Government boost for conservation
Additional National Park Grant (NPG) awarded to the Broads Authority of £1.3 million over three years will provide a huge fillip to the conservation of this internationally important wetland.
Defra announced today that the Broads Authority will receive £4.30 million in National Park Grant next year. This is the Authority’s share of the £46.2 million allocated to national parks, England’s finest landscapes, which account for 10% of the country.
The Grant maintains the existing level of Government support at a time when there were concerns that there might be a reduction because of the pressures on Defra’s budget.
Kerry Turner, Chairman of the Broads Authority said: "I would like to thank the new Minister, Jonathan Shaw, for supporting the cause of national parks with his fellow Ministers, in what we know has been a difficult spending round. This is a tremendous vote of confidence in the work of national park authorities and the Broad Authority in particular."
The Additional National Park Grant for the Broads Authority, first introduced in 2005/06 for an initial period of three years, recognises the special pressures on the Broads system. The Minister, Jonathan Shaw specifies in his letter that the extra money should be used for restoring the fragile Broads ecosystems. He states: "For the Broads, implementation of the Sediment Management Strategy will bring many benefits and so for the restoration of the Broads ecosystems I will again provide £500,000 in year 1 and £400,000 in each of years 2 and 3".
For the first time the announcement gives a three-year horizon for national park funding (See Table below). The Grant will increase by 2.9% in 2009/10 and 2.75% in 2010/11.
Broads Authority National Park Grant Settlement
| This Year 2007/08 |
Next Year 2008/09 |
2009/10 | 2010/11 | |
| Core National Park Grant | £3,426,763 | £3,604,337 | £3,722,706 | £3,841,581 |
| Additional National Park Grant | £500,000 | £500,000 | £400,000 | £400,000 |
| Sustainable Development Fund | £200,000 | £200,000 | £200,000 | £200,000 |
| Total | £4,126,763 | £4,304,337 | £4,322,706 | £4,441,581 |
7/12/2007
