Looking after

How we work to look after the National Park, conservation, ranger services, biodiversity and policies.

Barbara Beeley

Councillor Barbara Beeley

I am an Oldham Borough Council councillor.

I am a member of the Peak District National Park Authority’s audit, resources and performance committee.

Contact me

If you want to contact me about the work of the Peak District National Park Authority you can do so in the following ways:

Telephone: 0161 652 0930

Email: barbara.beeley@oldham.gov.uk

Address: 1A Den Hill Drive Springhead, Saddleworth. OL4 4NR

About Me

I am a retired teacher and currently a school governor at a local primary school.

As an Oldham Borough Councillor I am Community Champion for, and Chair of, the Saddleworth and Lees District Partnership. I have previously been a Parish Councillor and retain strong links through the Partnership.

I hold the shadow portfolio for Co-operative and Communities. I work closely with community groups both in my Ward and in the rest of Saddleworth & Lees as well as having a more strategic view of the Borough.

Parts of Saddleworth lie within the National Park and form part of the Dark Peak. The recreational area of Dovestone, one of our main tourist attractions, lies partially within the park.

What the national park means to me

National Parks are the lungs for the urban areas which surround them. This is especially true of the Peak District National Park, surrounded as it is by the conurbations of Manchester and Sheffield. Space on this tiny crowded island to spread out and breathe fresh air is becoming increasingly limited and this makes our national parks even more precious and highlights the need to preserve them for future generations.

Although my career has been as a teacher I come from a rural background and retain strong links with farming through my sister and her husband who are still farming. Yes, I can drive a tractor and trailer and have milked cows in the cold and wet in what seems the middle of the night.

As a Councillor I have experience of working with community groups and as the area I represent includes the most rural and tourist attractive areas of the Borough I am well aware of the necessity of getting the balance right between local communities and tourists and the balance between protecting the landscape and recreational use. The District Partnership of which I am chair, is sponsoring a Saddleworth Hopper bus to encourage tourists to park and ride to various places

Membership of outside bodies

I represent the Peak District National Park Authority on the following bodies:

•Oldham Council

In my role as a councillor I am a member of the following:

•Chair of Saddleworth & Lees District Partnership
•Community Champion for Saddleworth & Lees
•Chair Pennine Acute Hospitals Trust Joint overview & Scrutiny Committee
•Shadow Portfolio holder for Co-operatives and Communities
•LDF Elected Members Panel
•School Governor

In a personal capacity I am a member of the following:

•National Trust
•Member Christie Foundation Trust
•Member Halle Concerts Society
•TR Register
•Local Community Association