A New Chapter for National Parks under Andy Burnham

Published: 27 August 2026

The arrival of a new Prime Minister and a refreshed ministerial team offers a moment to take stock and look ahead to the Autumn. For Campaign for National Parks, it’s an opportunity to renew our call for ambitious action from Labour to ensure National Parks and other Protected Landscapes are equipped to meet the challenges of the 21st century. 

What Could an Andy Burnham Government Mean for National Parks? 

The new Prime Minister arrives in office with a political outlook that could present significant opportunities for National Parks. 

As Mayor of Greater Manchester, and now in his second month in Downing Street, Andy Burnham has stressed the importance of devolution, local leadership, and investment in communities. There is also a growing recognition across government that environmental action should not be treated separately from economic growth, public health, or national resilience. That is a vision that National Parks can help deliver. 

Our Protected Landscapes are not just beautiful places to visit. They are vital national assets. With a summer that has seen devastating wildfires across the country, including in National Parks and National Landscapes, the urgent need to create resilient landscapes has become impossible to ignore. Clean energy, climate adaptation, and resilient infrastructure should be at the heart of policymaking, with National Parks playing a central role in delivering these national objectives. Restoring peatlands, expanding woodland, improving the health of river catchments, and reducing wildfires risks are all essential investments in the country’s future security and prosperity. 

The new Prime Minister’s Rewiring the State agenda sets out a potentially ambitious programme to shift power and funding away from the centre of government. In the context of more radical devolution across England, there is a strong case for giving National Park Authorities (NPAs) greater powers and resources to bring together nature recovery, land management, housing, transport, tourism, climate action and economic innovation on a landscape-scale. The institutional framework for this already exists. NPAs are among the country’s most established place-making bodies, yet they have historically been underpowered and underfunded. As new strategic authorities are established and strengthened through devolution, it will also be important to ensure that National Park Authorities have a clear and meaningful role in decision-making for the areas they cover. 

With the right devolved powers and long-term investment, National Parks could drive nature recovery through environmental regulation and land management, direct rural investment into peatland restoration and climate resilience, lead sustainable transport programmes that reduce car dependency, and support the affordable housing and infrastructure needed to keep local communities thriving. They could also play a stronger role in managing visitor economies and ensuring that income generated within these landscapes through visitor levies is reinvested for the benefit of both nature and local people. 

An agenda focused on empowering local leaders could also create new opportunities to rethink how National Parks are governed and how communities are involved in shaping their future. Greater accountability and more diverse leadership are themes that align closely with our own calls for governance reform and could help NPAs become more effective place-based institutions. 

Thank You, Mary Creagh 

As well as looking ahead, it is important to recognise the contribution of outgoing Nature Minister Mary Creagh. Mary was a strong and consistent champion for both nature and social justice within government.  

We were particularly delighted that she became the first signatory of our Our Radical Future Declaration, committing to place young people’s voices at the heart of National Park decision-making, as well as meeting our Young Ambassadors directly to hear their ideas, experiences and ambitions for the future of National Parks. 

In June, we convened a ministerial roundtable with Minister Creagh to discuss our recommendations for National Park governance reform and the delivery of Labour’s commitment to modernise National Park legislation. The discussion was really positive, and resulted in several immediate next steps. 

We thank Mary for her leadership and openness. Whatever role she takes next in Parliament, we look forward to continuing to work with her. 

A New Defra Team and New Opportunities 

There are both familiar faces and significant changes within the new Defra ministerial team. 

Dame Angela Eagle returns to lead the department as Secretary of State, bringing previous experience of environmental and rural policy issues from her established ministerial career. Emma Hardy, Stephen Morgan and Baroness Sue Hayman also remain important figures within the department, albeit with some reshaped portfolios. 

The most significant appointment for Protected Landscapes is Jenny Riddell-Carpenter’s arrival with a brief that covers National Parks and National Landscapes. 

As the MP for Suffolk Coastal since 2024, Jenny represents an area that includes the Suffolk & Essex Coast and Heaths National Landscape. Her constituency experience gives her a welcome understanding of the opportunities and pressures facing Protected Landscapes. She now has a unique opportunity to become a powerful champion for National Parks and National Landscapes across government. 

Top of the Ministerial In-Tray 

We believe there are several priorities that should be at the top of the new Minister’s agenda. 

• Deliver on Labour’s commitment to reform National Park purposes and governance. The commitment made in December 2024 remains one of the most important opportunities for National Parks in a generation. Our governance reform research identified the need to modernise National Park purposes, strengthen accountability and ensure National Park authorities are equipped to tackle nature loss, climate change and social inequality. We were encouraged by our recent ministerial roundtable and want to build on that momentum. The Government’s wider devolution and environmental agendas offer an ideal framework for getting this over the line.

• Ensure Protected Landscapes are able to help deliver 30×30. National Parks must move from being recognised as important for 30×30 delivery to being properly empowered to achieve it. Our recent Nature Health Check demonstrates the scale of the biodiversity challenge in many parts of our Protected Landscapes. Government must provide the resources, legislation and mechanisms needed to turn aspiration into delivery.

• Recognise Protected Landscapes as critical natural infrastructure. The devastating wildfires seen across the country this summer have highlighted the vital role National Parks should play in climate resilience and public safety. But their contribution goes much further, from storing carbon in peatlands and woodlands, to safeguarding water supplies, reducing flood risk and supporting the nation’s health and wellbeing. The recent APPG visit to the South Downs showcased how protected landscapes underpin many of these wider public benefits.

• Put National Parks and National Landscapes at the heart of sustainable rural growth. As Chair of the Labour Rural Research Group, the new Minister knows the importance of supporting thriving rural communities. Protected Landscapes should be hubs of green skills, nature restoration jobs and sustainable tourism, supported by reliable public transport and affordable homes.  

• Support farmers and land managers. Bringing together the Nature and Rural Affairs briefs creates an opportunity to better align farming and environmental policy. Following the extension of Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL), we want to see long-term support for nature-friendly farming. From lowland farms and commoners to upland grazing systems, land managers need long-term certainty and support to deliver ambitious environmental outcomes. 

• Work closely with Water Minister Emma Hardy. As the Clean Water Bill progresses through Parliament, Protected Landscapes must be recognised as priority areas for water quality improvement. Our Rivers at Risk report revealed widespread water pollution across National Parks, with many iconic rivers falling far short of the standards expected in some of England’s most treasured landscapes.  

• Improve links between land, coast and sea. The Minister has spoken passionately about coastal erosion and resilience linked to her own constituency in East Anglia. This aligns strongly with our work on National Marine Parks and our ambition for better integration between Protected Landscapes on land and environments at sea.

• Defend the Protected Landscapes Duty. The important Duty, which requires all public bodies to seek to further the purposes of National Parks and National Landscapes, has come under threat from certain parts of government. We urge Ministers to protect and strengthen the Protected Landscapes Duty rather than weaken it through changes affecting Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs). The Minister’s own advocacy on infrastructure impacts affecting the Suffolk coast suggests she (hopefully) understands the importance of getting this balance right.

• Protect wider planning safeguards. The recently revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) has highlighted the importance of ensuring that planning protections for National Parks and National Landscapes are strengthened rather than weakened. While welcoming the decision to reinstate wording making clear that major development should be refused other than in exceptional circumstances, we are concerned that other changes to the NPPF risk eroding safeguards that have protected these nationally important landscapes for decades. Strong conversations are needed between Defra and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. 

With a flurry of announcements already emerging from Downing Street, it is clear this Government intends to move quickly with their agenda. We welcome that sense of urgency, but it must be matched by action that supports and strengthens our Protected Landscapes. From restoring nature and cleaning up rivers to supporting rural communities, tackling climate change and delivering economic renewal, many of the Prime Minister’s priorities will depend on ensuring our National Parks and National Landscapes can deliver their full potential.