New professional body for common land officers

A new professional body will be formed for people involved in the registration of common land and town and village greens, Rural Affairs Minister Jim Knight announced today.

Defra will provide £100,000 for the establishment of the Association of Commons Registration Officers, which will cover its costs for the its first two years.

Mr Knight announced the funding for the new body, which will be open to members from both England and Wales, at the Fifth National Seminar on Common Land and Town and Village Greens in Gloucestershire.

"Our common land estate, with its ancient heritage and long-established rights of common, is a vital part of our heritage," he said.

"We need to ensure that the people charged with managing the registration of those ancient rights have the necessary support and advice to do their jobs effectively."

Mr Knight said the group would support commons registration officers and promote good practice in the way common land and town and village greens are registered.

"The Association will play an important role in how we implement the comprehensive new laws to manage common land that are currently before Parliament," he said.

"These new laws will overhaul the outdated registration system we have, which is absolutely necessary to ensure commons are managed effectively in the twenty-first century.

"But we recognise that implementing these laws will place additional pressures on Common Registration Officers and provide them with essential advice and guidance."

Mr Knight said the new organisation would provide expert advice to local and national governments on issues relating to common land.