Archived decisions

COUNTRYSIDE SERVICE REVIEW - A VISION FOR THE FUTURE

1. The Executive Member has considered a report on the reorganisation of the Countryside Service which outlined the key outcomes arising from a review of the Service and the impact that this would have on its structure and direction.

2. The review process was facilitated by two external consultants, namely Professor Thompson and Ms Gamble; Professor Thompson had made a strategic assessment of the current organisational arrangements and the management structure of the service, whilst Ms Gamble had involved Countryside Service staff in the exercise.

3. Professor Thompson's report had highlighted 11 key recommendations such as the establishment of a formal internal coordination mechanism to oversee the Countryside Strategy and ensure consistent implementation of its countryside policies, increasing access to the country, especially for those who find it difficult to gain such access, the strengthening by the service of its promotional capacity and the rationalisation of its holdings by cutting back to a grouping of sites of strategic importance for protection, conservation or access. As a result of the work undertaken by Ms Gamble, a set of guiding principles had been established which would be applicable to all staff and volunteers and the staff themselves had helped develop a positive framework for taking the service forward.

4. In response to the outcomes of the review, a series of actions are underway, the key ones being the reorganisation of the management structure and the redirecting of resources to respond to needs identified by the consultants, and to strengthen roles in business development, marketing and education work across the service. Urgent action has been taken to fill a number of senior management posts this being crucial in sustaining momentum and taking the Service forward at a difficult time. A new access development team has been created to secure a positive, innovative and focused approach to access to the countryside in its wider sense.

5. The Executive Member has agreed that the recommendations and actions emerging from the review should be fully implemented and he has also expressed his thanks to staff who had been involved in work on this difficult task.