THE Lake District National Park Authority has been awarded a £6.29million government settlement, a 4.1 per cent increase on last year.

The cash is part of the 2005/6 £42.13 payout for all National Parks which was announced by Rural Affairs Minister Alun Michael.

The figure includes cash to help national parks prepare for their new access responsibilities under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act, which comes into force in May, as well as £0.2 million per Authority to continue the Sustainable Development Fund.

Spokesperson for the LDNPA Mick Casey said the settlement compared with the authority's award of £6,050,672 for 2004/5.

"This is a 4.1 per cent increase on last year," he said. "Members will be pleased that they have got an above inflation increase and that they now actually know what finances they have for the coming year."

He added the confirmed settlement would help members to budget realistically when they attend a special LDNPA meeting on February 7 to discuss the future of the Authority's events programme. "When members meet on February 7 they will now know what they have to play with rather than just some speculated figure," he said.

Awards to other park Authorities include £7.54million to the Peak District National Park Authority and £4.93million to the North York Moors National Park Authority.

Mr Michael said the total 20005/06 grant for National Parks amounted to £42.13 million, a 17.8% increase on the previous year.