Agenda item

Louise Hawson’s term as Chair of the Peak District Local Access Forum has ended after 2 years.  Louise would like to step down at this point, and the Forum is now required to appoint a Chair and Vice Chair.  No names have been put forward for the role of Chair.

Clare Griffin advised that she would not be able to put her name forward for the role of Chair because of the commitment required in between the main meetings.  Other members may feel similar.  Clare suggests that the position of Chair should be done on a meeting by meeting basis whereby the person appointed takes on the duties for the next meeting and any associated work up until the next meeting is due.  Mike Rhodes was happy to go with that suggestion.  The decision needs to be decided by members, and would need to be a standing item at the end of each agenda.

Dave Savage asked if the responsibilities of the Chair could be outlined.  Louise set this out.  An agenda is set at a pre meeting a month before each full LAF meeting.  This is circulated to members.  The Chair suggests the theme for each meeting, along with who might be asked to make any presentations to the committee.  Minutes of the previous meeting are sent out to members for review, and to suggest any amendments that need to be made.  Statutory items, such as TRO’s or Directions, need to be identified for discussion and consultation.  The Chair may also need to respond to any queries relating to LAF business.

Nick Doran suggested the Chair could be chosen by taking it in turns, possibly from an alphabetical list of names.

The next meetings are 16 October 2024 and 19 February 2025, which Clare advised, she could act as Chair for one of those meetings.  Sue Smith suggested as each meeting has a theme, members may want to act as Chair where that theme matches their own particular experience, interest and knowledge as representatives on the LAF on behalf of their stakeholder groups.  Health and Wellbeing is the suggested them for the next meeting.  If it was agreed to have a Chair on a meeting by meeting basis, the standing item on the agenda would need to be selecting both the theme and Chair for the next meeting.

Charlotte Gilbert stated that for the purposes of continuity, she was happy to continue as Vice Chair to support the role of Chair on a rotation basis, and she also advised that she would be happy to act as Chair for the next meeting.  As the theme next time is Health and Wellbeing, Louise suggests that Charlotte acts as Chair in October, and that Clare Griffin makes a presentation.

Decision:

All members around the table agreed that Charlotte Gilbert acts as Chair for the next meeting on 16 October 2024, with a theme of Health and Wellbeing.  No-one voted against.

The committee thanked Louise for her work over the last 2 years as Chair.  It had been quite a difficult time for LAF members after the previous Chair, John Thompson, passed away.  And also not the easiest time for Louise to take up the role at the end of the Covid epidemic.  Louise confirmed that it has been a pleasure to act as Chair, and appreciated that everyone on the committee contributes to the Forum.

Action: 

To have selection of Chair and theme as a standing item at the end of each agenda for future meetings.