About the Committee

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Background

Manchester Airport has long recognised the benefits of dialogue with its users and neighbours and it was as long ago as 1969 that it took steps to set-up up the Manchester Airport Consultative Committee (MACC)

The Committee operated very successfully in the years leading up to 1982 when the Government took steps to formalise consultaltion at Airports. In that year Parliament passed section 35 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982 which provides as follows:

"(1) This section applies to any aerodrome which is designated for the purposes of this section by an Order made by the Secretary of State

(2) The person having the management of any aerodrome to which this section applies shall provide:-

(a) for users of the aerodrome,

(b) for any local authority (or, if the person having the management of the aerodrome is a local authority, for any other local authority) in whose area the aerodrome or any part thereof is situated or whose area is in the neighbourhood of the aerodrome, and

(c) for any other organisation representing the interests of persons concerned with the locality in which the aerodrome is situated,

adequate facilities for consultation with respect to any matter concerning the management or administration of the aerodrome which affects their interests.

Where an Airport is designated under these powers the Department for Transport recommends the operator to establish an airport consultative committee according to GuidelinesDfT Guidelines for Consultative Committees published by the Department for such Committees. These say that Consultative Committees should :

• provide an opportunity for information exchange between the airport and interested parties;
• provide a structured forum for discussion so as to make recommendations to the aerodrome management and other bodies when appropriate;
• provide the opportunity to reach a common understanding between interested groups about the nature of aerodrome operation, thereby increasing the scope for issues to be resolved amicably. However, people interested in and affected by an aerodrome operation may have mutually inconsistent viewpoints and it is not realistic to expect that all matters of concern will be able to be resolved through discussion;
• promote understanding about airport operations more widely, through dissemination of relevant information by committee members;
• promote understanding by the airport operator of the nature of its impacts on local communities and businesses.

But as the Guidelines also make clear it is not intended that a consultative committee should -

• detract from or constrain the responsibility of the airport owner and/or operator to manage the aerodrome;
• prevent interested parties from raising concerns directly with the airport, or through other channels.
• serve as a forum for the resolution of disputes;
• have any executive or decision-making power over the airport.

The December 2003 DfT Guidelinesfor Consultative Committees can be seen on the website of the Liaison Group of UK Airport Consultative Committees which includes also more detailed information on the statutory backgroundof Consultative Committees and role of Consultative Committeesof consultative committees.

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Constitution

The Committee has a formal Constitution** which embodies its Terms of Reference as well as the rules of procedure which regulate its meetings,

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Terms of Reference

The Committee's Terms of Reference are laid down in its Constitution. They are to:-

(i) advise Manchester Airport Plc on any matter which it may refer to the Committee;

ii) consider any question in connection with the operation of the Airport as it affects the local communities, amenities and interests of the Region;

(iii) make suggestions to the Chief Executive and Board of Manchester Airport PLC on any matter connected with the administration of the Airport which could further the interests of users, local communities and the wider interests of the Region;

(iv) stimulate the interests of the local population in the development of the Airport; and

(v) protect and enhance the interests of the users of the Airport.

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Monitoring the section 106 Agreement

A key function of the Committee is the monitoring of the package of mitigation and protection measures drawn up by the Airport and Cheshire County Council during the Public Inquiry into the second runway development. This package is spelled out in detail in a planning agreement under s.106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. Each year the Airport Company reports to Cheshire County Council and to MACC on the company's performance against obligations set out in the Agreement. Some of the obligations became effective on the granting of planning permission, others on commencement of development and the remainder when the new runway was opened for traffic. The agreement will need to be monitored by the Committee for many years.

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Membership

MACC draws its membership from local authorities (18 members) residents groups (4 members), the business sector and groups representing Airport users (11 members). The Chairman is appointed by the Airport. All other appointments, such as substitutes and Chairmen of the sub groups are appointed by the Consultative Committee itself. The current Committee members are listed on our Membership Page.

There was a review of the Committee's Constitution and Procedures in 1999 and the make-up of the Committee was looked at again in the light of the Department for Transport's 2003 Guidelines for Airport Consultative Committees. Both reviews concluded that the present arrangements for appointing the Committee were broadly appropriate although following the 1999 Review the Cheshire Disabilities Federation and the Air Transport Users Council were added to the list of bodies invited to to nominate members.

The meetings of MACC are attended by the Airport's Managing Director, Andrew Cornish (pictured right), and other officers of the Airport who give reports on the many matters of interest to the Committee.

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Sub Groups

The Committee has two sub-groups:

the Airport Users Advisory Group is responsible for advising on matters involving the operation of the terminal, matters of passenger comfort and the facilities and services offered to passengers.

the Technical Advisory Group concentrates on the external face of the Airport looking at ground transport, environmental controls and policy, airline performance and airfield operational issues.

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Meetings

The main Committee meets quarterly at the Airport and the two Sub-groups likewise meet every three months resulting in 12 meetings a year. The meetings of the full Committee are open to the press and public. The Sub-groups meet in private but their minutes are made public when they are received by the full Committee.

The dates of forthcoming meetings of the Committee can be seen on our Diary Page

The Agenda for meetings of the main Committee is published on our Agendas Page a few days before the meeting along with copies of the papers to be considered at the meeting where these are not confidential. Among the papers considered by the Committee are reports by the Airport on matters of interest to the community, for example:

• Results of environmental monitoring, particularly aircraft noise and track keeping
• Analysis of community complaints
• Development proposals
• Progress reports on environmental management initiatives
• Traffic statistics

The minutes of meetings are likewise published on this site (on the Minutes Page) as soon as they are ready.

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Biennial Reports

The Committee aims every two years to publish an account of its work. This is printed and widely distributed.

The most recent reports are reproduced here:

	Manchester Airport Consultative Committee - Biennial Report 2006-2007** (2.95mb)
	Manchester Airport Consultative Committee - Biennial Report 2003-2005** (1.31mb)

Copies of the Committee's earlier reports can be obtained from the Airport's Community Relations Team

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The Wider Scene

MACC also keeps in contact with airport consultative committees across the country. Each year the Committee's officers meet with their opposite numbers at 21 other UK airports to discuss common issues and to share experience. The Liaison Group has a websiteLink to UKACCs website which includes the agenda papers and minutes of the annual meetings from 2002 onwards including the 2006 liaison meetingLink to UKACCs webpage on 2006 Liaison Meeting held here in Manchester.  The site also includes more information on the statutory backgroundUKACCs webpage on statutory background of Consultative Committees and role of consultative committeesUKACCs webpage on the role of Consultative Committees and on current aviation issues both in the UKUKACCs webpage on UK aviation issues and at European levelUKACCs webpage on European aviation issues .

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**To see the files in Acrobat .pdf format you will need an Acrobat Reader - this can be obtained free of charge by clicking the "Get Acrobat Reader" icon to the left