Committee publication · Correspondence · 19 May 2026
Correspondence from Natural England following evidence session on 10 March, dated 8 May 2026
Summary
Natural England responds to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee following its 10 March evidence session. The letter addresses KPI performance, accounting complexity delays, a 10% workforce reduction (302 FTEs) via voluntary exit scheme, SSSI consent procedures, Protected Site Strategies expansion, and Countryside Stewardship scheme enhancement. Natural England commits to publishing 2026/27 KPIs aligned with government nature targets and growth priorities, and to improving accounts timeliness.
Key findings
- Natural England reduced staffing by ~10% (302 FTEs) in 2025–26 through voluntary exit scheme, with 215 departures concentrated in Operations (124) and Strategy (43), while protecting priority areas in planning and infrastructure roles.
- Accounts delays in 2020–25 reflected policy complexity: heritage asset valuations, District Level Licensing scheme accounting, and equal pay settlements; no future impact expected, with accounts for year-ending 31 March 2026 to be laid in October 2026.
- Only 38 of 6,320 SSSI consents granted in 2025–26 carried bespoke conditions; three included time limits, all subject to Secretary of State appeal rights.
- Protected Site Strategies programme will publish formal vision statements for minimum 10 locations in 2026–27 and 20 by 2029–30, with evaluation of impact on growth and wider nature recovery.
- Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier expansion requires outcome-based flexibility, stronger protected-site targeting, and increased payment levels to deliver nature recovery at scale needed for Environmental Improvement Plan targets.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Dr Tony Juniper, Marian Spain, Natural England, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, Alistair Carmichael MP, Defra, National Audit Office
Notable line
“… issues for the habitat mitigation schemes. They were, in fact, qualified in 2021-22 because the National Audit Office disagreed with our assessment of how revenue from the …”
Key Quotes
“Our accounts have never been qualified”
“They were, in fact, qualified in 2021-22 because the National Audit Office disagreed with our assessment of how revenue from the District Level Licensing scheme for Great Crested Newts should be accounted for.”
“Natural England granted 38 consents with bespoke conditions during 2025/26, representing less than 1% of the 6320 consents that were granted during that year.”
“We will publish formal vision statements for a minimum of 10 of these locations this Financial Year 2026/27 and a minimum of 20 over the Spending Review period to 2029/30.”
“An outcome-based approach that allows local and farm level variations, rather than nationally defined rules, will deliver better results, engagement and take up.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗