A second Sussex council is to earmark tens of thousands of pounds to fight the proposed South Downs national park.

Senior councillors at West Sussex County Council have agreed to object to the park and devote £200,000 towards putting the authority's case at a public inquiry.

Pro-park campaigners said it was a double blow to the public who would pay to fight the inquiry and risked losing millions of pounds of conservation funds.

We reported last week how East Sussex County Council had decided to object and set aside £50,000 to put its case at the hearing, expected to start in the autumn.

The two authorities have been at the forefront of opposition to a South Downs national park and had been expected to trigger a public inquiry.

West Sussex cabinet councillor Tex Pemberton agreed the move yesterday. There is a seven day call-in period before his decision is ratified.

The council said it had been expressing its concerns about the proposal for several years, particularly loss of planning powers to a ruling national park authority.