Shake-up for national parks as public offered authority seats

Four seats on the North York Moors Park Authority – which governs the stunning 550 square mile national park in North Yorkshire – are to be made available to local residents for the first time as part of the coalition’s drive for greater local decision-making.

At present only serving parish councillors can take up the seats.

Announcing a raft of changes to the way national park authorities are governed yesterday, Natural Environment Minister Richard Benyon said: “Our national parks are our most treasured landscapes, enjoyed by millions of people every year and contributing significantly to regional economies.

“The changes we are making will give the local communities a greater say in how their national park is managed.”

National park authorities are legally appointed bodies that manage a national park’s budget and set spending and conservation priorities. The Government pledged it would make them more locally accountable in its Coalition agreement last year.

The most radical changes announced yesterday will happen outside Yorkshire, however.

Pilot schemes are to be launched in the Peak District and New Forest, where direct elections will be introduced for the first time to select some park authority members. If the elections are deemed successful in improving the way those parks are run, they could be extended to other park authorities at a later date.

For the North York Moors authority, the four seats set aside for local residents will continue to be selected by the local parish council, as is currently the case.

Anyone living within the park boundaries will be able to put themselves forward for the role from April 2013.

The changes have been welcomed by North York Moors chief executive Andy Wilson, who said they were suggested by the authority itself during a Government consultation earlier this year.

Mr Wilson said: “This was something we said we would like to try, but it’s important to emphasise that control still lies in the hands of the parishes. We feel this will empower them to choose who they would like – at the moment they can’t put anyone forward unless they’re already a parish councillor.

“This will give the parish a larger choice and it means that anyone living within the park can try to persuade the parish to nominate them.”

There are 22 seats in total on the park authority. In addition to the four “parish” seats, 12 are held by local councillors from the district and county councils, and six are “national” members appointed by the Secretary of State.

No major changes have been announced regarding the governance of Yorkshire’s other famous national park, the Yorkshire Dales.

The Government said it recognised local support for maintaining the size and composition of its park authority, but has now requested members come up with new ways to connect with local people.

A statement from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said: “We feel it is important to explore avenues for improving services and so are asking the authority to reconsider what it might do to further improve its engagement with its residents.”

Carl Lis, chairman of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, said he was pleased the coalition was taking on board the views of local people, but suggested his chief concern is currently dealing with the authority’s greatly-reduced budget following the public spending squeeze.

“I am happy the Government has listened to the voices of those who responded to the consultation,” he said. “There are some interesting and contentious issues that will generate major debate over the coming weeks.

“But our main focus remains on delivering our day-to-day services and purposes in the current difficult financial climate.”