The Northumberland national park. Photo: Keith Edkins CC-BY-SA-3.0
A national park authority has dropped legal action against a Government department it said had failed to consult properly on cuts to its budget.
A Northumberland National Park Authority spokesperson said it had considered the effects of a protracted legal dispute and decided to drop the case.
The authority issued a letter of claim to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs about its funding settlement on 17 February. Members were unanimous on the decision to issue a pre-action letter of claim, believing the Secretary of State’s decision had a disproportionate impact on Northumberland national park.
The budget reduction resulted in a 50 per cent cut in the management of the authority, major reductions in staffing and the cutting back of services such as visitor centres and footpath maintenance affecting residents, tourism businesses and visitors.
“Northumberland is the least funded national park authority and as it is currently under-funded according to Defra’s own funding formula; it faces a disproportionately significant impact,” the spokesperson said.
John Riddle, chair of Northumberland National Park Authority said: “The authority has decided that its current priority is to use its limited resources to address the significant challenges required by budget reductions.
“We are deeply concerned, however, that if the allocation of funding for national parks is not addressed and revised, it is likely that future funding decisions will have an even greater detrimental effect on the least-funded national park which is Northumberland.”
Tony Gates, chief executive of the authority added: “The fair allocation of available resources across the national park family in England is something we will continue to press for.”
The authority has now asked Defra for a meeting to discuss the issues arising from its pre-action correspondence.
Northumberland national park covers 1,049 sq km (405 sq miles) – more than a fifth of Northumberland from Hadrian’s Wall to the Scottish border. It has more than 1,100 km (684 miles) of rights of way, including two national trails and a number of long-distance walking, cycling and horse riding trails, and the central, most visited section of Hadrian’s Wall world heritage site.
