South Downs National Park faces difficult financial situation

The boss of Britain's third largest national park fears it will be "difficult to continue doing the job properly" due to diminishing funding.

Trevor Beattie, chief executive of the South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA) said funding had fallen by 40% in real terms over the past decade.

The authority has had to make £1.1m of savings this year.

A government spokesperson said: "We remain committed to supporting our National Park Authorities."

South Downs National Park is the third largest park in England and covers swathes of East Sussex, West Sussex and Hampshire.

Mr Beattie has questioned why the park - along with nine others across England - faces financial difficulties despite being at the heart of the UK's nature recovery targets and climate change plans.

"National Parks need the resources to match our ambitions" the chief executive said, stressing they are the "green lungs" of the nation.

Mr Beattie said the park "has to be defended."

"I fear the resources for that defence are running low and we're getting to a position where it will be difficult to continue doing the job properly," he told the BBC.

When asked about the prospect of further budget cuts, Mr Beattie said: "It means we do less. What an odd thing to happen at the time of COP27 when we've just internationally accepted that tackling climate change is a top international priority."

A spokesperson for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: "We understand the very challenging financial circumstances currently facing all sectors and the pressures that this is putting on our National Park Authorities in particular.

"We remain committed to supporting our National Park Authorities and are working with them to identify additional sources of funding, particularly through private investment."

Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].