Calls to protect National Park futures from the Yorkshire Dales to the North York Moors

An equal share of £4.4m is to be split between 10 sites nationwide, Defra has announced, equating to £440,000 for landscapes such as in the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors.

While it will help address "some" short-term pressures, Yorkshire's Park Authorities outlined, a greater commitment is needed to deliver on ambitions over nature, climate and access.

And as national campaigners welcome the "lifeline" support against the brace of an "existential crisis" for the sector, they back calls for long-term commitments.

Dr Rose O’Neill, chief executive of Campaign for National Parks, said: “This bailout throws a much needed lifeline to our National Parks during desperate times – it must be the start of a new deal coupling greater powers with long-term funding."

Vigorous campaigns have raised the financial challenge faced by National Parks, she said, with some closing visitor centres, shutting down some ranger services or selling public land.

Funding has fallen 40 per cent in real terms over the last decade, argued Dr O'Neill, while this new uplift amounted to around 10 per cent of the overall annual budget.

While welcome, funding promises "cannot be a one off", she said, adding: "A properly funded National Park network – combined with new powers to drive investment from water companies and other bodies – is essential to sustainable economic growth, tackling the climate and nature emergency, and enhancing people's health and wellbeing.”

The additional funding will be made available to Park Authorities to support services such as visitor centres and park rangers, Defra outlined, in recognition of the role they play in protecting access, wildlife and landscapes, driving tourism and the visitor economy.

Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey, making the announcement, said: "Our National Parks are the jewel in our cherished landscapes. They support thriving communities, economies, wildlife and are important places for public health and wellbeing."

The additional funding, she added, will mean more people and visitors can access them.

Yorkshire is home to two of the nation's National Parks, cared for by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) and North York Moors National Park Authority (NYMNPA).

Both moved to welcome the funding, with the YDNPA saying it will address some of its short-term financial pressures, while the NYMNPA spoke of support for vital projects.

The YDNPA spokesperson, however, warned that longer-term structural problems within its finances remain, arguing its Government grant is still less than it was 12 years ago.

They said: "We, together with partners, are already delivering important climate, nature recovery, and access and engagement projects in the National Park, but need to go further if we’re to deliver on Government targets for nature, climate and public access.

"This means having the resources needed to realise the ambitious plans we have for this special and treasured landscape."

A spokesperson for the NYMNPA added: “National Park Authorities in England deliver so much for so many, and yet their ability to plan for the longer term and set vital goals for the future is seriously hampered by financial uncertainty.

“These are landscapes at the forefront of addressing climate change, and we stand by colleagues in National Parks across the country in calling for a long-term commitment from Government.”