Chris Bonington: Vice President of the CNP.Photo Paul Ross©
National parks including the Lake District, the Norfolk Broads and the New Forest could be lost due to cuts to the budget of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, campaigners have warned.High-profile spokespeople, including Ben Fogle, the television presenter, and Janet Street-Porter, the journalist, urged Defra to ensure the parks were protected as it trimmed its finances.
Failure to do so, they said, would risk losing: “a much-needed escape from the stresses of everyday life”; “havens for many species” and “a major contribution to tackling climate change”. In a joint letter to the Daily Telegraph, the representatives of the Campaign for National Parks and Ramblers, Britain’s walking charity, wrote: “The role of National Parks has never been so vital."Government grants are the National Parks’ biggest source of income.“If they are cut radically, we will all be the poorer.”The campaigners also included Sir Chris Bonington, the vice-president of the CNP and renowned mountaineer.
They pointed out that, despite being part of the local Government framework, the parks rely on central funding as they cannot raise money through local rates.
They also suggested the Coalition’s stated aim of being “the greenest government ever” did not tally with Defra being the third-worst affected department in the spending review. Its funding was cut by 30%. Earlier this month, Defra published consultation on reforming how the parks are operated.
Critics said such reforms would place economic development on an equal footing to conservation, making developments such as new housing estates easier to approve.National parks currently have the highest level protection against development.
The Telegraph
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