Agenda and minutes

To receive and consider the attached Schedule of Correspondence and any recommendations thereon (below).

The Chair welcomed the new Chief Executive, Catherine Mealing-Jones and Monitoring Officer Marc Ronan.  He thanked the outgoing Monitoring Officer for officiating today.

The Monitoring Officer drew members’ attention to procedural advice included on the agenda.

Members noted the re-appointment of Cllr Gareth Ratcliffe as Chair of the Authority until the next Annual General Meeting of the Authority.  The Chair thanked members, and in particularly the Deputy Chair, for their support.

Members noted the re-appointment of Liz Davis as Deputy Chair of the Authority until the next Annual General Meeting of the Authority.  The Deputy Chair thanked members and the Chair, and also paid tribute to the Transition Director.  She looked forward to working together and looking externally rather than internally.

To receive any declarations of interest from Members relating to items on the agenda.  Members’ attention is drawn to the sheet attached to the attendance sheet and the need to record their declarations verbally and in writing, specifying the nature of the interest.

If Members have declared an interest in an item please ensure that you inform the Chair when you are leaving the room, so that this can be recorded in the minutes.

There were no declarations of interest.

To give opportunity for members of the public to address the meeting in accordance with the Authority’s Public Speaking Scheme.

There were no requests to speak.

Members made decisions as follows on membership of committees.

RESOLVED: To appoint all members to the Planning, Access and Rights of Way Committee  

Members noted  the re-appointment of  Mr Julian Stedman as Chair of Planning, Access and Rights of Way Committee until the next Annual General Meeting of the Authority, and the re-appointment of Cllr Edwin Roderick as Deputy Chair of the Planning, Access and Rights of Way Committee until the next Annual Meeting of the Authority.  Both members addressed the meeting.

The Chair advised that Mr J Marsden had withdrawn his nomination for Chair of Audit and Scrutiny Committee, and members noted the re-appointment of Cllr A James as Chair until the next Annual General Meeting of the Authority.  Cllr James addressed the meeting.

The Chair sought self nominations from the floor for the position of Deputy Chair of the committee.  Members noted the appointment of Cllr S Evans as Deputy Chair of Audit and Scrutiny Committee until the next Annual General Meeting of the Authority.

RESOLVED:  That the following members be appointed to the Audit and Scrutiny Committee until the next Annual General Meeting of the Authority:  Cllrs A James, A Webb, G Thomas, J Hill, S Evans, J Williams, and Mr J Marsden, Mr A Edwards and Mr C Coppock.

RESOLVED:  That Cllr A Webb, Cllr A James and S Holden be appointed to the Standards Committee until the next Annual General Meeting of the Authority.

RESOLVED:  That the following members be appointed to the Appointments Committee until the next Annual General Meeting of the Authority:  Cllr G Ratcliffe, Cllr A James, Cllr J Hill, Cllr E Roderick, Cllr S Evans, Cllr A Webb, Mr J Stedman, L Davis and S Holden.

The Chair thanked Mr C Coppock for his work on the committee following his decision to stand down.

RESOLVED: 

a)      That the following members be appointed to the Sustainable Development Committee until the next Annual General Meeting of the Authority:  Cllr M Jones, Cllr J Hill, Cllr E Roderick, Cllr A Webb, Cllr J Williams (subject to his agreement) and Mr A Edwards.

b)      That the sixth place on the committee be sought at the next meeting of the Authority.

As no self-nominations had been received for Chair or Deputy Chair the Chair sought nominations from the floor.

Members noted the appointment of Cllr M Jones as Chair and Mr A Edwards as Deputy Chair of the Sustainable Development Fund Committee until the next Annual General Meeting of the Authority.

RESOLVED:  That all members be appointed to the Policy Forum.

Members considered a motion from the floor to suspend Standing Order 8.7 in relation to there being no ballot required if only one nomination was received for the role of Chair or Deputy Chair.  The Chair took advice from the Monitoring Officer confirmed that under Standing Order 11.7 this motion could be brought without notice, and that under Standing Order 26.0 standing orders could be suspended without notice provided that at least two thirds of the members were present.  He advised that members would first need to agree to suspend Standing Order 8.7 in order to move to a vote on the appointment of a Chair of Policy, for which there had been one nomination.

In response to a suggestion that the post be remunerated, and for that reason the Deputy Chair of the Authority should chair Policy Forum, officers advised that if the Authority wished to add a remunerated post to the establishment a case would need to be made to the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales.

RESOLVED:  That Standing Order 8.7 be suspended.

The point was made that the Authority had agreed a process of self-nomination in advance of the Annual General Meeting and any objection to this should have been made at that stage.  It was also noted that three members were not at the meeting today.  The Monitoring Officer reiterated his advice on Standing Orders and advised that all members had been invited to the meeting but it was a matter for them whether they attended.

The self-nominated candidate for the post of Chair of Policy Forum confirmed to the Chair that he would stand by the decision of members and had nothing more to add.

RESOLVED:  That Mr J Marsden is not appointed as Chair of Policy Forum.

A member proposed that the Deputy Chair of the Authority be appointed as Chair of the Policy Forum, but the Deputy Chair reminded members that under Standing Orders she could not hold more than one Chair or Deputy post.  She asked whether she could renominate Mr Marsden, and the Chair confirmed that Standing Order 8.2 would need to be suspended in order to do that.  The Deputy Chair advised that she had had no knowledge of the proposal and had had no time to prepare.  She asked for the decision to be deferred in order to reflect on the proceedings today; the Chair confirmed that it could be deferred to a future Authority meeting and that the Deputy Chair of the Policy Forum would step in during the interim period.

Members noted the appointment of Cllr G Thomas as Deputy Chair of Policy Forum until the next Annual General Meeting of the Authority

RESOLVED:  To appoint the following members as Member Champions until the next Annual General Meeting of the Authority:

Written annual reports from champions had been published in the Modern.gov library; verbal reports were also received on Welsh Language, Communities and Equality and Diversity.

Given the uncertainty over the post of Chair of Policy  Forum it was suggested that appointing members to the new Policy Programme Group be deferred, but in view of the need to give support to officers on key strategic documents it was agreed to continue to appoint members.

RESOLVED:  To appoint members to the following working groups as follows:

a)      Local Access Forum Selection Panel:  Mr J Stedman, Cllr Roderick, Mr J Marsden and the Resilient Communities Champion when appointed;

b)      Governance and Member Development Working Group:  Cllr G Ratcliffe, Cllr J Hill, Cllr E Roderick, Mr C Coppock, Ms S Holden and L Davis;

c)      Affordable Housing Working Group:  Cllr M Jones, Cllr S McNicholas, Cllr A Webb, Cllr A James, Mr J Stedman and Mr C Coppock;

d)      Policy Programme Working Group: Cllr G Thomas, Cllr A James, Mr J Marsden, L Davis, Mr J Stedman and the Chair of Policy Forum when appointed.

RESOLVED:  That the following appointments to outside bodies be made:

a)    National Parks UK:  Chair of the Authority (Deputy Chair to deputise)

b)    National Parks Wales:  Chair and Deputy Chair of the Authority

c)    Welsh Local Government Association:  Chair of the Authority

d)    Regional Strategic Planning Groups:  South East – Cllr A Webb, South West – Cllr G Thomas

e)    Regional Technical Statement Member Forum:  Mr J Stedman

f)      Alliance of Welsh National Parks:  Chair of the Authority

g)    Brecknock Access Group:  Cllr E Roderick

h)    Blaenavon World Heritage Site Partnership Board: Cllr S Evans

i)      Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal Steering Group:  Mr J Stedman

j)      Powys Public Service Board Scrutiny Committee:  L Davis (1^st reserve Cllr J Hill, 2^nd reserve Cllr S Evans)

k)    Dark Skies:  S Holden

l)      Black Mountain Land Use Partnership: Cllr E Roderick

m)   Biodiversity Information Service:  Cllr A James.

Any other business that the Chair considers of sufficient urgency and has been

notified to him in advance.

There was no further business.