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  1. Published on: 13/02/2017 03:38 PMReported by: roving-eye
    The Communities and Local Government (CLG) Committee report on public parks warns that parks are at a tipping point and face a period of decline with potentially severe consequences unless their vital contribution to areas such as public health, community integration and climate change mitigation is recognised.



    The Public parks report highlights considerable challenges for the sector including reduced council spending, with parks management budgets cut by up to 97 per cent, the need for parks to compete with other services for funding, and planning policy not giving them enough weight, particularly as a result of pressures to increase housing supply.

    The Committee call on councils to publish strategic plans, which recognise the value of parks beyond leisure and recreation and set out how they will be managed to maximise their contribution to wider local authority agendas, such as promoting healthy lifestyles, tackling social exclusion and managing flood risk. It is hoped these plans will open up parks to support and funding beyond their usual budgets and service areas.

    The Government should issue guidance to councils to work with Health and Wellbeing Boards and other relevant bodies to publish these joint plans and consider making producing such a strategy a legal requirement if the guidance proves ineffective, the report adds.

    Clive Betts MP, Chair of the Committee, said: "Every local authority should have a strategic plan, recognising that parks are much more than just grass and tulips and bringing in resources from outside the traditional budgets. Parks make vital contributions to physical and mental health and bring significant community benefits. They also contribute to biodiversity and climate change mitigation and can assist in local economic growth.

    Parks are treasured public assets, as the overwhelming response to our inquiry demonstrates, but they are at a tipping point, and if we are to prevent a period of decline with potentially severe consequences then action must be taken. The Government have a leadership and co-ordination role to play and volunteers do fantastic work in the sector, but the primary responsibility lies with local authorities.

    We will return to this to see what progress has been made before the end of the Parliament. We call on everyone who cares about parks to be our eyes and ears on the ground, particularly those who contributed to our inquiry, and keep up the pressure on national and local government."

    The Committee received a wide range of suggestions for alternative funding sources and management models and says the Parks Minister, Andrew Percy MP, the Local Government Association and local authorities should consider them. The Government should also look to remove barriers to these innovative models, such as considering a public interest test to enable local authorities to overturn restrictive covenants.

    The report also raises concern about the unequal distribution of parks, with many people in deprived areas struggling to access the benefits they can provide. The Committee warns that the UK may not meet the UN Sustainable Development Goal 11.7 in respect of safe and inclusive access to parks and green spaces by 2030, and says the Government should look at how to improve provision, such as by accessing funds available under the obesity strategy.

    The Committee also acknowledges that tensions can arise from competing demands among park users and says councils should encourage groups such as parkrun to contribute volunteer time for maintenance or fundraising activities.

    Other findings, conclusions and recommendations include:

    Public parks should remain under local authority ownership and freely available to everyone.

    The Committee welcomes the Minister’s confirmation that he recognises the current lack of coordination and his intention to establish a cross-departmental group to consider the Committee’s report and recommendations.

    The Committee recommends the Minister issues guidance setting out key principles for the appropriate governance and accountability arrangements, which could be put in place as part of any emerging or alternative models for parks management.

    The Minister should work with his colleagues in Defra to ensure that parks, and green infrastructure more widely, are properly recognised in the Government’s forthcoming 25-year Environment Plan.

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  3. jonnybgood says:14/02/2017 04:34 AM
    Quote : The Public parks report highlights considerable challenges for the sector including reduced council spending, with parks management budgets cut by up to 97 per cent ?

    Well it is going to take a lot of funding to raise enough money to keep these parks open,and helping to pay for the maintenance of the garden areas,either through voluntary workers to maintain them,and the respective cafe and recreation areas to be kept open to the general public.How can the council justify a 97% reduction in the management costs ? Surely that figure is a misprint and cannot be correct ? If it is correct,then these areas will quickly deteriorate in no time,if there is'nt any funding made available to keep them open.How many more cuts are these councils going to make,the mind boggles at the thought of any other cuts they are thinking of making.

    Absolute madness in the extreme if you ask me.

  4. Mr. Brightside says:14/02/2017 12:12 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by jonnybgood View Post
    .How many more cuts are these councils going to make
    That all depends on by how much the government continues to cut council funding.
    Alternatively if people want councils to provide public services they might want to consider electing a government that won't cut council funding.

  5. gundogs says:16/02/2017 07:58 AM
    Are parks are a wonderful green space and whilst I understand cash is very short all round we must not loose them. I'm a volunteer gardener who will be pruning the rose garden in Hesketh Park this morning so come summer we can all enjoy the beautiful blooms.


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