The
Broads Authority is the agency which has statutory responsibility for
the Broads in England. Originally, the
Nature Conservancy Council (now
Natural England), pressed for a special authority to manage the Broads which had been neglected for a long time. In 1978, the forerunner to the present-day Broads Authority was established by the Countryside Commission (now also
Natural England). Ten years later, it had become clear that a statutory body was needed, and a special
Act of Parliament,
The Norfolk and Suffolk Broads Act 1988 (referred to as
the Broads Act) made the Broads Authority into a special statutory authority which gave it parity with
national park authorities.