Coronavirus: Pandemic puts 20 Lake District National Park jobs at risk

The Lake District National Park Authority says it needs to reduce a £1.2m deficit

About 20 jobs are at risk at the Lake District National Park due to Covid-19.

The redundancies are part of cost-cutting plans by the authority which looks after it, after coronavirus affected its tourism income.

The park gets £5.5m government funding every year but raises a similar amount privately.

It needs to reduce a deficit of £1.2m built up since the pandemic and says it does not expect its commercial income to return to normal "any time soon".

All those affected by the redundancies have been told.

Lockdown impact

The Lake District National Park Authority looks after and manages the area and its staff includes rangers and field workers, visitor centre advisers, planners and ecologists.

Chief executive Richard Leafe said the virus had affected the authority's financial position, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"During the lockdown, all the commercial services were closed down," he said.

"Car parks, information centres, shops, cafés and boating centres all closed. This meant that we had no income from any of them."

While tourism has returned to the Lake District following the lockdown as holidaymakers stayed in the UK, the park said it would take time for income to return to normal levels.

The authority was forced to warn visitors during the late August Bank Holiday weekend to "not destroy what they have come to enjoy", following issues with littering and people camping illegally.

Mr Leafe added: "During the past few months, we've been doing everything possible to minimise the impact of our situation on our services and people.

"We have been talking to our staff about the challenges we're facing, including asking for efficiency ideas and voluntary actions, to help make the savings needed.

"It's been clear just how committed and passionate our people are, and I thank everyone for their support during this time."