Government funding cuts threaten beauty spot's future

The future of a beloved beauty spot is hanging in the balance in the face of planned government budget cuts.

Somerset is home to three national landscapes - the Blackdown Hills, the Quantock Hills and the Mendip Hills - which could see funding cuts in a review of the budget for the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra).

Manager of the Mendip Hills National Landscape team, Jim Hardcastle, said this would make it much harder to carry out vital conservation work and to meet the government's own target for environmental improvement.

A Defra spokesperson said it is investing £400m over two years to protect and restore nature and has launched a rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan to ensure it meets its legal targets.

In addition to the UK's national parks, there are 46 national landscapes – formerly known as areas of outstanding natural beauty or AONBs – which cover 15% of England.

Delivering her first budget on 30 October, chancellor of the exchequer Rachel Reeves envisioned that Defra's "departmental expenditure limit" will fall in real terms by 1.9% from 2024/25 to 2025/26.

Reports in The Guardian since the budget have indicated that the resulting savings will be spread across all elements of Defra - and that the national landscapes teams has been told to prepare for a 12% cut to its funds.

Mr Hardcastle said: "I'm genuinely worried about these cuts.

"The Mendip Hills, and other national landscapes, can provide real solutions for the climate and ecological crisis, as well as helping the government to meet international targets.

"These cuts will also inevitably lead to job losses. We are only a staff of 10 for the whole of the Mendip Hills, and I'm not sure how we will manage."

National landscapes receive more visitors combined than all the UK's national parks, and cover almost double the area of the parks put together.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, they only receive about one-sixth of the core funding the national parks enjoy, and have already endured their budgets being cut by 40% since 2010.

Chairman of the Mendip Hills National Landscape Partnership, Andy Wear, said: "Funding cuts will have huge ramifications for everyone on the Mendip Hills.

"All of the hedge laying and dry-stone wall building will end. The environmental benefits will be gone."

Wells and Mendip Hills MP Tessa Munt met with representatives from the national landscapes teams shortly before the Christmas parliamentary recess, vowing that she would fight for their budgets to be protected.

"These landscapes are a precious and valuable asset – they should be protected, funded and cherished," she said.

"We're in the middle of a climate emergency, how can funding to these vital landscapes be cut?"

A spokesperson for Defra said: "A thriving natural world underpins our economy, health and society, which is why we are investing £400m over two years to protect and restore nature.

"Our National Landscapes, alongside National Parks, play an important role in this and we will empower these special places to become greener, wilder and more accessible. We are currently considering the best approach and will work closely with the National Landscapes Association on this."

Follow BBC Somerset on Facebook and X. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.