New Lake District National Park Authority Chair appointed

A new Chair has been appointed for the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA).

Jim Jackson has been named as the new Chair of the local government authority, replacing Tiffany Hunt who was thanked for her work during her four-year tenure.

A Member of LDNPA since February 2020, Jim was previously Deputy Chair and was elected as Chair by Members at an Authority meeting on Wednesday, 24 June.

LDNPA is governed by a board of Members, who represent the public interest and are appointed by various public bodies. Members play a key role in ensuring LDNPA fulfils its statutory purposes by providing leadership, scrutiny and strategic direction for the Authority.

There are six Members appointed by Westmorland and Furness Council, four members appointed by Cumberland Council and 10 Members appointed by the Secretary of State to represent the national interest and parish councils in the National Park.

Jim is a Secretary of State appointed Member for the National Park and has been at the Authority for five years. Jim previously worked in the telecommunications industry for 40 years where roles included project managing the Fibre Broadband rollout and the Infrastructure Director for the North of the UK for Openreach. Jim was first involved with the National Park Authority while on the Local Enterprise Partnership where he was Deputy Chair.

Jim moved to Cumbria at the age of 24 working in Kendal. In his spare time, Jim is a member of Arnside Sailing Club, a charity which aims to improve access to water sports for adults and children. As part of his role at the club Jim is a trained paddleboard instructor and Trip Leader. He is also a keen walker and can often be found on the fells. The day prior to his election as Chair Jim completed the Cumbria Way, a 73-mile linear walk through the county.

On becoming Chair Jim said: “I really enjoy getting out and meeting people. I look forward to doing more of that now in my role as Chair. I aim to build on the work already underway supporting communities, visitors, nature and the Landscape in the National Park.”

Peter Walter has been elected as Deputy Chair and is a Councillor for Above Derwent Parish Council. Peter has been a Member for three years and lives in Braithwaite. He worked in the communications and innovations industries.

Outgoing Chair Tiffany thanked everyone for the support and highlighted the “good spirit and camaraderie” between Members and Officers at the National Park, which she said “makes a huge difference”.

Read more about the current Members and governance on the LDNPA website: https://lakedistrict.gov.uk/authority/members/.