The Liberal Democrats have announced plans to create three new national parks in England if they win the next election. This would bring the country’s total number of national parks up to 13. The Chilterns, Mendips, Cotswolds, and Quantocks have been named as possible locations for the new parks, and the party has pledged to provide £50m annually to maintain both new and existing parks.
England currently has 10 national parks, including Dartmoor, Exmoor, and the Lake District. Other potential locations for the new parks include the Surrey Hills, Northumberland coast, and Dorset. The party’s leader, Sir Ed Davey, has emphasized the importance of green spaces for communities and vowed to protect existing parks for future generations. The Liberal Democrats have also promised to plant 60 million trees a year.
The announcement comes after the Conservative party failed to fulfill its promise from the 2019 manifesto to create one new national park, according to Sir Ed. However, the government did ask Natural England to consider several potential sites for a new park, including the Cotswolds, Chilterns, and Dorset. The process of establishing a new park can take up to five years, however.
Labour has also made environmental promises in its recent announcement of a “countryside protection plan,” pledging to plant three new national forests and stop the use of bee-harming pesticides if it wins the next election. The move comes as part of a growing trend of UK parties competing to showcase their environmental credentials ahead of the COP26 climate change conference in November
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More