URGENT spending cuts are being made by Exmoor National Park Authority (ENPA) just two months after it approved its annual budget.

The budget was set in March amid uncertainty over the level of Government grant ENPA would receive for 2025-26.

Authority members were told the ‘best case scenario’ was thought to be ‘flat cash’, or no increase, while the risk of a cut to core revenue funding could not be ruled out.

Now, the Government has told ENPA it intends to reduce the grant by 8.2 per cent, or £263,443 of its revenue spend.

Authority members have been asked to make nearly £100,000 of instant revenue budget savings, and cut to £25,000 the £151,000 which was to have gone into reserves.

A further £40,000 could be saved by reducing the amount spent on fixed term programmes.

Chief finance officer Ben Barrett said: “All areas of income and expenditure have been reviewed.”

Mr Barrett said by contrast the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs advised ENPA would receive an increased capital allocation totalling £1,403,443, although the extra money was a one-off and needed to be spent in the current financial year, which created further financial pressures.

However, Mr Barrett said the Government’s £1.4 million allocation did not match ENPA’s £2.5 million list of projects.

He said: “There is talk of the possibility for further capital in future years, but no firm indication on this yet.”

Mr Barrett said the authority’s budget gap in future years had grown and efforts would be needed later in the year and in coming years to mitigate risks and cost pressures to continue balanced its budget.

He said other savings options which could not be precisely quantified but might be significant, included reducing the number of buildings ENPA maintained or shared with others.