CASH-STRAPPED bosses of the North York Moors National Park look set to launch an independent charitable trust to open up new sources of funding.

A report to a committee meeting next Monday says the authority is continuing to suffer cuts in its core grant funding, and must, therefore, place an increasing importance on income generation and fundraising.

The report by officers said existing sources of funding were becoming increasingly competitive and other sources, such as donations, legacies and sponsorship, could not currently be tapped effectively by the authority.

It had, therefore, been suggested by members and officers that a charitable trust should be established in an attempt raise funds.

Such a trust would have to demonstrate independence from the authority and could not simply replicate its statutory purposes, but its visions and objectives could be complementary so the two organisations could remain mutually supportive.

The report suggested a charity using a company limited by guarantee, which would restrict the liability of trustees, would be the most appropriate charitable model.

The proposed title, the North York Moors National Park Trust, was deliberately similar to the authority’s to encourage close working between the two organisations.

In the early years, there would be two key themes – fundraising and partnership building – as it invited donations, sought sponsorship and legacies, and applied gift aid to giving where possible.