Regulation 7 Membership of a forum
When considering what persons to appoint as members of a forum, an appointing authority:
must consult such individuals and organisations having an interest in the functions of the forum as it thinks fit;
must place an advertisement in a newspaper circulating in the locality of the forum giving persons an opportunity of expressing an interest in becoming a member of a forum;
may invite any organisation having an interest in the functions of the forum to nominate a person for consideration by the appointing authority for membership of the forum;
must have regard to the desirability of appointing persons who reside in, or are otherwise particularly familiar with, or who have any other interests especially relevant to, the area of the forum;
must ensure that the membership of the forum achieves a reasonable balance between the interests of users of local rights of way or the rights of access conferred by section 2(1) of the Act and of owners and occupiers of access land or land over which local rights of way subsist;
must have regard to the need to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, a fair balance between persons of different genders, races, ages, disabilities and other characteristics.