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.

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

In addition to the annual meeting, the authority must hold at least three other meetings each year for the transaction of general business.

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.

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.

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.

The election of a chair and a deputy chair must be the first business transacted at the annual meeting of the authority.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

The chair, if present, presides at a meeting of the authority.

If the chair is absent, the deputy chair presides, if present.

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