SIR — The following is the text of a letter I have sent to Ian Liddell-Grainger MP in reply to his recent questionnaire on Exmoor.
Exmoor's problems stem not so much from being a designated national park but more because it's rural and remote.
National parks are not the only areas to suffer lack of well-paid jobs and unaffordable house prices; Cornwall with no national park has similar problems.
However, Cornwall has a vibrant tourist industry, not only because of its coastal scenery but also because of good communications.
Exmoor is said to be situated at the end of the longest cul de sac in England, the main access points being at least 30 tortuous miles from the nearest motorway.
Farming, particularly hill-farming, whether it is in a national park or not, is suffering from the fact that it is cheaper to import a lot of our food.
Until this problem is resolved, or until it resolves itself, the rural economy in this country will suffer. Hill farming has always been a poor relation to its lowland partners.
Two of the worst problems that rural communities face are lack of affordable housing, either for rent or to buy, and inextricably linked to that, incomes are nowhere near sufficient to even think about purchase.
The main cause of the loss of rented accommodation was and remains the "right to buy" policy of recent governments. This has had a devestating effect on rural communities and must be scrapped and councils allowed to replace that lost to political dogma.
Also there has been pressure by all governments to move people out of the countryside by concentrating major public services in towns in the name of efficiency.
Porlock is 30 miles from the nearest hospital with more than cottage facilities. I fear that the proposed hospital for Minehead will become a victim of the necessary cost cutting consequent to the present recession.
I believe that the marketing of Exmoor could be much improved, though it is a matter of debate whether this is a task for the ENPA or the tourism providers.
I believe the providers should take a good long look at their responsibilities in this respect. Many farmers who have diversified into tourism have had considerable success.
The drift out of the countryside has been taking place since medieval times so this is nothing new.
High Exmoor is not appropriate for intensive agriculture without unsustainable levels of input because of unsuitable soil and climate. Even if the moorland was turned over the crop production, would this lead to a meaningful increase in well-paid jobs? I think not.
However, if the urban population wants to preserve a countryside that they can retire to or visit, then it must be maintained and those parts that are least spoilt must be preserved, and I believe that the status of national park is vital for the future of Exmoor. Those who maintain the land for the benefit of the rest of the country must be suitably rewarded.
Of course people will grumble at and fight against the park, but that does not mean one destroys it.
The principle of keeping Exmoor as a national park must be upheld even if it leads to screaming frustration in the face of real or imaginary mismanagement. One just keeps patiently slogging on.
Human relationships are just as complicated in the countryside as in the town and any difficulties that arise can only be ameliorated by drawing on years of experience and received wisdom.
A simplistic questionnaire drawn up by an outsider such as yourself is likely to widen gaps in opinion rather than heal them. But perhaps that is your intention.
David Britnell,
Redway,
Porlock.