CONSULTATION on Improvements to Local Nature Partnership membership and structure
We are interested in making some changes to the ways of working, communicating and organising in Gloucestershire Local Nature Partnership, to improve our strength as a partnership.
Some of the reasons we are interested in improving and strengthening the partnership are:
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Lots of people consider themselves part of the Local Nature Partnership, but have very different pictures of what that means to them.
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There are uncertainties about what the partnership is and what being a member means.
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As a wide and varied partnership, do our methods of communication and sharing information need updating – is there something that would serve your needs better?
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Some areas of current Local Nature Partnership strategy have groups that meet or communicate more specifically. What can we organise to connect and involve people where this isn’t the case?
We organised a focus group of a range of Local Nature Partnership members who met three times in Autumn 2025, to look at these questions and also give related input into draft Local Nature Partnership strategy.
Issues identified by the focus group include:
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There is a lack of clarity about who is in the partnership – which organisations, and which people from those organisations would be the key LNP contacts.
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The GLNP board appears to be somewhat of a closed shop, and there is a desire for a more inclusive and participatory approach that better connects wider members of the partnership.
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Organisations want to be part of the Local Nature Partnership in order to connect, collaborate and feel plugged in to a wider picture and communicate more easily. However, if they are not part of an existing working group or allied network, it is very difficult to achieve this.
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There’s a range of different understandings in the wider Partnership over the role of the Local Nature Partnership and the way it works, so better open communication, clarity and transparency is needed.
The focus group made a range of recommendations which have also been considered and discussed by the GLNP board.
We would like to consult you all now to see whether you would like these changes to be made, or whether you have adjustments and suggestions to consider.
Our recommended changes are described in the consultation document here or below. Please do respond to the survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JSX2XG7 by end of Monday 8 June 2026 to give your views!
ABOUT
The Gloucestershire Local Nature Partnership (GLNP) is formed of over 40 organisations from public, private and third sector bodies from across the county, all working together to recognise the importance of embedding nature's value in local decisions for the benefit of nature, people and the economy. Our partnership provides a strong and innovative voice for the environment sector. Local Nature Partnerships are seen by Defra as the key figure in the local delivery of the Government's 25 Year Environment Plan.
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Our Partners
Find out more about the Partnership, what we do and who our partners are.
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Our Projects
We support many projects led by our wide and varied partnership.
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Our Board
We're governed by an independent Chair and a Board of senior decision-makers and industry leaders.
The Partnership came into being in response to the Government’s 2011 Natural Environment White Paper, The Natural Choice: Securing the Value of Nature, along with 47 other LNPs in England. The common purpose of England’s family of LNPs, as set out by Defra in 2011, is to:
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Drive positive change in the local natural environment, taking a strategic view of the challenges and opportunities involved and identifying ways to manage it as a system for the benefit of nature, people and the economy.
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Contribute to achieving the Government’s national environmental objectives locally, including the identification of local ecological networks, alongside addressing local priorities.
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Become local champions influencing decision-making relating to the natural environment and its value to social and economic outcomes, in particular, through working closely with local authorities, Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and Health and Wellbeing Boards (HWBs).
Gloucestershire has grown to encompass a diverse partnership all of which are active within the administrative county of Gloucestershire. We work together to coordinate activities across the county, pool resources and share ideas. The partnership also works collaboratively with other LNPs, neighbouring and beyond, to influence change and drive positive decision making relating to the local and national environment.
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As part of the team, we have funded a full-time Partnership Manager who works on behalf of all partners, supported by the Board and an independent Chair, to deliver and advise on matters relating to the natural environment and public policy. The Board meets six times a year, with the wider partnership meeting via various forums and events hosted throughout the year, as well as collaborating on the many projects we have facilitated - find out more about these in the Projects section here >>
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