National park cuts will axe rangers, bosses say

Nine staff were made redundant at the Brockhole-on-Windermere site

The head of a national park has said budget cuts mean the public can expect to see fewer rangers and fewer rights of way being maintained.

Northumberland National Park Authority (NNPA) head Tony Gates said the body's funding from the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) had been cut by about 8.2% for this financial year.

Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) head Gavin Capstick said it was expecting a 9% cut to its grant which he said had the potential "to risk all services we deliver".

Defra said it was investing £400m in nature across the country including national parks.

Mr Gates said this year's government grant would be about £219,000 less than the previous financial year.

Taking into account the rise in national insurance contributions, Mr Gates called the moves the "single largest cut in our revenue budget that we've had in the 20 years that I've worked for this national park".

He said the cuts would mean cutting staff, as well as education and outreach programmes.

He said national parks were "assets" which could help the public get closer to nature and better understand the impact of climate change.

"We're not going to be able to realise that potential," he said.

'Already very difficult'

Last month the LDNPA said it would hand over the management of the UK's first national park visitor centre.

It said the lease of its Brockhole-on-Windermere site would be put on the market, with nine staff having already been made redundant as part of the move.

Mr Capstick said the move was due to increased costs and "continued cuts to funding".

"It is already very difficult to meet the local and national ambitions and targets for the National Park," he said.

"We urgently need a commitment to adequate and sustainable funding to allow us to continue looking after this special place."

Defra said it was also providing a capital uplift of up to £15m to national parks and that it would help the bodies cut "bureaucracy and take an entrepreneurial approach to boost earnings".