The extent of a reduced budget for the Lake District National Park Authority has been confirmed.
A cut of around 9% had been forecast after warnings of changes were made to all national parks by the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs.
Earlier this year tenders were sought to run the Brockhole visitor centre near Ambleside which had been run as a not for profit attraction by the authority but was forecast to make ‘a significant loss’ according to chief executive Gavin Capstick.
Today the authority told Business Crack the authority was facing an 8.2% cut in the current financial year worth around £460,000.
Mr Capstick said: “The authority is also not receiving any support for the increase to National Insurance contributions, which has an added cost of £200,000.
“The £1.53m capital grant we’re receiving this year from the Government, and the £20,000 contribution towards membership of National Parks England, are welcome contributions, however they do not fully offset the significant impact of the long-term revenue grant reduction.
“Sustained reductions to core Lake District National Park Authority funding over the years has resulted in an increased reliance on a range of other income, including fees and charges for our own operations, grants and donations from external funders and project-specific funding to deliver our objectives.”
He added: “This financial pressure on the Lake District, alongside other national parks, results in difficult decisions being taken to prioritise what it can and can’t deliver for the people, nature and sustainability of England’s largest national park.”
The authority is due to meet later this month when more details of the impact of the settlement may be made known.
In March, the authority revealed it was planning to lease out its flagship visitor centre at Brockhole as costs were spiralling.
