The Broads Authority is the agency which has statutory responsibility for the Broads in England. Originally, the

Nature Conservancy Council The Nature Conservancy Council (NCC) was a United Kingdom government agency responsible for designating and managing National Nature Reserves and other nature conservation areas in Great Britain between 1973 and 1991 (it did not cover Norther ...

(now

Natural England Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...

), pressed for a special authority to manage the Broads which had been neglected for a long time. In 1978, the forerunner to the present-day Broads Authority was established by the Countryside Commission (now also

). Ten years later, it had become clear that a statutory body was needed, and a special

Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of parliame ...

, the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads Act 1988 (referred to as ''the Broads Act'') made the Broads Authority into a special

statutory authority A statutory body or statutory authority is a body set up by law (statute) that is authorised to implement certain legislation on behalf of the relevant country or state, sometimes by being empowered or delegated to set rules (for example re ...

which gave it parity yet establishing key differences with

national park A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual ...

authorities.

Responsibilities

The Broads Authority has to: *conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the Broads *promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of the Broads by the public *protect the interests of

navigation Navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another.Bowditch, 2003:799. The field of navigation includes four general categories: land navigation ...

(as

navigation authority A navigation authority is a company or statutory body which is concerned with the management of a navigable canal or river. Rights of a navigation authority Whilst the rights of individual authorities vary, a navigation authority will typically ha ...

) *have regard for

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...

and

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...

*have regard for the

economic An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with th ...

and

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives from ...

interests of those who live or work in the Broads.

Second act

In 2006 the Broads Authority promoted a second act, the primary purpose of which was to introduce greater safety controls on the broads and rivers. The Broads Authority Act 2009 received Royal Assent in July 2009.

Members

The Broads Authority is not democratically elected. Members are either co-opted from local authorities (to which they have been elected) or appointed by the Secretary of State for the Environment. The Broads Authority was formerly represented by one member on the

East of England Regional Assembly The East of England Regional Assembly was the regional chamber for the East of England region of the England. It was based at Flempton, near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. The assembly was created as a ''voluntary regional chamber'' in 1998 by t ...

, now defunct.

References

External links

www.broads-authority.gov.uk

www.visitthebroads.co.uk
{{Authority control The Broads 1978 establishments in England Government agencies established in 1978 Waterways organisations in England Governance of England