Herald Express (Torbay, Brixham & South Hams Edition)
National park at ‘critical point’ as funding flatlines
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I cannot overstate the difficulties this authority has in delivering our fundamental tasks
DARTMOOR National Park Authority (DNPA) is in serious danger of not being able to carry out its key functions unless it gets more financial support from the Government, it has been claimed.
The DNPA is facing a £500,000 deficit next year and is “reaching a critical point”.
It plans to make its concerns known to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Steve Barclay when he comes to Dartmoor in two weeks’ time.
The DNPA’s purpose is to conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and heritage of the moor and inform and educate people about the special landscape.
But it says it is struggling to do this with a flat rate grant from the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) each year which does not take into account inflation.
At a meeting last week, DNPA members heard the grant for 202425 had not been confirmed, but Defra had indicated it would remain static. On that basis, finance officers had produced a balanced budget for the next financial year.
The Government cash makes up more than 60% of the national park’s income. The rest comes from parking fees, which will rise with inflation from April, planning fees and various other charges. It does not have any commercial investments that bring in revenue and few assets that offer any income.
DNPA chair Pamela Woods said: “An income which should be in excess of £7 million or £8m a year is at the moment barely £4m a year.
DNPA chair Pamela Woods
The items we use, the personnel we pay, those costs go up but our national park grant has stayed the same since 2019.”
On top of rising costs, the 4% pay award to staff had impacted finances. The authority currently employs around 90 staff and this is its biggest expenditure.
“I cannot overstate the difficulties this authority has in delivering our fundamental tasks – we are pared down to such an extent that we are reaching a critical point,” said Ms Woods.
Among the national park’s responsibilities are biodiversity projects, nature recovery projects, visitor centres, car parks and property maintenance, land management and outreach and education including the junior rangers scheme.
DNPA chief executive Dr Kevin Bishop said without a one-off grant last year of £440,000, which helped to save the Princetown visitor centre, it would have had to reassess the budget for 2024-25 and make some tough decisions. In years to come this would be the case if Defra did not increase its core funding.
He said he was pushing for a capital grant of £500,000 that could come to Dartmoor as part of an extra £10m for protected landscape in England to be available for revenue purposes.
This way it could be used to help provide existing services and projects and balance future budgets.
“I am not confident it will say yes to this but we will keep trying,” he said. “While this money is not to be sneezed at, it is not a panacea.
“A new capital project takes a lot of officer time. To achieve something within the year against a backdrop of cuts is not the best use of the money.”
The cost of parking will rise at Princetown, Haytor upper and lower car parks, Postbridge, Meldon and Lydford, from £5 to £5.30 for all-day parking and from £3 to £3.20 for three hours. Coaches and minibuses will pay an extra 65p a day.