England's national parks face financial peril due to budget cuts, say CEOs

England's national parks face a 12% real-terms cut to their budget which would lead to mass redundancies of wardens and the closure of visitor centres and other facilities, park leaders have warned.

- Helena Horton

The chief executives told the Guardian that soon the spaces would become "paper parks" designated by a "brown sign on the motorway," and they will have to "turn the lights off, close the doors and put up closed signs," if the cuts go ahead.

The raising of employers, national insurance by Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, in the budget will also deal the parks a devastating blow, the CEOs warned, costing them £1.3m, which they say will "inevitably lead to redundancies".

England has 10 national parks: the Norfolk Broads, Dartmoor, Exmoor, the Lake District, the New Forest, Northumberland, the North York Moors, the Peak District, the South Downs and the Yorkshire Dales. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the National Parks Act and in the past two decades the parks have faced severe hardship, including a budget cut by approximately 40% since 2010.