Green Lane Day 1999 is now confirmed as being on 28th March 1999. We need to advise all local clubs of this date and urge them to include it into their social calendar.

Ideas that have been discussed as viable include:

• Invite RoW officers to monthly meetings
• Produce a handout for distribution to clubs with information on GLASS, Code of Conduct, dealing with obstructions, etc.

Phil Lord of the TRF has been invited to attend and Paul Byron of the AWDC already does attend. Furthermore, Don Lee of the OSS has been invited.

It is important to encourage co-operation between motoring clubs (4x4 and motorcycle) and also other groups with rights of way interests. Attending user forums and Public Inquiries can assist with this but we require more co-operation and representation.

A full response to the Manchester area proposals has now been submitted by the national committee. Its recommendations and observations are detailed and comprehensive. We need to discuss the matter fully before presenting a full case to LARA for its approval and final recommendations prior to a package being offered to local Highway Authorities.

Currently GLASS has one representative to cover the whole of Greater Manchester. However, Greater Manchester is made up of Manchester City Council, Salford City Council and seven other Metropolitan Borough Councils. Each of these councils act as a separate Highway Authority. In view of the large geographical area covered and the number of different Highway Authorities concerned, there is a real danger of modifications to the rights of way network being missed and GLASS not being sufficiently involved at a local level.

It would therefore be beneficial if each Highway Authority was covered by an individual GLASS rights of way officer. Each of these would still be covered by a single area representative for all of Greater Manchester but having individual officers for each district would allow us to collect information, survey routes, report problems and have an active say in the management of the network much more efficiently.

Monthly laning days have been arranged for the Sunday following the Thursday meetings. So far we have been to Bolton/Bury, Cheshire and Derbyshire/Staffordshire. Details of the next laning day on 11th October 1998 will be available at the meeting.

Pat Kent is organising other events and will hopefully have a full social calendar available for the meeting. These are to include events for Halloween, Bonfire Night and Christmas.

GLASS has recently had successful stands at both Billing and Weston Park. A presence is to be shown at all the major 4x4 shows in future subject to manpower. 

The GLASS AGM was held in Coventry on 26th September 1998.

A report of the key issues will be available at the meeting.

In all these cases it is important that we learn of the proposals as soon as we can and as reliably as we can. Cheshire CC are about to implement a consultation procedure, suggested by users, that should keep all vehicular users fully informed whilst satisfying the Highway Authorities desire to keep the number of consultees to a minimum.

We need to work towards having a common system that works with all Highway Authorities which includes safeguards that ensure that we cannot miss a proposed modification order. Unfortunately, the situation is complicated by some authorities refusing to consult at all.

Currently we are represented on the following user forums: Stockport and Rochdale. We are attempting to get an invite to Bolton's Footpath Group and Trafford's Footpath Panel or Bridleway Panel (they are separate events). These are the only districts that we know hold forums of any description.

It is important that GLASS is fully represented on as many forums as is possible. There are a number of distinct benefits to this. Not least the opportunity for interaction with other groups and a chance to demonstrate our professional approach to Highway Authorities.