About Us
Who we are
The Lake District National Park Authority is an independent local authority and part of the local government in the Lake District. It does some, but not all, of the work that is done by the County and District Councils outside the National Park. These other councils also have an important role to play inside the National Park.
We are the local government body established to conserve and enhance the Lake District's natural beauty, wildlife, and cultural heritage; and promote the public's understanding and enjoyment of the National Park's special qualities. We try to ensure that developments and activities are not harmful, to encourage responsible countryside access, to inform and educate visitors and local people about conservation issues and foster the economic and social well-being of the local communities.
We provide expert advice and practical assistance to local residents, landowners, developers and visitors to the National Park. We work in partnership with other bodies and agencies towards the effective management of visitor and local needs within the context of landscape conservation and environmental improvement.
We are the Unitary Planning Authority for the National Park. We run information and educational services, maintain rights of way and a wide range of properties: car parks; woodland; moorland and mountains.
The Authority is made up of:
- Staff page - local government employees who advise members
- Members page - represent the public interest. About two thirds are elected local politicians
- Chairman - leads the members
- Chief Executive - leads the staff
Our Vision
"Working together for a prosperous economy, vibrant communities and world class visitor experiences - and all sustaining the spectacular landscape." - find out more in Vision for the National Park in 2030 page.
Funding
Britain’s national parks are funded directly by Government grant from Defra (opens in new window), and receive no funding from council tax or other local taxes.
We get most of our money - £6.6 million - from the Government grant from Defra.
About a third of our income comes from trading activities such as car parking, planning application fees and sales at Information Centres.
Our History
Find out more about the National Parks movement and the family of National Parks in the UK by checking out our History of National Park page.
Code of Corporate Governance
Corporate Governance is how we demonstrate our responsibility and accountability to our customers. Check out our Code of Corporate Governance (opens Document Library).
We use the definition of CIPFA (Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy) and SOLACE (Society of Local Authority Chief Executives):
“Corporate Governance is the systems by which local authorities direct and control their functions and relate to their communities”.
We have agreed a local Code of Corporate Governance and will review existing practice and procedure to identify areas for improvement. This review will lead to an action plan to introduce and sustain best practice.
Assessment
The Lake District National Park Authority is continually improving and changing. We underwent a two-day inspection by the National Park Authorities' Performance Assessment Team who commented on issues such as leadership and communicating. Read the NPAPA Report 2006 (opens Document Library).
