In Britain, each National Park is run by a public sector Authority, funded by the Government and tax payers.

The Peak District National Park Authority is not quite the same as a Local Authority for a number of reasons:

Although the Peak District National Park Authority has a Board of Members, some are elected by local residents whilst others are appointed by the Secretary of State for their knowledge of conservation related issues.

National Park Authorities do not have the same responsibilities as a local council. For instance, they do not organise rubbish collections, or carry out road repairs.

The 1995 Environment Act stated that a National Park Authority's purpose is to:

• conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the Peak District
• to promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the Peak District's special qualities

The National Park Authority must also foster the economic and social well-being of the local communities.

For more information on the Peak District National Park Authority go to www.peakdistrict.gov.uk

The National Park Authority has a Sustainable Tourism Strategy that sets out the aims, vision, strategic objectives and suggested actions.

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Guiding and Interpretation

The National Park Authority runs a programme of guided walks. Call the Walks Information Hotline on 01629 816327 to find out more.

Losehill Hall is the Peak District National Park Study Centre and runs a series of programmes through their Education, Training and Leisure Breaks Teams. View the Special Interest Holidays brochure.

The Authority's Interpretation team works with partners and local communities on projects, which help people understand the environment and the rich natural and cultural heritage of the Peak District.

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Managing emergencies and health & safety

The National Park Authority Ranger Service co-operates with the emergency services to manage emergencies. Every available technique is used to communicate and interpret to the general public.

The National Park Authority's purposes do not include ensuring the health and safety of visitors, however it endeavours to comply with all the legal responsibilities and health and safety guidelines in the same way as any other local government body.

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Secondary spending

The great majority of facilities that encourage spending by visitors within the Peak District National are independent businesses, see Sustainable Tourism Strategy this links to the National Park Authority's duty to foster the economic welfare of the community that live and work in The Peak District. Developing a Peak District Brand and a market led marketing campaign that can be adopted by the local tourism industry to help promote the area and increase visitor spend and length of stay.

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Managing visitors

The National Park Authority does not have the power to stop visitors coming to the Peak District.

A great deal of work is carried out on sites to try to minimise the impact of the visitors while maintaining the natural beauty of the sites.

The Authority has helped to set up an independent Local Countryside Access Forum to explore how the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 could be implemented in the Peak District.

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Traffic control

The National Park Authority tries to influence visitor traffic in various ways:

The South Pennines Integrated Transport Strategy (SPITS) has been designed by a consortium of authorities and transport agencies known as the Peak park Transport Forum. The implementation of the strategy will be over a 20-year period and is being directed through the various Local Transport Plans, the National Trunk Roads programme and the Strategic Rail Network.

The Hope Valley Community Rail Partnership consists of representatives from the National Park Authority, Derbyshire County Council, Parish Councils, Passenger Transport Authorities, local businesses and the railway companies. It aims to enhance the profile and use of the Hope Valley railway through the National Park, and has extended its scope to include the bus services within the valley as well as the trains. Work includes publicity and marketing, enhanced service levels, special events, guided walks and local arts promotions. Funding comes from the main local authorities, the railway companies and the EU.

Try these links for more information:

Fact sheet on Erosion, Rangers
People section of this website and take the tour of the North Lees Estate
www.peakdistrict.gov.uk section on Rangers, Interpretation Service, Losehill Hall
www.spits.org.uk
www.hvhptp.org.uk
FAQs

For further information or enquiries email us at: information.losehill@peakdistrict.gov.uk