A LOCAL authority is warning of cuts to services after a freeze on its funding from the Government.

Chiefs at the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) say education, public transport, traffic management and cycling are likely to suffer.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has informed the authority that its £4.9m grant for 2005-6 will be frozen for 2006-7 and 2007-8.

Authority chairman Carl Lis said: "This is an extremely disappointing settlement from our point of view, particularly in light of the fact that national parks are expected to deliver far more of the Government's agenda, whether it is something like the Countryside and Rights of Way Act, affordable housing, social inclusion or modernising rural delivery."

He added: "The freeze will mean our work will suffer."

Mr Lis said the authority would still have to fund nationally-negotiated pay increases, and inflation would cost the council about £200,000.

He said: "This means a number of budgets for different projects will be frozen or reduced in order to achieve these savings.

"We rank our work in order of priority and money is allocated accordingly.

"As a result, high priority areas, such as bio-diversity, farm conservation, rights of way and green lanes, will be largely unaffected, but a number of lower-ranking projects which we would like to deliver - such as education, public transport, traffic management and cycling - will stand still."

Authority bosses say reserves will absorb the impact of the frozen budget in 2006-7, but the crunch will come in 2007-8.

In response, Landscape Minister Jim Knight said last night: "After a period of increased Government funding, this year's settlement is very tight. I know this has been difficult for many authorities.

"This does not reflect a lessening of commitment to the parks, who continue to represent excellent value for money.

"That is why I have been keen to extend their powers to regulate traffic in the parks and why I will continue to look for ways of extending support and assistance to authorities in furthering their aims."

Defra said it increased the grants paid to the authority by more than 31 per cent between 2001-2 and 2004-5.

The park body also received an extra £1m towards its new offices.