The Royal Parks’ funding will remain under Government control when a new board, including Boris Johnson and representatives of the royal family, takes over day-to-day management.

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt will retain overall responsibility for the eight historic green spaces, including Richmond and Bushy parks.

He will allocate spending and will answer to Parliament, a Government spokesman confirmed.

The Government’s plans appear to contradict its statement in January which said the Royal Parks Agency (RPA) would become part of the Greater London Authority (GLA), giving the public a greater say in park management.

The Mayor of London was thought to be due to get control of its £32m budget after the Olympic Games in 2012.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is expected to make a formal announcement next week.

Toby Sargent, deputy head of news at the DCMS, said: “The original plan was that the money, which all comes from the Treasury, would have gone directly to the GLA, all be it with reserved power by the Secretary of State to intervene.

“In a sense the money will continue to go to the DCMS, but with the people actually allocating it more closely aligned with the mayor’s office and the people of London.”

He said park users would notice “no change at all”.

The Government had planned to transfer Royal Parks management with new legislation currently going through Parliament, but legal advisers have since said making the changes through regulations and bylaws would be less complicated.

Mr Sargent said: “The end product is intended to be the same and the Mayor’s office is not speaking against this change, it is perfectly content with it.”

A spokeswoman for Mr Johnson said: "Devolution of responsibilities for the Royal Parks to ensure the Mayor and Londoners have a more direct say in how these precious assets are run, can be achieved without legislation.

"Talks between City Hall and the Government are progressing well on detailed and pragmatic plans to achieve this transfer.

"The Mayor's overriding objective is to ensure that the Royal Parks stay the best parks in the world and are managed in a way that balances the interests of all those who enjoy them."