REPORT FROM STRATEGIC WORKING GROUP

Introduction

At the April Council meeting, it was agreed that a small group should review the current Strategic Plan and consider whether it should be revised and updated.
The group consisting of George Allan, Jasmine Cameron, Sandy McIntosh & Dave Windle met on 30th July and decided that the existing plan was fit for purpose and not in need of updating. The key points of the discussion are noted below.

Discussion Points

Other NGOs
The relationship between the NEMT and other NGOs was explored. It was reaffirmed that the primary purpose of the NEMT should be to focus on the North East, both coastal and mountainous areas and leave national issues, e.g. climate change, to the national NGOS. However, it is recognized that working with other NGOs is potentially a powerful way of taking forward local issues, e.g. the work at a national level on hill tracks, the JMT campaign on wild land and the proposed MCofS campaign on not siting wind farms in areas of landscape significance. It was agreed that NEMT should continue to take an interest in developments elsewhere in mountainous areas but as a lesser priority.

Priorities
Priorities for the coming winter season should be:

• Membership drive
• Encouraging members to take a more active role, possibly via more sub and discussion groups
• Continuing to monitor threats to wild land
• Working with other NGOs on national matters, as per the examples above
• Mountain Views / Lectures (agreed to make Mountain Views more forward looking and more members contributing)
• Day out Activity to inform existing membership and help with the membership drive - such events to be, say, 18 -24 months apart. Important to start planning early
• Setting up a system using member volunteers to monitor planning applications across the North East to be able to react earlier in the planning cycle

As one way of increasing focus on these priorities, it was agreed that they should be on the agenda for all Council meetings and come first.

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