A new chair has been appointed for the Lake District National Park Authority.
Jim Jackson steps into the role, replacing Tiffany Hunt who was thanked for her work during her four-year tenure.
A member of the authority since February 2020, Jim was previously deputy chair and was elected as chair by members at an authority meeting on Wednesday June 24.
The authority is governed by a board of members, who represent the public interest and are appointed by public bodies.
There are six Members appointed by Westmorland and Furness Council, four members appointed by Cumberland Council and 10 members appointed by the Secretary of State to represent the national interest and parish councils in the national park.
Jim is a Secretary of State appointed member.
He previously worked in the telecommunications industry for 40 years where roles included project managing the fibre broadband rollout and the infrastructure director for the North for Openreach.
He was first involved with the national park authority while on the Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership where he was deputy chair.
He moved to Cumbria aged 24 working in Kendal. In his spare time, Jim is a member of Arnside Sailing Club, a charity which aims to improve access to water sports for adults and children.
As part of his role at the club Jim is a trained paddleboard instructor and Trip Leader. He is also a keen walker and the day before his election, he completed the Cumbria Way, a 73-mile linear walk through the county.
Jim said: “I really enjoy getting out and meeting people. I look forward to doing more of that now in my role as chair. I aim to build on the work already underway supporting communities, visitors, nature and the landscape in the national park.”
Peter Walter has been elected as deputy chair and is a councillor for Above Derwent Parish Council. Peter has been a member for three years and lives in Braithwaite. He worked in the communications and innovations industries.
Tiffany thanked everyone for the support and highlighted the good spirit and camaraderie between members and officers at the national park, which she said made a huge difference.
