Fears over national parks amid cuts

Senior figures from the Campaign for National Parks have called for a moratorium on future cuts and a clear vision to protect the designated areas in the future.

They warned that national parks, which are mainly funded by grants from Westminster, have endured cuts up to 40 per cuts in their budgets in the last five years which has so far led to 252 job losses in England and Wales.

The impact of the austerity measures has been keenly felt in the region’s three national parks in the Yorkshire Dales, the North York Moors and the Peak District, with a series of schemes either dramatically scaled back or culled altogether.

The chief executive for the Campaign for National Parks, Julian Woolford, said: “The current approach to cuts is piecemeal, short-termist and relentless.

“We have to stop the cuts and get the best brains in government, the national park authorities, the charitable sector and business to develop an exciting, properly-funded vision for the future of national parks as soon as possible.”

The call comes as 160,000 people have signed a petition by the pressure group, 38 Degrees, urging Prime Minister David Cameron to stop the cuts.

The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority has ended its support for apprenticeships, while a farmland bird conservation scheme in the Peak District has also been stopped, prompting concerns over the impact on species such as lapwings and curlews.

In the North York Moors, the Moorsbus scheme, which was seen as crucial in providing environmentally-friendly transport for visitors, has been scaled back to offer just a fifth of the services previously available.

But the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs maintained every effort is being made to minimise the impact of budget cuts on national parks, which a spokeswoman claimed are a “vital part of our heritage, provide beautiful landscapes for us all to enjoy and are the cornerstone of many rural businesses”.

She added: “We have provided £260m to national park authorities since 2010, and over the past three years the value of Environmental Stewardship schemes in national parks has been over £156m.”