Oxfordshire Countryside Access Forum

The Local Access Forum that advises us and others on how to manage and improve public rights of way.

The members of the Oxfordshire Countryside Access Forum (OCAF) represent a wide variety of interests including those of walkers, cyclists and horse riders, farmers, land managers and rural businesses, education, local communities and nature conservation.

They are fulfilling their statutory role in advising Oxfordshire County Council and other bodies on ways to improve access to the countryside and related areas for residents, visitors and tourists.

Members

Members on the Oxfordshire Countryside Access Forum represent various interests related to accessing the countryside. The following is a brief summary of members (pdf format, 159KB). To contact any member of the forum please contact the OCAF Secretary.

Expressions of interest for new members are always welcomed throughout the year. Contact the Secretary, and also consider coming along as an observer or member of the public so you can see how the group operates.

Meetings

OCAF meets two to three times yearly, and main meetings are open to the public. If you are considering attending a meeting, read the guidelines for public participation (see below).

Next meeting is to be held on Friday 22 November 2024. 

For further details, or if you have anything you would like to discuss or add to the agenda contact the Secretary paul.harris@oxfordshire.gov.uk 01865 810206. 

Full papers will be uploaded here in the week before the meeting. Any questions or comments to be sent to Secretary at least four working days before the meeting.

Previous meeting papers

The agenda and papers for the most recent meetings are available to download below. When posted below they usually include the confirmed minutes from the meeting before.

May 2024

November 2023

17 May 2023

Previous meeting papers going back to March 2003 are available by email. Contact the OCAF Secretary.

Rights of Way Monitoring Group

This long-standing rights-of-way liaison group has a complementary but non-statutory role in access. The papers from the last meeting will be posted here, with minutes added after confirmation.

Guidelines for public participation

The forum is a statutory independent advisory body established by Oxfordshire County Council in 2003 under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. 

Rules

  • All public meetings will be advertised in advance on the 'OCAF' section of our website.
  • Agendas, papers and minutes of the meeting will be available to the public on our website as above and at our Oxford office (Paul Harris, Secretary to the OCAF, Speedwell House, Speedwell Street Oxford OX1 1NE), normally at least three days before meetings 
  • The forum's main meetings will be open to the public and held in venues that are wheelchair accessible. However, the forum's Chair will be able to exclude people to suppress or prevent disorderly or disruptive behaviour. 
  • Members of the public can speak during meetings normally provided that they have given two working days notice to the Secretariat. This provision may be relaxed at the discretion of the Chair. Speaking will normally be limited to five minutes on an item relating to the published agenda. The Chair may reduce this time limit because of the length of the agenda or the number of people wanting to speak. 
  • In addition, an open question-and-answer session will be held at the end of each meeting, normally for fifteen minutes, where members of the public may ask direct questions on any subject related to the forum's work. The Chair may reduce or increase this time limit depending on the number of people wanting to speak. 
  • When speaking, it is necessary to keep to the subject, avoid defamatory, offensive or abusive language, and keep to time. 
  • The Chair’s decision is final on all matters relating to public participation in forum meetings.