Category Archives: Wildlife & countryside news

New minister Francis Maude was anxious to start early with some tough action, so in June he announced a bonfire of the existing 820 government funded websites.

The review… will aim to shut down up to 75% of existing sites and then look at getting the remaining sites to cuts their costs by up to 50% and move onto common infrastructures.

I reported on 30th June that the full list of which websites the government department DEFRA intended to close had already been revealed. The priorities seemed a little odd: is http://www.nationalparks.gov.uk/ really to be closed, whilst http://www.lovechips.co.uk remains? Apparently so. Now the Ranger has been researching this issue further, with some interesting results. Continue reading →

Way back in the 1980s a young ranger, still wet behind the ears, joined the Association of Countryside Rangers. The ACR was a national organisation that gave him an opportunity to go off to meet like-minded colleagues from his area, and beyond, learn about his trade, and swap stories and experiences. It was a good time, and many friends were made along the way. At some point, the ACR became the Countryside Management Association, and as the young chap worked his way up the management tree and the years went by, employers became less inclined to pay for rangers to go off to networking and training events, and – like others – he became less involved with the organisation. You’ve probably guessed who that young ranger was.

Now the end of this venerable institution may be at hand – or possibly a new beginning. It seems as though my involvement in CMA has not been atypical. Despite a fairly lively magazine and website, the association hasn’t had many active members for a long time, although there have been a few regions (step forward, the south-west) where it’s been more active than others (yes, Wales, I mean you). Now the CMA is at a crossroads, and decisions are required. I realise this is a bit of a specialist article, so if you’ve no interest in the Countryside Management Association and its future, feel free to move along as you won’t really want to read the rest of this. Otherwise, and should you also want to know my personal stance in this debate, read on. Continue reading →

Earlier on this month we learnt that the government is to review official websites. Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude promised a review which he says could see up to 75% of government websites shut down. Now, thanks to a question asked in parliament by Tom Watson MP, we can see exactly which websites will stay and which will go in DEFRA, the department most concerned with the environment. The results are interesting reading, and maybe shed some light on the new government’s priorities.

The full list of those that will stay and those that will go can be found on theyworkforyou.com, and is worth perusing. But here are some highlights. Continue reading →