Local Access Forum

The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 requires that 'local access forums' be set up across England and Wales to advise local authorities, the Natural Resources Wales and others on the improvement of public access to land for open air recreation and the enjoyment of the area.  

Each forum consists of between 12 and 20 individuals drawn from the local community and representing a wide cross section of interests. We have established a forum to cover the whole of the County except for the area of the Brecon Beacons National Park, which is covered by the Brecon Beacons National Park Local Access Forum.

The Forum meets several times each year to consider a variety of access topics, for example:

• Recreational access of all types will be considered by the Forum including walking, horse-riding, cycling and off-road driving.
• Review of recreation and access strategies
• The monitoring of 'rights of way improvement plans'
• The review of maps of 'open country' in connection with the improvement of public access to 'open country'.

All meetings of the forum are open to the public and start at 6pm.

Presently there is room on the Carmarthenshire forum for more members. We would particularly like to hear from people with an interest in the types of public access and open-air recreation that are currently underrepresented on the forum. 

We would like to hear from Carmarthenshire residents who feel they could represent owners or occupiers of land with public access, who can represent those with disabilities, who have an interest in nature or heritage conservation or who are involved in community safety. 

Increased representation in these areas would create a better balance of membership in the Carmarthenshire LAF avoiding dominance by any single interest group.

Members are expected to:

• Adhere to the sections relating to Local Access Forums in the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, relevant regulations, and these Terms of Reference
• Show commitment to achieving the aims of the LAF through constructive working with other members
• Be able to devote the necessary time to attend meetings and network outside meetings
• Have sufficient experience of access to the countryside in the local area to be able to make an informed and constructive contribution to improving access provision
• Be capable of working with a wide range of interest groups.