVIOUSLY PRESENTED TO THE 
CNPA BOARD 

Prepared by: Denby Pettitt, Finance Manager 



Purpose 

To summarise expenditure that has been approved by the Finance Committee since their last 
meeting on 8 September 2006 and formally approve the commitment of expenditure on the 
LBAP project to 2010. 


Recommendations 

That the Committee formally approve: 

a) 
the expenditure detailed in para. 1 in respect of pre-arrival signage; and 

b)
 the expenditure detailed in para. 5 in respect of the Cairngorms LBAP project. 



Executive Summary 

a) 
At the September 2006 meeting the Finance Committee approved a change to the 
approval process whereby expenditure between £10,000 and £24,999 is approved by 
its Convener, together with the Chief Executive and Head of Corporate Services 
outwith the normal quarterly Committee meetings. Any expenditure approved in 
this way is reported to the next full Committee meeting. 

b) 
The CNPA Board meeting on 30 June 2006 (Paper 3) and approved the CNPA’s 
active involvement with the Cairngorms LBAP process for 2006-2010 together with 
the allocation of resources to support the employment and hosting of the LBAP 
Officer. 

c) 
Since the expenditure exceeds £25,000 financial approval is required from the 
Finance Committee. In future, we are trying to identify such commitments in 
advance in order that financial approval is received prior to any Decision paper 
being presented to the CNPA Board. 



RATIFICATION OF PREVIOUSLY APPROVED 
EXPENDITURE PROPOSALS and APPROVAL OF EXPENDITURE 
PREVIOUSLY PRESENTED TO THE CNPA BOARD 
FOR DECISION 

Proposals Previously Agreed by the Finance Committee Convener, Chief 
Executive and Head of Corporate Services 

1. 
Since the Finance Committee meeting on 8 September 2006 the following expenditure 
plans have been approved by the Finance Committee Convener, the Chief Executive and 
Head of Corporate Services in line with the two-tier approval process agreed at the 
September meeting: 

Expenditure
(a) Pre-arrival signage

Head of Group 
 M. Ferguson

Date circulated 
27 Sept

£’000 
20

Approval received 
Yes 


2. 
The expenditure on pre-arrival signage will be tendered for and is necessary to hire a 
consultant to produce detailed advice, in the form of a scoping report, on the design and 
location of road signs that guide visitors to the Park. The current Operational Plan 
contains provision for this expenditure. 

3. 
The proposed expenditure received unanimous approval. 


Expenditure Previously Presented to the CNPA Board 

4. 
At its meeting on 30 June 2006, the CNPA Board agreed the continuation of CNPA’s 
involvement with the Cairngorms LBAP process from 2006 to 2010. Full details of this 
were given in Board Paper 3 and para. 32 to 38 examined the financial implications. 

5. 
The monetary cost to CNPA will be up to £19,000 in a full financial year with the current 
year’s cost being just over £8,500 as the project already has existing funding to October 
2006. In addition, there is a cost to the CNPA of providing resources to support the 
employment and hosting of the LBAP Officer which the Board paper detailed. 

6. 
Since this expenditure exceeds £25,000 it is necessary for the Finance Committee to 
approve it. Although our budgets to 2010 have not been finalised, an LBAP Officer has 
been employed since 1998 and current indications are that the anticipated costs to 2010 
are affordable. The Board paper (para. 36) also states that the LBAP Management Group 
will continue to examine the possibility of including more funding partners from 
amongst other Steering Group members which would reduce the financial input from 
CNPA. 

7. 
In future, as part of the Operational Plan process and quarterly reviews, officers will 
ensure that future commitments are identified earlier in the commitment process in 
order that a decision on financial affordability is made before project approval is sought 
from the CNPA Board. 


DENBY PETTITT 
11 October 2006 

denbypettitt@cairngorms.co.uk