John Griffiths, Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development
This was published under the 2011 to 2016 administration of the Welsh Government
In November 2011, I announced that I was minded to proceed with creating a new Single Body for Wales by bringing together the functions of the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW), the Environment Agency Wales (EAW) and Forestry Commission Wales (FCW).
Work is now well underway to design the new organisation, which will come into being on 1 April 2013. The organisation will have at its core, the drive and commitment to deliver the vision for radical change in the way we manage our natural resources for the benefit of the people of Wales.
Today, I am pleased to announce that the name for the new single body will be Natural Resources Wales / Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru.
I believe that this name communicates well the remit of the new body, covering all of the roles of the three current bodies. This will provide confidence and reassurance to the new body’s customers and stakeholders. I have based my decision on responses to the consultation that has taken place with staff from CCW, EAW, and FCW, and with wider stakeholders.
I believe that Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru captures well the new body’s remit in Welsh.
I am also pleased to confirm the appointments of the ten non-executive directors of Natural Resources Wales / Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru. We received 185 applications for these positions and candidates were of a very high calibre.
The non-executive directors are:
- Dr Mike Brooker
- Rev Hywel Davies
- Dr Ruth Hall
- Dr Madeleine Havard
- Harry Legge-Bourke
- Andy Middleton
- Morgan Parry
- Nigel Reader
- Prof Lynda Warren
- Sir Paul Williams
Between them, the successful candidates bring the breadth and depth of management experience that will help the new body to drive forward its work in sustainably maintaining, enhancing and using our natural resources for the present and future benefit of the people, environment and economy of Wales.
Today’s announcements mark significant progress in the creation of Natural Resources Wales / Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru. They build on the recent appointments of Professor Peter Matthews as Chair and Dr Emyr Roberts as Chief Executive.