THE Friends of Quantock have issued the first shot in what is likely to be a hard-fought battle to stop Somerset County Council cutting funding for the Quantock Hills AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) Service. Alan Hughes, the friends' chairman, has written a "statement of opposition" to Somerset County Council outlining the importance of the AONB service and the need for funding to protect it. Although nothing has been formally agreed, there have been suggestions that the county authority could cut its AONB funding by 90 per cent in the next financial year. The proposal would mean the AONB losing £21,000 from the county authority, and that, in turn, would prevent it drawing down another £60,000 from Defra. Mr Hughes said the service gave "astonishing value for money" and generated an additional £15 for every £1 given by the county council. He said he understood the need for the county council to make savings but said the grant to the AONB service was just 0.05 per cent of the authority's overall expenditure on open spaces and recreation. "The Quantock Hills AONB is one of Somerset's greatest natural assets," he said. "They provide a great variety of open-air activity for the people of the county, are key assets attracting tourism, generating small business activity and delivering important economic benefits to the local communities. "They are also an important environmental resource providing valuable biodiversity, the importance of which is increasingly recognised both nationally and internationally." The Quantock Hills has the largest Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) of any AONB in England which, in turn, has the highest level of statutory protection available. Mr Hughes said the Countryside and Rights of Way Act laid a legal duty at the county council's door to protect the AONB - and that meant giving funding to ensure a recently agreed management plan could be fully implemented. "It is quite clear that the government intended the legislation to protect and conserve the landscape and environment of AONBs and this can only be done by the implementation as well as the preparation of the management plan. "It is the council's duty to undertake this through the AONB Service," said Mr Hughes. According to the friends, cutting the AONB's funding by 90 per cent would only save the county council 0.002 per cent of its overall budget and would not be a significant saving for the authority. They accept the council has to make cuts but believe the price that would have to be paid by the AONB service is just too high. "The proposed 90 per cent cut is out of proportion and will do great damage to the protected landscapes," said Mr Hughes. "As the council is aware, the council's grant is match-funded by Defra at three times what the council contributes and the outcome will, therefore, be four times as severe as any saving to the council." He welcomed a suggestion that the county council wanted to investigate alternative sources of funding and said the friends hoped to be part of those discussions. He said the group had some 700 members from a cross-section of the community, while many non-members were also concerned by the county's suggestion to cut funding. Mr Hughes added: "AONBs, and in particular SSSIs, require sound active management to protect the delicate environment and to manage tourism and recreational use so that it does not damage the landscape and its flora and fauna. "At present this is done in a highly professional manner and to good effect by the AONB Service. "The present team has developed skills in management techniques such as swaling and bracken control that are sought-after by other professionals who come to the Quantocks to learn." The county council has yet to put forward its budget plans for the 2015/16 financial year. The issue of funding for the AONB service is due to be discussed at a future meeting of the authority's scrutiny committee at the request of Lydeard division county councillor Mike Rigby.