Overview

• The authority has endured a 50% real-terms reduction in government grants over ten years and cut 10% of its staff after a further near-9% revenue grant drop this year.
• A one-off £15 million capital uplift from Defra has failed to bridge the authority’s widening operational deficit.
• Chief executive Phil Mulligan says a 10p entry fee per visitor could restore core funding and that a £1 levy might remove the need for any government grant.
• Introducing a visitor charge would require primary legislation and a mechanism to exempt residents, business travellers and through-traffic.
• The Peak District draws 13–20 million visitors annually and sustains about 18,000 jobs even as wildfires and illegal parking stretch park resources.