EXMOOR National Park Authority fears its budget could be slashed by up to a third over the next four years.

And the organisation is asking local people to help it decide where the axe should fall as the possibility of cutbacks looms.

Although the scale of cuts will not be known until after the Government's spending review is announced in October, the authority said this week it was bracing itself for the inevitable.

"If the reduction in national park grant is as bad as has been indicated, it's clear that we're not going to be able to provide the level of service that we do at the moment for the benefit of Exmoor National Park, our local communities and visitors," said national park chief executive Dr Nigel Stone.

"We have therefore been holding a number of workshops and meetings with local organisations to get their views on our future priorities and ways in which we might reduce our expenditure."

Dr Stone said the authority would also welcome views from the public as it wanted to make sure that it continued to deliver services that were of most benefit to Exmoor, local communities and visitors to the area.

Services currently provided include conservation advice and projects relating to wildlife, moorlands, habitat management, archaeology and historic buildings, as well as the running of national park centres and information provision.

It also organises walks, talks, events and activities, deals with footpath and other rights of way issues and runs education services, such as the Pinkery Outdoor Education Centre.

In addition, it has responsibility for planning services, offers support for the economy and climate change and provides advice to farmers, landowners and tourism businesses, as well as running ranger and field services teams.

Dr Stone said: "We are seeking the views and suggestions of the general public and we are keen to hear views on how we, the authority, make savings in our expenditure and what people think our priorities should be in the future."

The consultation will end on October 18.