THE organisation that runs the New Forest National Park is axing 15 per cent of its workforce.

The National Park Authority (NPA) is shedding 10 posts as part of a major cost-cutting campaign caused by a 21 per cent drop in its funding.

Some of the employees who keep their jobs will have to work shorter hours, which will mean a pay cut.

The NPA is also imposing a ban on recruitment and cutting the number of departments from three to two in a further bid to cut costs. It follows the announcement that the organisation’s government grant is being slashed by more than a fifth over the next four years.

NPA chairman Julian Johnson said: “Our grant reduces from just over £4m this year to £3.16m by 2014 – a cut of £866,000 or £217,000 a year. This comes on top of the five per cent saving we had to make within this financial year and does not include the impact of inflation and the loss of other grants."

The authority is leaving its current headquarters at South Efford House, Everton, and moving into offices at Lymington Town Hall, which it will share with New Forest District Council.

Some of the other savings will be achieved by leaving posts vacant, reducing working hours and calling for voluntary redundancies.