The Joint Committee leads JNCC and has overall responsibility for our work. Members discuss strategic nature conservation and organisational issues as well as making high-level advice, strategy, funding and planning decisions. The Framework Document provides the legal, administrative and financial framework within which the Joint Committee operates.
Members of the Joint Committee as of July 2024
| Name | Details |
| Ms Cath Denholm | Independent Interim Chair |
| Professor Melanie Austen | Interim Deputy Chair (and Board Member of Natural England) |
| Professor Tom Meagher | Independent Member (University of St Andrews) |
| Professor Julian Orford | Deputy Chair of Council for Nature Conservation and the Countryside |
| Professor Colin Galbraith | Chair of NatureScot |
| Professor Peter Higgins | Board Member of NatureScot |
| Lord Blencathra | Deputy Chair of Natural England |
| Professor Rhys Jones | Board Member of Natural Resources Wales |
| Professor Steve Ormerod | Board Member of Natural Resources Wales |
Register of Interests
Latest information for 2023 to 24
Committee meetings
The Committee meets four times a year, in March, June, September and November. We are committed to the principle of open government and you are welcome to attend as observers, except when confidential issues are being discussed.
The meeting agenda and Committee papers are made available one week ahead of the meeting and draft minutes six weeks later. Meetings are run in accordance with a set of standing orders. If you would like to attend a Joint Committee meeting, please contact us.
Committee papers (non-sensitive only) can be downloaded by following the links below. To access papers for meetings held in 2017 and earlier, please visit The National Archives.
2024
- Wednesday 6 and Thursday 7 March – Cardiff
- Wednesday 19 and Thursday 20 June – Quay House, Peterborough
- Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 September – London
- Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 December – Virtually
2023
- Wednesday 8 and Thursday 9 March – virtually
- Wednesday 7 and Thursday 8 June – Northern Ireland
- Wednesday 13 and Thursday 14 September – Aberdeen
- Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 November – virtually
2022
- Wednesday 9 and Thursday 10 March – Virtually
- Wednesday 8 and Thursday 9 June – Edinburgh
- Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 September – Peterborough
- Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 November – London
2021
- Thursday 11 March – Virtually
- Thursday 3 June – Virtually
- Thursday 16 September – Virtually
- Wednesday 1 and Thursday 2 December – Virtually
2020
- Thursday 12 March – Cambridge
- Thursday 11 June – Virtually
- Thursday 24 September – Virtually
- Thursday 3 December – Virtually
2019
- Thursday 14 March – Bangor
- Thursday 6 June – Belfast
- Thursday 12 September – Aberdeen
- Thursday 28 November – Peterborough
Inter-sessional papers
Inter-sessional papers provided between Committee meetings, are also available using the links below. To access papers produced prior to 2018, please visit The National Archives.
- 2019: JNCC 1932: Appointment of an external member to the Audit & Risk Assurance Committee (released August 2019)
Published: .