The Peak District includes Kinder Scout, its highest point
Six national park staff face redundancy under plans agreed in the face of budget cuts.
The Peak District National Pak Authority will slash its spending by £365,000 as part of a 30 per cent cut imposed by the coalition Government.
Five staff will take voluntary redundancy and another faces being made compulsorily redundant.
Two retiring workers will not be replaced.
The authority’s chair, Conservative High Peak borough councillor and former MP Tony Favell admitted the cuts would affect the national park’s service to the public.
Savings will be made at visitor centres and in the Peak Park Conservation Volunteers.
The authority will juggle almost £¼m-worth of savings to develop the Pedal Peak District cycling project, continue the Peak Connections public transport information project and deliver a new tourism strategy for the Peak, Britain’s oldest national park.
It said it will also improve its website to allow the public to access more services online and will also take on two young apprentices on fixed-term contracts.
It will defer budget cuts to services and posts in the environment and economy service and administrative support teams for 12 months.
Tony Favell: 'cannot make savings of that scale without having an effect on the service'
Councillor Favell said: “Through careful financial management we are continuing to invest in some key services during 2013-14.
“I am particularly pleased that we are going to be taking on two apprentices, which will help young, local people to get jobs in this tough economic climate. They will learn practical skills that should set them up for a career in the environmental sector.
“At the same time we have taken some tough decisions to make £365,000 of savings. While we have minimised the impact on jobs as much as possible you cannot make savings of that scale without having an effect on the service we provide to the public.”
The authority’s final budget for 2013-14 will be set at a meeting in February.
The national park, covering 1,437 sq km (555 sq miles) was set up in 1951.
