To whom it may concern….: Tips for those considering applying as Natural England’s new Chair

A guest blog from Chris Corrigan - the RSPB's Director of England.

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It was recently announced that Andrew Sells will retire as Natural England’s Chair in January 2019. 

During his five years at the helm, Andrew has presided over an organisation under increasing political pressure, and subject to successive rounds of drastic budget cuts to its already limited resources.

However, despite the squeeze there have been some excellent collaborations during this time, including our shared endeavour to drive forwards the all-important seabird census. And of course, there is the inspirational Back from the Brink Project, which has seen RSPB team up with Natural England and a range of other partners to save 20 species from extinction and to help secure a better future for another 118. This project is having real impact as I know from the exciting Chequered Skipper reintroduction in Rockingham Forest and the ground-breaking work on black tailed godwits in the Ouse and Nene Washes.

Image: Nene Washes RSPB reserve (Andy Hay; rspb-images.com)

But I would be in a state of denial if I said that all was rosy. Whilst we continue to work well with many of Natural England’s skilled and dedicated staff, it feels like there has been an increasingly tense relationship between the agency and the wildlife NGO community as a whole – the RSPB included. In line with the prevailing political climate, there has been a move away from regulation and scrutiny, and an increasing emphasis on facilitating economic aspirations.

This has, at least in part, contributed to an increasing number of areas of concern and conflict such as burning on blanket bogs, gull culling in Bowland, housing proposals in the Brecks and hen harrier brood management. As an NGO it is our job to challenge any organisation and the political decisions that affect it when we do not believe they are in the best interests of nature.

So what of Natural England’s future and what do we need to see from its new chair?

In its recent report the House of Lords Select Committee on the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act’s conclusions echoed many our own concerns (loss of independence, political interference and imposition of competing duties). They also noted that, to deliver against its broad remit, Natural England ‘requires adequate resources and…a good degree of independence from Government’ but ’currently enjoys neither’.

It is vital that Board members of Natural England (and indeed other agencies) are independent of Government and party political influence – and importantly, are seen to be so. This is particularly essential in the case of the Chair.

This is one reason why we have been so vocal on the need for an environmental watchdog after Brexit. The promise of a new body means that Government and its agencies should be held properly accountable for delivery against their environmental ambitions, commitments and obligations. The watchdog should also ensure accountability for delivery against the aspirations and targets of a new Environment Act, which, if it is as ‘ambitious’ as Theresa May has promised, should create new and exciting opportunities and challenges for the Government’s environment advisors and regulators – Natural England included.

And this new-found focus on ambition for the environment looks set to be mirrored on the global stage in the run up to the 2020 Convention on Biological Diversity, at which past performance against targets will be assessed, and attention will turn to future ambitions for nature. The UK’s engagement here will be a key test of the Government’s stated desire to be a world leader on the environment.

So potential applicants might like to consider how to ensure that Natural England places itself front and centre of the Westminster Government’s ambition for nature and the environment, and what steps will be required to make that happen. This should include thoughts on:

• How to reinvigorate Natural England as the independent, evidence-led and robust regulator that nature in England so badly needs
• How to refocus Natural England’s limited resources on its core and critical purpose of conserving and enhancing the natural environment to deliver real and positive change – measured in the condition of protected areas, the recovery of species, and the restoration and enhancement of the habitats in the wider countryside on which they rely
• How to lead the development of new approaches to the protection and restoration of nature – with the commitments in the Government’s recently published 25 year plan to improve the environment in England including the creation of a Nature Recovery Network and the restoration of 75% of England’s terrestrial and freshwater protected sites
• How to value, support, develop and empower Natural England’s people to deliver a new and ambitious agenda

The role of Natural England Chair is a critical one – the scale of the challenge should not be under-estimated, but nor should the importance of seizing the opportunities. We look forward to working with the successful applicant.