Park Authority Board elections open for Scotland’s first National Park

Elections will take place this summer to appoint five members to the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority Board, chosen by the people who live in the National Park.

Nominations open on 14 May for people to put themselves forward as a locally elected Board member of the National Park Authority. Five positions are available, one in each of the National Park’s five electoral wards: Cowal and North Loch Lomond, Breadalbane and the Trossachs, Callander, East Loch Lomond and Port of Menteith and West Loch Lomond and Balloch.

The elections are administered by Stirling Council on behalf of the National Park Authority, with ballot papers expected to reach eligible residents on or around 11 June and results declared in July. To vote, residents must be aged 16 or over on 9 July 2026 and be registered at an address within the National Park. To stand, candidates must be aged 21 or over and you must have the support of 10 people who are eligible to vote in the National Park ward in which they wish to stand.

The National Park Authority’s 17-member Board is responsible for guiding the overall strategic direction of Scotland’s first National Park – making decisions about planning, access, nature restoration and the long-term future of a precious landscape that is home to more than 15,000 people and visited by over 4.5 million people every year.

Of those 17 members, five are directly elected by the people who live in the National Park, making these elections an important and meaningful democratic opportunity. The five locally elected members sit alongside six local authority nominees and six Scottish Government appointees, ensuring that local voices and lived experience help shape the strategic direction of the National Park.

Board positions are for a 4-year term, are paid, flexible and designed to work alongside existing professional and personal commitments. A full induction and training programme supports all new Board members in getting up to speed confidently and comprehensively.

The National Park Authority’s focus is on the landscape-scale decisions that shape the Park’s future as outlined in The National Park Partnership Plan 2024-2029: protecting and restoring nature, supporting thriving and sustainable communities, and investing in the infrastructure and visitor management that keeps this special place working for people, and for nature.

Decisions taken by the Board are often complex and occasionally controversial, reflecting the National Park’s unique location within an hours drive of at least 50% of Scotland’s population and a requirement to operate at a critical intersection between urban and rural Scotland, between conservation and development, and between national ambition and local delivery to provide a pioneering example of how people and nature can and do thrive together.

Heather Reid, National Park Authority Convenor said: “These elections matter. Climate change, nature loss, housing pressures, sustainable tourism and rural economic development are not abstract national policy concerns or debates, they are very real ongoing challenges being navigated every day by communities across Loch Lomond & The Trossachs.

“Being on the National Park Board has been one of the best jobs I’ve ever done. Having the opportunity to help deliver for the landscapes, visitors, businesses and for communities has been an absolute privilege. My message to anyone considering standing as a candidate is this – if you’re curious, if you have a passion and willingness to learn from and work with others, ultimately if you care about nature, people and protecting this precious place – please register to stand for election.

“You don’t need specific expertise or prior board experience to help make a real meaningful change. Different voices, backgrounds and perspectives are not just welcomed, they are essential to doing this work well and to delivering a future for the National Park that delivers for people and nature.”

For residents who are not standing as candidates, registering to vote and returning a ballot paper is a vital way to ensure local voices are heard in decisions about the places, landscapes and communities they care about.

The National Park Authority is hosting a series of online and in-person drop-in sessions in May and June for anyone interested in learning more about standing as a candidate and why it’s so important to vote. Sessions are free to attend and registration is required via the elections page at: www.lochlomond-trossachs.org/localelectionsnews

Written by: Phil Briscoe

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