Governance and accountability

We are governed by an independently appointed Board of Trustees who provide expert guidance, drive the long term vision and protect our reputation and values. Our Trustees ensure the correct procedures and policies are in place to manage the Trust’s resources effectively.

Our Member Organisations support us in a variety of ways including joint working on projects and providing the role of ‘critical friend’. Our Members attend Annual General Meetings and play a key role in guiding the direction of the Land Trust.

Day to day operations are the responsibility of the Chief Executive and Senior Leadership Team, supported by our staff team. The Senior Leadership Team provides regular updates to the Board of Trustees and Members.

At a local level, the Land Trust identifies and appoints an appropriate managing partner to manage the site on behalf of ourselves and the local community. The benefits for communities are twofold: they can enjoy the local expertise, activities and events offered by the on-site ranger team; and be safe in the knowledge that the managing agents are fully accountable to the Land Trust to deliver the outputs outlined in the Management Agreement.

As a Registered Charity (No. 1138337), we are accountable to the Charity Commission in England and Wales, who have approved our charitable objects and monitor our performance against them. We are governed by legislation in the Trustee Act 2000 and the Charities Act 2006. We are also a company limited by guarantee (No 5077263) and registered with the Office of the Scottish Charity Register (No SC43833).

Our safeguards

We recognise that our utmost priority is to secure the long term benefits of the open space we manage for the local community and we are confident that our governance and management structures enable us to do this. Specific safeguards include:

• As a registered charity, the Charity Commission approve of our charitable objects and rigorously monitor our performance against those charitable objects.
• Our Articles of Association set out our governance structure, charitable objects and operating principles. Copies are available on request.
• Our secure investment strategy dictates that site specific funds are ring fenced, meaning the capital investment is protected and only the interest is spent on site maintenance.
• The legal agreements for the funding provided.

The Land Trust is a registered charity and limited company and as such is governed by all relevant legislation. The trustees believe the Land Trust is sufficiently funded to operate as a going concern. The Trust manages its funds to take this into account however in the unlikely event that we cease to operate, the remaining assets would be given or transferred to another charity or charities having charitable objects similar to the Land Trust, including all land, money and associated agreements.

On a local level, the comprehensive site Management Plan is the key safeguard. This document represents a contractual agreement between the Land Trust and the managing agent, outlining specific aims and objectives for site maintenance, environmental improvements and community involvement. The plan is set for a 10 year period to ensure longevity but it is analysed regularly to provide comfort that the partnership is delivering their commitments and the community is receiving the outputs it can expect.

Managing Partners provide detailed quarterly performance reports and the Management Plan and contract is reviewed annually. This management process gives the current landowner, funder and other stakeholders assurance that the site and the investment within it is being well managed.