Council chiefs have warned government plans for an overhaul of the national parks system would cut down on local democracy in the South Downs.

Leader of West Sussex County Council, Harold Hall, said the proposed shake-up would reduce the number of local people brought in to manage the area, placing Board management directly in the hands of the Secretary of State.

In the light of Defra's proposals, the council is now asking the Countryside Agency to suspend all its consultation on the proposed South Downs national park.

The letter to chief executive Richard Wakeford says: "The agency should abandon its consultation until the details of the Government's response to the review of English National Park authorities is known."

Councillor Hall said: "The Government's report changes many of the key assumptions behind the Countryside Agency's proposals for the South Downs.

"For example, the Secretary of State reducing the number of people appointed to the Board and proposing that he appoint all of them.

"This is just the erosion of democratic accountability we have always said would happen.

"We want to keep the management of the Downs with local people."

But the Countryside Agency is resisting, with a spokeswoman saying: "We do not intend to abandon our consultation. We had anticipated an announcement over the outcome of the National Park review when we put together our proposals. The consultation explicitly invites comments on the implications of the National Park review."