Public Rights Of Way Local Access Forum

Meetings of the City of Birmingham Local Access Forum, of which members of the public are welcome to attend, take place regularly in the Council House, Victoria Square

Dates of the next meeting will be announced shortly.

What does the Local Access Forum do?

The forum has a wide role in advising upon strategic access, recreation and public rights of way issues to Birmingham City Council. It comments on the draft maps prepared by the Countryside Agency showing open country and registered common land and helps to develop a rights of way improvement plan which assists the Council in its aims to encourage walking and cycling within its area.

The council is required to ensure a reasonable balance between the number of members representing differing interests. Forum members are supposed to respect local circumstances and the needs of integrated land management, environmental, social, economic, educational, health interests ethnic diversity and gender. They also operate within the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 and associated regulations and must have regard to statutory guidance. LAF members are required to demonstrate a commitment to an inclusive approach to the improvement of recreational access and public rights of way, engaging in constructive debate and seeking consensus whenever possible.

Forums are conducted as openly as possible and are accessible to the public with respect to meetings and papers. Overview and Scrutiny Committees should work with the LAF to make recommendations on access and rights of way issues relevant to Cabinet members.

Who can join?

The current Local Access Forum consists of 10 members and a small number of vacancies still exists for members of the public. If you are an owner or occupier of land, are a walker, cyclist or horse rider, interested in ethnic and/or cultural issues associated with walking, cycling and access, use the countryside and green spaces in and around Birmingham or if you find the countryside and green spaces challenging to use we would like to hear from you. The current members are: Peter Bennett, Steve Brittain, Hannah Brown, Harry Child, Wiebina Heesterman (chair), Bob Hunt, Peter Payne, Dene Stevens, Cllr. Robert Wright, and Cllr Stuart Clarkson.