Rt Hon Sir Julian Smith KCB CBE MP has met with senior leaders from the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA), alongside local councillors Richard Foster and Simon Myers, to discuss growing concerns around visitor safety and management across key areas of the National Park.
The meeting followed large volumes of correspondence from local constituents and comes amid increasing visitor numbers, particularly at popular sites in Wharfedale and Malhamdale. The meeting began with a tribute to the young girl who tragically died in Burnsall on Sunday evening.
During the discussion, Julian reiterated his support for the National Park and its work, while robustly questioning whether resources and planning have been adequately focused on public safety.
He also pointed out that the park has responsibilities for public access, visitor infrastructure and for safety warnings and that at peak visitor times and locations much more forward planning needs to take place to deploy staff, managers and resources to deliver on these obligations.
The meeting also examined the challenges faced by the Park Authority, including limited enforcement powers and reliance on police and other agencies to manage traffic and unsafe behaviour. These issues can make it difficult to respond effectively to changing visitor patterns, which have intensified since the pandemic.
Julian said, "The Yorkshire Dales is one of our greatest national assets and I am a strong supporter of the National Park and all those who work to protect it. However, recent events, including the very sad events in Burnsall, and the concerns raised by local residents, make clear that more must be done to keep people safe. There is no point attracting visitors to our area to an extent where local residents feel unsafe or where the volumes of visitors cannot be safely managed. I am not confident that there has been sufficient weekend and holiday planning by Yorkshire Dales National Park to cater for the volume on visitors who are coming, nor am I confident that there has been a robust enough audit of safety signage and warnings in coordination with landowners. We need a renewed focus on public safety by the Park and better coordination between key authorities.”
