The Peak District became the UK’s first designated national park in 1951
The organisation responsible for conserving the Peak District has announced plans for a “significant restructure” due to “unprecedented” financial pressures.
The Peak District National Park Authority, based in Bakewell in Derbyshire, confirmed the possibility of “a number of redundancies” and said it would have to review the “size and scope” of some of its work.
It said it faced pressures due a fixed government grant that did not take into account inflation or other costs, such as the rise in the minimum wage.
The government said it was investing £400 million to protect nature, including at national parks.
The authority is based at Aldern House in Bakewell
The authority, which restructured only two years ago to reduce costs, said it had faced a real-terms cut of about 50% over the past 10 years.
The proposed changes include making efficiencies within services such as customer services and communications, as well as reductions to its work around community engagement, education and wellbeing.
The number of potential job losses is not known, but the authority hopes to mitigate them through voluntary redundancies across the organisation.
Chief executive Phil Mulligan said the authority was facing “a very challenging financial landscape”.
‘Cannot be avoided’
“The proposals we are having to consider are extremely difficult and upsetting for everyone,” he said.
“We are looking at potentially cutting or reducing some of our high-profile and much-valued programmes.
“None of us want to make these decisions but they cannot be avoided unless there is significantly better news from the government on our funding.”
The restructure is expected to be concluded ahead of a meeting on 21 March, when members will agree next year’s budget.
A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said: “Our national parks and green spaces are a source of great national pride.
“That’s why this government is investing £400 million to protect and restore nature, including in our national parks.
“However, we will go further and give people better access to nature by creating new National River Walks and three new National Forests for families to enjoy.”