THE biggest economic asset in the Yorkshire dales is how the national park is described by the new chief executive of its managing authority.

Mr David Butterworth, who had been acting in the role since the departure of Mrs Heather Hancock in June, believes focusing on the problems facing the farming industry will help the authority towards its primary role of countryside conservation.

"The biggest economic asset in this area is the national park itself," he said. "It is the reason 8m people come here with their £8.4bn worth of spending.

"There is a need to conserve what attracts them to the dales and tackling some of the problems agriculture faces could be the key. The countryside as we see it is not 'natural' but looked after by land managers - the farmers."

The level of financial support the park authority could give the agriculture sector was limited.

"At the end of the day, we are not MAFF or the European Union, we are a national park authority with a budget of £5m, so we are not going to make huge differences.

"But we can still help agriculture to try to recognise the environment as a major benefit to them and to the economy of the whole area."

A prime example was the authority's support for the launch of the Yorkshire Dales brand for meat and other products from the area.

"There is a need to link the economic, social and environmental agendas and a clear need for the national park authority, the population and other interested bodies to try to improve the quality of life for ourselves, our neighbours and, most importantly, for future generations.

"In an ideal world, the countryside would be inhabited by farmers who were producing wholesome food, managing the countryside, providing leisure opportunities for the rest of the population and combining with entrepreneurs to create jobs to cover a range of businesses.

"Villages would be made up of people from all social and economic backgrounds. There would be full employment, excellent housing and good access to modern services within their own community or nearby.

"I don't think this picture is impossible to achieve but certainly the difficulties faced by farmers and other countryside managers identify the need to take an integrated approach."

Mr Butterworth, the son of a Barnsley coal miner, has been with the authority since 1991, when he was appointed principal administrative officer.

"I was only 27 and was perhaps viewed with a little suspicion by the 'old school' but there have been great changes in the authority in the last nine years," he said. "The senior management team includes more young members and more female members than ever before."

He praises his predecessor for bringing a breath of fresh air to an authority which had become rather staid in some aspects.

Under Mrs Hancock's management, Mr Butterworth, who lives at Bellerby, near Leyburn, was appointed head of finance and resources and deputy chief executive.

"Heather Hancock brought such innovation to the park, she is a difficult act to follow in many ways," he said. "She completed the groundwork and established a structure and framework to take the authority into the 21st century. The park authority and the people of the dales will benefit from her hard work."

Communication between the authority and the people who live and work in the park was one of the biggest steps forward in the last two years, he said.

"The authority has made really genuine efforts to listen to the people. The proof of the pudding will be whether that starts to permeate itself into the policies of the park, whether it is in planning, recreation or conservation."

Mr Butterworth sees diplomacy as the greatest skill he brings to the job. "My ability to work with all members and staff must have been a factor in my appointment. I have been here for some years, I know the people and the organisation, and I can be diplomatic in order to get things done."

Although he took over the reins in an acting role, his permanent appointment to the chief executive's post was by no means a foregone conclusion.

"I was rather daunted when I saw some of the other candidates; they were doctor this and professor that, so I was chuffed to bits when the chairman rang me to say I'd got the job. This has got to be the best job in the country."

It is also one of the most difficult and much success depends on officers' ability to attract grants to boost its meagre budget. Mr Butterworth is leading a campaign to persuade the European Union that the park authority is eligible for cash from the Objective 2 programme, earmarked for economic development.

"We are making a case for Objective 2 funding by saying the national park authority is an economic development organisation because of its conservation role, which supports and benefits the farmers and the whole of the local economy," he said.

When his busy schedule allows, Mr Butterworth enjoys spending time with his children, Kate, aged 13, and Liam, aged 11.

He is also a keen walker and has completed coast-to-coast routes in England, Ireland and Scotland and plans to tackle the same in Wales next year. He plays five-a-side football and is a runner