Natural England

Steps towards a New Country Code (AP02/30)

FOR DECISION

To agree proposals for consultation on a new Country Code (paragraph 8 - 10).

Relevance to Strategy and Corporate Plan: Section 20 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 gives the Countryside Agency a statutory duty to issue a code of conduct for users of, and those with a legal interests in, access land - building on the original statutory duty in the 1947 National Parks and Access in the Countryside Act.

Staff and financial implications: To be provided for in the Corporate Plan within the Wider Welcome programme. (currently £350,000 is earmarked)

Main issues to concern the Board: Are the Board content for us to work with the Countryside Council for Wales on developing messages for the new Country Code? Can the Board help us with ideas to launch both draft and final codes with a high media profile - emphasisng the Countryside Agency's role as principal adviser on rural recreation.

Background

1. The Countryside Agency asked its National Countryside Access Forum to provide advice on the development of a new Country Code. The main advice from this consultation was that the Code should provide simple user friendly messages and that we should produce a strategic communication plan for promoting it to a wide target audience.

2. We put a paper (AP00/54) on a new Country Code to the Board in December 2000. The Board advised that the process of producing the Code should be used to involve many different groups including schools and school children; that the Code should be user friendly and include a behavioural message; and that it should be produced following a broad process of consultation to tie in with the implementation of the new access rights.

Statutory requirements

3. Since 1951, the Country Code (which was revised and extended in 1981) has fulfilled the Countryside Agency's legal duty under section 86(1) of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 to prepare and publish 'a code of conduct for the guidance of persons visiting the countryside'. 

4. Section 20 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 gives the Agency an additional duty to produce guidance on conduct, rights and obligations on access land, both for visitors and for those with legal rights over the land, including the owner or tenant and any owners of sporting or common rights. 

Progress to date

5. COI Communications are helping us to develop a strategy for this work. We are also working closely with the Countryside Council for Wales, allowing the promotion of consistent messages across England and Wales (since we share the same legal code).

6. Scottish Natural Heritage have done extensive research into existing country codes, and are sharing this as current best practice. We have already identified an approach that might be appropriate for the new Country Code. The Norwegian National Parks Code has a layered approach with an overall 'umbrella' code consisting of short bullet points. Each point is then supplemented by more detailed guidance. The Norwegian National Parks have also developed short leaflets in a pack giving guidance on individual outdoor recreation activities e.g. walking, skiing, sailing, horseriding, cycling.

Summary of proposals for consultation 

7. Annex 1 shows the proposed stages of consultation for a new Country Code. The first stage of the plan is internal consultation. The consultation will ask people to consider:

1. messages that should be included in the Country Code;
2. whether a mirror code for land managers and users is appropriate; and 
3. our promotional strategy (we will also ask them if they would like to be involved in the promotion of the Country Code and how they could help).   

8. Agency Board members will be consulted individually by COI Communications. Following this an external consultation paper will be drafted. We will bring this to the Board along with more detailed plans for the media launch. This is a real opportunity to make a splash - for example by engaging programmes like Blue Peter: and working through organisations with big membership lists, such as the RSPB.

9. The formal consultation paper will be distributed widely in both England and Wales and it will be put on the Agency's website. In parallel with the consultation the key stakeholder groups that we would like to be involved in the promotion of the Country Code will be identified. Meetings will be held with these stakeholder groups to discuss publicity strategies. 

Financial and manpower consequences

10. The Agency has allocated up to a total of £350,000 on Country Code work. This is provided for in the Wider Welcome business plan. We may need to look at resourcing again in the context of the next corporate plan.

11. We will need to design a national promotional campaign at reasonable cost. That may mean engaging some sponsorship. It will be very important, however, to be sensitive about partners for such a significant national document.

Next steps

12. Annex 1 sets out the proposed consultation plan for a new Country Code. Board members will be consulted individually on the Country Code during September and October 2002.

13. The development and launch of the Country Code will be subject to the results of the consultation. Our initial ideas on the development and final launch of the Country Code are given for information in Annex 2. It would be helpful to have a steer from the Board on these ideas now, to help establish the goals we should aim for.

Risks and mitigation measures

14. Insufficient funds to promote the code widely.  We are considering alternatives to paid for advertising - including a series of publicity events involving young people, sponsorship and a challenge competition.

15. Confusion of message.  We plan to involve all those with an interest in the countryside in the design stage and then use communication professionals to present a simple series of messages. 

Annex 1

A New Country Code - consultation plan

Stage	What	Detail	Timescale
1	Internal consultation	Consult on key messages, mirror code and stakeholders with individual Board members and other internal contacts.	September and October 2002
2	Agree key messages and write consultation paper	Aim to agree content of consultation paper with CCW.	November 2002
3	Board approves draft Code for consultation and arrangements for launch of consultation		December 2002
4	a.Write and distribute consultation paper	consult on key messages in the code, mirror code idea for land managers and promotion strategies for the code.	January 2003 - April 2003
4	b. Key stakeholder consultation	Consult on key messages in the code, mirror code idea for land managers and promotion strategies for the code. Aim to get buy in from key groups and work with them on publicity strategy.	January 2003 - April 2003
5	Analyse responses to consultation	Summarise responses and produce final recommendation of strategy Board to approve strategy	May - July 2003
6	Produce new Country Code	Interpretative professionals draft wording	July 2003
7	Write and present communications strategy	Recommend suppliers and write briefs, begin to copywrite code and design key marketing materials	August 2003 onwards
8	Launch of new Country Code		Spring 2004

Annex 2

Initial ideas on the development and launch of a new Country Code in Spring 2004

Development of the Country Code 

1. The new Country Code will be built around the messages from the consultation. We could work with professional interpreters to develop forms of wording that best communicate these messages in a clear and simple way.

2. We could test these messages with school children and socially excluded groups, to develop interesting and appealing methods of communication. There are many opportunities for promotion of this activity, and we could consider options such as a competition for school children in conjunction with Blue Peter or Newsround. 

Communication of the Country Code

3. Once we have developed and agreed the wording of the Country Code and collected information about its design and promotion, we will develop a detailed communication strategy. Initial ideas on communication are set out below.Education

4. Options for how we reach young people could include:

1. education packs aimed at 7-11 year olds. Based around the citizenship area of the curriculum. We will encourage other organisations that produce school packs related to the countryside to include the country code within them. We will also learn through approaches developed by others. For example, The Countryside Foundation has developed an activity worksheet aimed at school aged children on the Country Code. The children are asked to write a short rap on one of the 'rules' from the Country Code and illustrate their rap with pictures; and
2. using networks such as the Farming and Countryside Education group to promote the Country Code to existing schools and teachers and to those studying at teacher training college.    

Website

5. We could have an area of the Countryside Agency website dedicated to children and based on the Country Code. Education packs and other material would be available on this site.

Promotional items

6. The Country Code could be printed in a variety of forms, according to the results of our research. We could consider partnerships with outdoor clothing manufacturers. A copy of the Code could be attached to jackets, tents and bicycles.

7. A limited budget means that we will have to work closely with other stakeholders on promotion. We hope to produce a code that has its own style and branding (while clearly reflecting the responsibility of the Countryside Agency) and provide this to organisations to use in their own promotions.

Launch 

8. We plan to launch the Country Code in Spring 2004 (possibly the May bank holiday). We could launch the Country Code by holding an 'Enjoy the Countryside Day', encouraging all groups (NFU, CLA, TFA, Ramblers, BHS etc.) to organise walking, cycling and riding events all over the countryside. The aim of the day would be to encourage people to visit their local countryside and learn about how to enjoy it responsibly. We hope that this kind of event would attract national media coverage and huge support from all sectors. The aim would be to make this an annual event.