Lib Dem Cllrs meet Minister to discuss National Park (Kirsty Williams AM )

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Kirsty Williams AM <info@kirstywilliams.org.uk>

Lib Dem Cllrs meet Minister to discuss National Park

February 9, 2009 12:00 AM

Cllr John Morris, Kirsty and Cllr Liam Fitzpatrick are pictured in the Senedd.

Lib Dem Councillors Liam Fitzpatrick of Talybont and John Morris of Crickhowell today met with the Minister for the Environment, Sustainability and Housing, Jane Davidson along with Kirsty Williams AM to discuss various issues relating to the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority.

Cllr Liam Fitzpatrick said: "Although we are disappointed that the Minister was unable to discuss specific cases we were pleased to hear that a comprehensive Welsh Audit Office will be published in March reporting on the National Park's progress. Accountability and transparency are still high on the agenda for our residents and we expressed this robustly to the Minister and her team.

"Kirsty Williams and myself were able to meet with the Acting Chief Executive of the National Park, John Cook last week and we were able to see some of the changes and improvements they had already implemented to its planning department.

"The Minister has also reiterated this improvement since the departure of the previous senior management team. However we believe there are still some hurdles to overcome. We need to improve the lines of communication between Members of the Authority and the communities that they serve.

"We have also suggested to the Minister that an independent scrutiny panel should be set up so that regular liaisons between communities, officers and members can be instigated immediately and that some level of public confidence can be restored.

"We raised the matter of the democratic deficit and our belief that local people should be represented appropriately on the Authority and the Minister considered our requests in this regard at some length.

"We look forward to the publication of the report, continued and open dialogue with the Park and the resolution of any ongoing issues that cause uncertainty and distress not only to our residents in Talybont and Crickhowell but throughout the Park."

Kirsty Williams AM for Brecon and Radnorshire said: "The effective working of the National Park Authority is hugely important to our communities and to the day to day lives of their residents.

"It was useful to discuss with the Minister how best the Welsh Assembly Government can support the park in making the necessary improvements to its services."