Challenging times for National Parks

Welcome to my very first campaigns blog!  The Campaign for National Parks (CNP) may be coming up to 75 years old but we are young at heart and embracing new media.  I have always wanted to be a blogger, partly because it sounds so cool…and now with the launch of our new website, and our official entry into the world of social media, we have decided to start a regular campaigns blog. 

In April 2010 one of CNP’s longest running campaigns eventually bore fruit when the South Downs joined the National Parks family.  Following that, one of our civil servant contacts rather cheekily asked me what CNP was going to do now, given that the South Downs campaign had been won.  It didn’t take me more than a nanosecond to retort that the challenges for National Parks were greater than ever, and that CNP’s campaigning work was far from done.  In this blog, I hope to give a flavour of the challenges that lie ahead…

Are National Parks still relevant?

During a recent interview for Radio 4’s Farming Today programme about the 5% funding cut to English National Park Authorities I was asked whether National Parks had been become a luxury, given the desperate position of public funding, which seems set to worsen now that most Government departments face cuts of around 25% over 4 years.  Of course, my answer was no, and that National Parks remain a necessity as they deliver so much public benefit – wildlife conservation, clean water and nurturing our collective well-being to name but a few of their many benefits.

However, their relevance to modern society cannot be taken for granted.  In the United States, an amazing documentary series from Ken Burns (The National Parks: America’s Best Idea) found that the greatest threat to National Parks was apathy.

Convincing politicians and others that National Parks remain vital national assets and that their annual grant from Government is a small price to pay for their sustenance will be an important CNP campaign over the next few months.  If you live in an English National Park then you could help by writing to local newspapers or your MP.  If you’re interested please get in touch.

Coalition Government – Friend or Foe?

In theory the Coalition Government should be firmly in the friendly camp.  The Guardian recently reported that green issues are the glue holding the coalition together, and the Conservatives claim to be the natural home for conservation.  National Parks Minister Richard Benyon has already visited a National Park and launched an upland farming traineeship but he has plenty of other issues on his mind, especially as the environmental sector seems to have developed a serious rift in the middle of the international whaling commission.

Elsewhere in Government, while Eric Pickles has changed his role from Shadow Cabinet enforcer to head of the Department for Communities and Local Government, his style remains inimitably robust.  He has already signalled his intention to give the communities element of his portfolio a huge boost and to ensure that localism is ‘wrapped up in the very DNA of the department’.  His first announcement (the scrapping of regional plans) has generated ripples across the planning world; it is unclear what implications it has for National Parks and their status as national designations embedded within the local planning framework.  We will be seeking to engage with Government at early stages of its thinking, so that we can assist in finding solutions to any unintended consequences.

The growing thrust of localism is unlikely to leave National Parks untouched, especially as the Coalition Government is committed to reviewing the governance of National Parks to ensure that they are more locally accountable.  

While details are yet to emerge on the scope and timing of the review, it would seem to be a real opportunity to take a fresh look and achieve real gains.  For too long, National Parks have been dogged by local angst about their role.  If they are to deliver an increasing range of priorities in today’s tough financial climate, they will need the full support and participation of their local communities.  No more brickbats please – let localism become a source of strength to these vital national assets.

Comments on this blog are very welcome.  Please email me.