THE body charged with managing one of the country’s first national parks is undertaking more work to conserve and promote its special qualities than ever before, despite pressing budget pressures, it has been claimed.

Chairman of the North York Moors National Park Authority Jim Bailey said while it needed to introduce £193,000 of savings to its forthcoming budget, and a further deficit of £358,000 over the following two financial years, the outlook for the 554sq  mile area was far from bleak.

The authority’s finance committee is set to consider paring back funding for a range of conservation, apprentice and tourism schemes as the 1.7 per cent annual increase in government grant will not cover the 2.7 per cent rise in staff salaries granted by the government.

An officers’ report to the committee said the lion’s share of the proposed reductions would come in its discretionary grant budgets, while the largest single cut would come in the apprentice budget, which reflected the expectation of more external funding.

The report states: “Whilst the increase in the DEFRA grant has been very welcome, it is to be noted that inflation has increased above the level of the grant, resulting in a real terms cut to funding, which increases the pressure on the Authority finances.”

Mr Bailey said he felt the authority, which works to conserve and enhance the natural and cultural heritage of the area and to promote understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of the national park, was facing “a bit of a squeeze for the next few years”.

He said: “It is not as desperate as it would at first seem when you look at some of the cuts.

“A lot of the work we are taking out will be covered by Heritage Lottery Fund bids.” 

Mr Bailey said the authority remained “completely committed” to working with local residents to improve the national park’s landscapes.

He added: “The real picture is the North York Moors is doing more work on the ground than it has ever done.” 

His stance is a marked contrast to comments he issued three years ago and partly reflects the authority’s success in attracting external funding for a variety of schemes.

In 2015 Mr Bailey said he feared the worst if England’s ten National Parks were hit with more grant cuts, which had led to the North Yorkshire authority cutting staff and services for several years.