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ARCHIVE: What are National Park Authorities?
National Park Authorities are independent Authorities operating within the local government framework. They were established under the Environment Act 1995 to manage National Parks. Each National Park is managed by its own Authority.
On this page:
Purpose of National Park Authorities
The two purposes of the National Park Authorities are to:
- conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage; and
- promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of National Parks by the public.
In addition, whilst in pursuit of their twin purposes, they have a statutory duty under the 1995 Act to seek to foster the socio-economic well-being of local communities without incurring significant expenditure in doing so.
If there is a major conflict which between those two purposes which cannot be resolved, conservation takes priority. This is known as the Sandford Principle.
Planning policies and decisions must give great weight to conservation of the natural beauty of the countryside, and major development should not take place save in exceptional circumstances.
The Broads Authority shares the twin purposes of the National Parks but also has an additional navigation purpose.
How are they funded?
English National Park and Broads Authorities are funded by central government.
Where possible, National Park and Broads Authorities also take advantage of Lottery and European grants and collaborative projects.
Savings to Defra’s 2010/11 budgets totalling £162m were recently announced. The revised allocations for each of the National Park Authorities are as follows:
Broads Authority |
£4,229,502 |
Dartmoor |
£4,739,642 |
Exmoor |
£3,978,580 |
Lake District |
£7,171,279 |
New Forest |
£6,028,096 |
Northumberland |
£3,311,334 |
North York Moors |
£5,428,266 |
Peak District |
£8,298,814 |
South Downs |
£7,290,000 |
Yorkshire Dales |
£5,398,563 |
Total |
£55,874,076 |
Notes: The allocation for the Lake District includes £250, 000 for repairs to the rights of way network caused by flooding and £1,800,000 for refurbishment of office accommodation for the New Forest NPA.
The Park and Broads Authorities grants stated above also include the sustainable development component of £200k each. The Sustainable Development Fund is an initiative to develop and test new ways of achieving a more sustainable way of living in these areas of great beauty and diversity whilst enhancing and conserving local culture, wildlife, landscape, land use and communities. Find out more at www.nationalparks.gov.uk/livingin/sustainable-development.htm.
How are the members chosen?
English National Park Authorities are made up from:
- Local Authority appointees,
- Secretary of State (‘national’ appointees), and
- Secretary of State (‘parish’ nominees).
The basic rules determining the size of these groups within an authority are that:-
- every district, county, or unitary authority with land in a Park will be entitled to appoint at least one member unless it chooses to opt out; and
- the total number of local authority and parish members must exceed the number of ‘national’ members.
The majority of the English National Park Boards currently have 22 members, except the Peak District which has 30 and the South Downs which has 27.
Every year the Secretary of State seeks nominations for appointees to the National Park Authorities and the Broads Authority. Usually the process starts in late summer for appointments to commence the following April. They will be advertised on our appointment pages. For enquiries about the process, please contact Defra, Sponsorship, Landscape, and Recreation Division, Zone 1/03, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Temple Quay, Bristol BS1 6EB. Tel: 0117 3728086 or 8033, E-mail: nationalparks.aonbs@defra.gsi.gov.uk.
Candidates are expected to:
- appreciate the national interest - the views of people not living in or near the National Parks and the Broads;
- understand issues affecting National Parks and the Broads, and to work to achieve the parks' purposes;
- bring experience of wider issues, which could include work with young people, environmental projects, social inclusion, or just an active interest in outdoor recreation;
- contribute positively to debate within an authority;
- be ready to make decisions on any aspects of Park and Broads management ; and
- commit a minimum of 2 to 3 days per month, to authority work (this can vary from Park to Park).
To ensure the right balance of personal qualities and experience the Secretary of State looks for candidates from a broad range of backgrounds, representative of the social and cultural mix in the country at large. Applications are particularly welcome from women, members of the ethnic minorities and promising young people as these groups are currently under-represented on the Authorities. The Secretary of State is keen to receive applications not just from those with formal qualifications and long track records in conventional careers but also those with other kinds of experience, such as that gained through community or voluntary work.
Secretary of State members are not paid but they are eligible for travel and other expenses incurred in the course of their appointments and are paid on allowance which varies from Park to Park.
The Secretary of State appoints ten of the twenty one members of the Broads Authority. The others are appointed by the local authorities and from the Authority's Navigation Committee. Of the ten appointed by the Secretary of State, at least three are appointed after consulting boating interests and two after consulting farming and landowning interests. No Parish appointments are made to the Broads Authority.
Page last modified: 02 July 2010
Page published: 23 October 2008