National park could be forced to sell off public woodland because of funding cuts

‘I’ve worked in national parks for nearly 30 years and I’ve never seen it anywhere near as bad as this,’ CEO says

The chief executive of Exmoor national park has warned land may have to sold off due to budget pressures (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A national park has warned it may be forced to sell off woodland as a result of funding pressures.

The chief executive of Exmoor said she had never experienced times “as bad as this” in her three decades in the sector.

It came as a charity warned “severe funding cuts” were threatening the future of national parks across the country in an open letter to the chancellor ahead of his autumn statement.

The Campaign for National Parks urged Jeremy Hunt to boost investment to support parks, which help to tackle the climate crisis and promote economic growth.

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The head of Exmoor National Park explained what impact funding shortages could have for the site in West Somerset and North Devon - including the sale of land and redundancies.

“I’ve worked in national parks for nearly 30 years and I’ve never seen it anywhere near as bad as this,” Sarah Bryan, its chief executive, said in a statement shared by the head of the Campaign for National Parks.

“These are really difficult times for us. We manage a beautiful landscape working with farmers and the local community, but the authority now risks having to close up to two of our three visitor centres, make redundancies right through the organisation and handing back management of 620 miles of paths to local county councils, which are grappling with their own budget deficits.”

She added: “The average cost to visitors per year is relatively little, but the benefits to mental and physical wellbeing are priceless.”

The Campaign for National Parks said government funding had fallen by 40 per cent in real terms over the last decade.

Its chief executive, Dr Rose O’Neill, said this was forcing national parks to “carefully allocate shrinking resources and trim back on services” in her open letter to Mr Hunt.

“This balancing act cannot continue much longer. With rising costs and inflation, even within the current budget settlement made earlier this year, the 10 National Park Authorities in England will be pushed to the brink, anticipating total cuts of £16m,” she said.

“This will bring many authorities to their knees, forcing them to withdraw frontline services and having a severe and long-lasting impact on national parks, the local communities that rely on them and the UK as a whole.”

The Treasury has been approached for comment.