RECORD currently has a number of partners. Many of our partners have Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with RECORD both as a means of obtaining the services and data they require but also as a mechanism by which they can provide some support for the core functions of RECORD and for biological recording within the Cheshire region.

RECORD's Current Partners

The following logos belong to the partners and supporters who contribute either financially or 'in-kind' to the current running of RECORD. We still need assistance to enable the continuation of your Local Record Centre beyond this establishment / early development phase and into a sustainable future. If you can help with funding or 'in-kind' assistance we would be very pleased to hear from you:

Most of the above organisations sit on the Support Group for RECORD providing input, advice, assistance and guidance to the LRC manager. Click here for the Terms of Reference for the members of the Support Group.

Partner's Useage Area

This area is available as a free text area for use by partners to put across their own messages regarding RECORD and/or biological recording in the Cheshire region; or to use as an advertising arena.

Notes From Partners:

Paul Oldfield - Halton Borough Council:

Biological Recording in Halton:
Halton is an active partner in Cheshire in carrying out biological recording in collaboration with RECORD. Since 1999, for Halton, the number of individual biological records has risen from 33,000 to over 70,000 and the number of recorded species has risen from 1,900 to 2,950. All the records are held by RECORD as part of their expanding database.

There are many uses for biological records in Halton, especially to inform the planning system on protected species and on the location or clustering of important assemblages of species. Species records also help in the designation of nature sites and in particular, Local Nature Reserves.

The Halton Biodiversity Action Plan has a strong recording element in it, as it brings together data for 2 habitats and 7 species, defines wildlife corridors and relates nature to the people of Halton.

Through a Service Level Agreement and other contracts, current work with RECORD  includes: -Song Thrush garden recording scheme -producing reports on the distribution of Skylarks and Redshanks -species recording as part of a Phase 1 Habitat Survey, 2006-7. -native bluebell sites -volunteer recording through the Halton Natural Environment Roundtable

Dr David Bell - Warrington Borough Council:

Biological Recording in Warrington:
As a founder partner of RECORD, it has been rewarding for Warrington Borough Council to see the Centre establish itself and mature into the first and foremost source of biological records in north west England. RECORD has certainly ‘come of age’ just at the right time. The long awaited PPS9 “Biodiversity and Geological Conservation” was published at the end of last year (2005), which stressed the importance of comprehensive and up-to–date biological information to guide decision making.

The true strength and sustainability of RECORD is the nature and diversity of it’s partnership structure, and the commitment of the local authorities to making it work. The just published ODPM Good Practice Guide follow-up to PPS9 stresses the important role for LAs in the establishment and running of LRCs as a cost effective way of providing a publicly accountable ‘one stop shop’ for comprehensive and reliable environmental information.

The value of RECORD to Warrington Borough Council is significant and expected to expand over the coming years, as it’s database continues to develop and ease of access to the same is enhanced. As well as the obvious benefits to the Council as a Development Control tool, it will play a key role in the development of our new LDF, and as SEA and SA exercises become established procedures reference to core databases such as RECORD will become a vital tool. New and exciting ‘smart’ thinking on spatial design based on ecological principals such as ‘Green Infrastructure’ and ‘Ecological Networks’ will require robust date data on species and habitat distributions, and again RECORD will be the first port of call.

One must not forget the value of such information as an aid to site management, and we fully expect the Council’s Ranger Service and Landscape Officers to make good use of RECORD during the production of reserve and parks management plans.

One of the great strengths of RECORD is that it has never lost sight of the importance of local naturalists whose historical records formed the bedrock of it’s database. In Warrington, we have an active Nature Conservation Forum who play a vita role in supporting the Council on the survey and designation of local wildlife sites. A new Warrington Biodiversity Action Plan has set medium and longer term targets for survey of species and habitats in the Borough. It is expected that all gathered data will be forwarded to RECORD to enhance its records for the area, and these in turn will aid decision making in the future.

We wish RECORD all the best for the future.

Dr David Bell, Principal Ecologist, Warrington Borough Council

Susan Slamon - Environment Agency:
Biodiversity is at the heart of the Environment Agency's remit. The conservation of biological resources is a key test of sustainability and a major task for all of the Environment Agency's Functions. A wide range of legislative and policy requirements drive this. All of these drivers impose upon the Environment Agency a range of environmental and ecological commitments. Meeting these and other future commitments in full requires we have access to accurate and reliable biological data on which to base decisions.