Our governance
Details of Natural England’s governance structures and processes.
Natural England is a non-departmental public body (NDPB) established by the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006.
Natural England developed its framework document in partnership with its sponsor department, Defra. The document implements the principles set out in the cross-government code of practice for partnerships between departments and arm’s length bodies. The document sets out Natural England’s:
- purpose and status
- methods of governance and accountability for its activities
- ways of working with Parliament, stakeholders, customers and Defra group
- main duties as an NDPB – for example, the way that it should use and account for public money
Natural England Board
The main roles of the Board are to:
- provide leadership for the organisation – setting strategy and direction, agreeing objectives and overseeing performance
- ensure that effective arrangements are in place to provide assurance on risk management, governance, internal control and use of public money
The Board is the decision making body for Natural England. The sets out the matters that need to come before the Board for decision. All other authority is delegated to the Chief Executive.
Board members
- Tony Juniper, Chair
- Marian Spain, Chief Executive, ex officio board member
- Kim Shillinglaw
- Peter Unwin
- Professor Clare Fitzsimmons
- Dame Caroline Spelman
- Professor Lynn Dicks
- Professor Mel Austen
- Mark Tufnell
- Cynthia Alers
- Alastair Leake
- James Scott
Members act in accordance with the .
See the Natural England register of board members’ interests.
Board committees and groups
The Board delivers its duties through regular formal board meetings and through a small number of statutory and time-limited sub-committees.
Committee terms of reference:
Board meetings
Board meetings in 2025 will be held on:
- 30 July
- 24 September
- 26 November
Board meetings in 2026 will be held on:
- 4 March
- 20 May
- 15 July
- 18 November
Some board meetings are open to members of the public. To register your attendance email naturalenglandcorrespondenceunit@naturalengland.org.uk.
Minutes of board meetings (published after confirmation at next meeting):
For details of previous board minutes visit the National Archives.
The and associated detail the procedures which govern the conduct of board meetings.
NE Executive Committee
- Marian Spain, Chief Executive
- Alan Law, Chief Officer, Operations
- Professor Sallie Bailey, Chief Scientist
- Navroza Ladha, Chief Officer, Legal, Governance and External Affairs
- Kirsty Carter-Brown, Chief Officer, Business Management
- Oliver Harmar, Chief Officer, Strategy