The National Park Organisation

Walltown QuarryNorthumberland National Park Authority is a local authority that has its purposes laid out in law. Northumberland was designated as a National Park in 1956 and since then work to achieve national park purposes has been carried out by local government first by Northumberland County Council and, since 1997, by the free-standing Northumberland National Park Authority.

There are 13 other National Park Authorities in England, Wales and Scotland. Each is a public body made up of two groups of people - members and officers. The members are the people who make the policies and take the decisions. They represent the interests of 'stakeholders' or everyone who lives, works, visits or cares for the National Park, and it is the members' job to make sure those interests are considered and to balance out any conflicting pressures.

The officers manage the National Park on a day to day basis and include a Strategic Management Team and a staff of professionals with a range of expertise to provide and share with National Park communities.