The Dartmoor National Park is facing significant financial difficulties as the government has been accused of acting as if the Dartmoor Pixie is handling the moor’s finances. During a meeting of the Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA), Chief Executive Kevin Bishop outlined some of the challenges the moor is currently facing.

Bishop stated that an 8.2% cut in the day-to-day spending budget from the government would translate to a 10% cut when the new National Insurance arrangements for employers are included. He emphasized that this would be the largest budget reduction in years, and the authority may need to consider restructuring to avoid potential redundancies.

‘This is huge, and this is vital,’ said DNPA member Sally Morgan, expressing her concern about the current situation. ‘It makes me proud to be part of this organisation that we are still managing to do really good work under such difficult circumstances.’ She also pointed to the government’s Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), questioning their understanding of the situation: ‘Who do they think is doing all this?’ she asked, referring to the exceptional work being done on the moor despite the ‘shocking’ resources provided by the government.

DNPA member Philip Sanders also expressed frustration that for the second consecutive year, the authority entered the financial year without knowing what government funds they would receive.

Bishop noted that this was the biggest cut to revenue funding since his tenure began. However, the DNPA members agreed to use reserves for the current financial year, which may delay any immediate need for restructuring. The key uncertainty now lies in the upcoming government spending review, set to be announced in June.

‘We hope the government will listen,’ Bishop stated. ‘We would hope that national parks, our finest landscapes, are the government’s top priority, but I’m not certain they are.’

Additionally, James McInnes, a member of the DNPA, warned against any restructuring that could undermine the authority’s independence: ‘This has always been a place that isn’t party political,’ he said. ‘When we walk through that door we’re here for Dartmoor, and we need to make the government understand that.’