A national park authority is a special term used in Great Britain for legal bodies charged with maintaining a national park of which, as of October 2021, there are ten in England, three in Wales and two in Scotland. The powers and duties of all such authorities are similar, but their work varies depending on where they are situated.
National park authorities were set up by the Environment Act 1995.
Role
The primary purpose of the national park authorities set out in law is to foster the economic and social wellbeing of the communities within the park.
The national park authorities are the local planning authority for the park. The district-level council normally takes on that role outside the national parks.