Concerns raised over future of New Forest National Park Authority as government funding fails to keep up with inflation

OFFICIALS played down fears about the future of the national park authority amid concerns about its finances being hit by soaring inflation.

At a full meeting of the NPA, member Cllr David Harrison spoke during a budget report to voice worries about its ability to pay its way.

He warned that flat settlements received year on year from Defra had put the NPA “close to a cliff edge” in the same way local councils were struggling with financial sustainability.

The New Forest was “a unique situation” as the NPA did not have the ability to generate income unlike other national parks, Cllr Harrison said, as it does not own any car parks, visitor centres or country parks.

He welcomed the NPA’s lobbying of Defra and added: “I wonder if the government really understand, now inflation is at 10%, just how much they need to address the issue of giving us a proper annual settlement which enables us to carry out the work we are obliged to do.”

NPA chair Gavin Parker agreed the New Forest was “clearly at a disadvantage” but said the board was familiar with concern over sustainability and assured Cllr Harrison it was continually raising the point with Defra.

He added: “It clearly is an issue. You can see the one-off payment helps but it is not a long-term fix by any means.”

Chief finance officer Nigel Stone said that if the grants had kept up with inflation since 2010 the authority would have received £20m more funding.

However, he said there had been “good news” in a recent payment of £440,000 from Defra.

He added: “The letter which came with it was very nice; it talked about us being custodians of our areas that are of importance, and it did talk about our financial pressures and sustainability and that’s the first time probably in written form.

“We’ve had lots of conversations with Defra about our financial sustainability – but to see it in written form is positive in itself.”

Chief executive Alison Barnes commented: “The national parks as a whole only achieved this funding by working together so it was hard to get that £440,000.

“But I think it bodes well for the future in a way in that we were successful.

“However, the civil servants are fully aware that we need to look at the next spending review very carefully.”