The National Park Authorities (England) Order 2015

Article 8

SCHEDULE 2 E+W Meetings and proceedings of a National Park authority

Annual and other meetings E+W

1.—(1) A National Park authority (“ the authority”) must hold an annual meeting every year and the first meeting held after 31st May in any year is to be the annual meeting.

(2) The annual meeting is to be held at such time as the authority may fix or, if no time is fixed, at noon.

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 Sch. 2 para. 1 disapplied (E.) (4.4.2020) by The Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/392), regs. 1, 8 (with reg. 2(4))

2.—(1) In addition to the annual meeting, the authority must hold at least three other meetings each year for the transaction of general business. E+W

(2) These other meetings must be held at such time and on such days as the authority may determine but must be as near as may be at regular intervals.

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C2 Sch. 2 para. 2 disapplied (E.) (4.4.2020) by The Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/392), regs. 1, 8 (with reg. 2(4))

3.—(1) An extraordinary meeting of the authority may be called at any time by— E+W

(a) the chair of the authority;

(b) the deputy chair of the authority, if the office of chair is vacant; or

(c) the National Park officer, if the offices of chair and deputy chair are both vacant.

(2) Any five members of the authority may call an extraordinary meeting immediately if the chair, deputy chair or National Park officer (as the case may be) refuses to call such a meeting after a requisition has been presented to that person for that purpose.

(3) Any five members of the authority may call an extraordinary meeting after the period of seven days starting with the date on which a requisition is presented to the chair, deputy chair or National Park officer (as the case may be) if, without refusing to do so, that person has not called a meeting within that period.

(4) In this paragraph “requisition” means a document which—

(a) specifies the nature of important or urgent business; and

(b) is signed by five members of the authority.

Chair and deputy chair E+W

4.—(1) The election of a chair and a deputy chair must be the first business transacted at the annual meeting of the authority.

(2) A person elected as chair or deputy chair of the authority may at any time resign that office by notice in writing delivered to the National Park officer.

(3) Where a casual vacancy in the office of chair or deputy chair is filled, the person appointed to fill that vacancy holds office until the date on which the person last holding that office would have retired in the ordinary course.

(4) Where necessary, the meeting at which a casual vacancy is to be filled must be convened by the National Park officer.

Calling of meetings E+W

5.—(1) Meetings of the authority are to be held at such place (whether or not in the National Park for which it is established) as the authority may direct.

(2) At least three working days before a meeting of the authority—

(a) notice of the time and place of the intended meeting must be published at the principal offices of the authority and, where the meeting is called by members of the authority, the notice must—

(i) be signed by those members; and

(ii) specify the business proposed to be transacted; and

(b) a summons to attend the meeting, specifying the business proposed to be transacted and signed by the National Park officer must, subject to sub-paragraph (3), be left at or sent by post to the usual place of residence of every member of the authority, with a copy to—

(i) the proper officer of the council for every relevant principal area;

(ii) Natural England; and

(iii) the Secretary of State.

(3) If a member of the authority gives notice in writing to the National Park officer that the member wishes summonses to attend meetings of the authority to be sent to an address, specified in the notice, other than the member's usual place of residence, any summons addressed to the member and left at or sent by post to that address is to be deemed sufficient service of the summons.

(4) Failure to serve a summons on any member of the authority does not affect the validity of a meeting.

(5) Except in the case of business required by or under this Order or any other statutory provision to be transacted at the annual meeting of the authority and other business brought before that meeting as a matter of urgency in accordance with the authority's standing orders, no business is to be transacted at a meeting of the authority other than that specified in the summons relating to that meeting M1 .

(6) In sub-paragraph (2), “working day” means a day other than a Saturday, Sunday, Christmas Day, Good Friday or bank holiday within the meaning of the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 M2 .

Marginal Citations

M1 See also section 100B(4) of the 1972 Act (consideration of items of business), inserted by section 1(1) of the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985 (c.43) and applied to National Park authorities by section 100J(1)(cd) of the 1972 Act (inserted by paragraph 12(2)(a) of Schedule 7 to the 1995 Act).

M2 1971 c.80. See section 1 and Schedule 1.

Conduct of meetings E+W

6.—(1) The chair, if present, presides at a meeting of the authority.

(2) If the chair is absent, the deputy chair presides, if present.

(3) If both the chair and the deputy chair are absent, another member of the authority, chosen by the members present, presides.

Quorum E+W

7.  No business may be transacted at a meeting of the authority unless M3 —

(a) at least one third of the total number of members of the authority is present; and

(b) of those present, at least one is a local authority member and at least one is a member appointed by the Secretary of State.

Marginal Citations

M3 See also paragraph 45 of Schedule 12 to the 1972 Act (quorum) which is applied to a National Park authority by virtue of paragraph 12(1)(a) of Schedule 7 to the 1995 Act.

Minutes of proceedings of meetings E+W

8.  A copy of the minutes of the proceedings at each meeting of the authority must, before the end of the period of 35 days starting with the date of the meeting at which those minutes are approved, be sent to—

(a) the proper officer of the council for every relevant principal area;

(b) Natural England; and

(c) the Secretary of State.