The CAGNE Aviation Town & Parish Council Forum - Its Role
Elected members have a duty of care to all residents of their elected ward. The CAGNE Aviation Town and Parish Council Forum aims to provide councils and other elected and secondary individuals with information and expertise regarding flightpaths and airspace changes that potentially impact their wards, and to do so in a manner that meets the expectations and obligations of those bodies, their authority and terms of reference as elected representatives.
- Informing and empowering local councils with the facts in all aviation matters affecting their local population
- Providing clear explanations of aviation jargon
- Bringing to the attention of local areas their best options for complaint or change
- Feeding concerns into various boards that CAGNE participates in, in relation to Gatwick Airport, other aviation matters and ramifications of airports and airspace.
Any council concerned about the ethics of joining the CAGNE Aviation Town and Parish Council Forum should contact their local authority; for example, Horsham is standards@horsham.org.uk
The Forum is not to be confused with the CAGNE lobbying and campaign activities, as the Forum is separate and thus is not biased and does not have predetermined views; it is recommended by the various associations of councils that councils are not members of lobbying aviation groups.
To join or ask questions – contact the Forum Secretary: Email – cagnegatwick@gmail.com
The Forum has been funded by CAGNE but since 2020, Forum members are contributing to virtual meetings and the cost of the Forum website.
Local Councils
A local council is a universal term for community, neighbourhood, parish and town councils. They are the first tier of local government and are statutory bodies. They serve electorates and are independently elected and raise their own precept (a form of council tax).
Local councils work towards improving community well-being and providing better services. Their activities fall into three main categories: representing the local community; delivering services to meet local needs; striving to improve quality of life and community well-being.
Local councils have an extensive range of discretionary powers.
OTHER KEY FACTS:
- CAGNE’s principal representatives on the Forum are, themselves, elected parish councillors.
- CAGNE has 30 Parish and Town Council members and 2 following as associate members
- CAGNE will never speak on a council’s behalf, but only raise awareness of issues that may need to be addressed and bring the matter and its explanation to the councils’ attention.
- This is a non-voting Forum; a place where councillors can share information and discuss aviation problems with CAGNE and other members.
- CAGNE Council Forum’s decisions are made only by its members and council members.
For more information on CAGNE the lobbying group please visit www.cagne.org
CAGNE Aviation Town and Parish Council Forum – its Aims
- To provide councils with an interface between the members of the council they represent who may be affected by aviation noise and pollution, and … the many bodies and businesses involved in the promotion, expansion, and control of the highly complex aviation industry.
- To demystify complex issues and to cut through the ‘jargon’.
- To piggyback on, and benefit from, CAGNE’s expertise, information and programmes in a manner that is appropriate for councils.
The two Forum principal objectives are:
1. To ensure that every possible effort is made by Gatwick, Government and the aviation industry to minimise aircraft noise and its impact on local communities.
2. To achieve fact-based, fair and reasonable distribution of aircraft, thus fair and reasonably shared noise, while not moving noise from one community to another.
The CAGNE’s team members who work with the CAGNE Aviation Town and Parish Council Forum are:
- Councillors
- Highly informed.
- Have essential high-level industry and government contact.
- Represented on aviation committees, groups and forums.
- Able to talk on aviation issues and answer questions from communities.
- Skilled in demystifying the subject for councils, via the Forum.
