Consultation confirmed as National Park Authority presents formal proposals for operational changes - Peak District National Park
The Peak District National Park Authority has confirmed that an internal workforce consultation process has begun after Members of the Authority approved a series of formal proposals as part of an organisational restructure at the Authority (28 April).
Staff at the Authority were informed of the proposals in a series of face-to-face meetings on Wednesday 3 May.
Among the proposals to be consulted upon is a change in the way the Authority engages visitors with the potential closing or repurposing of four visitor centres operated by the Authority at Bakewell, Castleton, Edale and Fairholmes in the Upper Derwent Valley.
Authority Members will approve any final proposals for implementation on 28 July.
Further proposals include reducing current senior management levels by more than half, along with the merging of some administrative services and potential outsourcing of some professional services.
Up to 65 people are at risk of redundancy with the creation of 31 new posts however, the Authority says it hopes to retain the skills and experience of as many staff as possible. Overall, the Authority anticipates a net reduction in its workforce of around 7%. Smaller changes to some other existing posts include role title differences or the moving of teams to alternative departments.
The announcement comes as the Authority says it has faced a 'real terms' cut in its annual Defra government grant of around 40% over the last decade; with the Authority receiving around the same grant now as it did in 2012, with no increases in line with inflation.
A recent one-off grant of £440,000 made available to all ten English national parks - representing less than 10% of the Authority’s annual baseline budget - will be used to help fund the transition towards a more sustainable operating model.
Major drivers for the proposed organisational change, alongside budget cuts, include the need to meet an increased demand in planning work and the changing way in which visitors now source information about their potential visit. The Authority’s four visitor centres currently host 400,000 people per year, around 1 in 30 of the Peak District’s estimated 13 million annual visitors.
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Posted On: 05/05/2023