Figures from the
Local Government Information Unit's annual
review of local council finance, released last week, show some worrying
signs for the UK's parks and green spaces, says the Fields In Trust.
Coming just days
after Northamptonshire
County Council "raised a red flag" indicating a likely budget
shortfall in the current year and an inability to set a balanced budget for
2018/19, the LGIU report demonstrates that this troubling situation is
widespread and could affect as many as one in ten councils who will be unable to
cover the costs of delivering their statutory services.
No surprise then to
find budgets for all other areas of discretionary spending squeezed – whilst
most council taxpayers assume their parks and green spaces will always be
there, there are no guarantees that any local authority will maintain a local
park when reducing budgets are stretched across the whole range of adult and
children's community services.
The LGUI report
indicates that, financial difficulties will force councils to cut many core
community services for their 2018/19 budgets. Over half say they will be
reducing parks and leisure activities this year (53% of councils). Added to
this the change in the regulations from the 2015 Autumn Statement which mean
local councils can retain 100% of the sale of assets to invest in public
services and the prospect of a local council selling off a green space for much
needed housing may well be attractive to cash-strapped council leaders - even
though not a long-term solution.
"But cutting
parks budgets is a false economy – our
recent research demonstrates that access to parks and green space makes a
net contribution to the exchequer by improving public health and wellbeing;
reducing GP visits and consequently NHS spending," says Fields in Trust
chief executive Helen Griffiths.
"Local
authority expenditure on their health and wellbeing board responsibilities will
rise if the local population loses access to parks and green spaces. And once a
park is lost, it is lost forever.
"In recent
years a significant amount of money has been invested in parks by the Heritage
Lottery Fund - Fields in Trust worked with HLF to get protection of these parks
through our legal Deed of Dedication into their funding advice - ensuring that significant
investment is protected, and these restored parks and green spaces will always
be available for public recreation. The recent news that HLF
has closed its dedicated "Parks for People" greenspace funding stream
adds extra pressure to an already difficult funding environment.
"The reduction
in maintenance makes a park less attractive to visit and makes the argument for
closure easier when a valuable local asset is little used by the community.
This continuing spiral of decline sees not only a reduction in maintenance and
support of green spaces but an increasing demand for volunteers to step in and
carry out what little upkeep is possible.
"There are
around 6,000 friends of parks groups across the UK who do an incredible job
looking after the UK's much-loved parks and green spaces, but not every one of
the UK's 27,000 parks has a committed band of volunteers – and those that do
are often in the affluent areas where access to green space is not at a premium
in the same way it is in some urban districts.
"Just as the
financial investment in parks and green spaces should be protected, the
physical investment - the time and effort of local volunteers - should also be
recognised by securing these parks and green spaces for the communities who
love and care for them."
Fields in Trust
champions and supports our parks and green spaces by protecting them for people
to enjoy in perpetuity. Because once lost, they are lost forever.
"Parks and
green spaces in the UK are under threat and it is up to all of us to stem this
cycle of disappearance and decline," she added.
"We believe
that everyone, irrespective of who they are and where they live should have the
right to enjoy and benefit from local parks and green spaces.
"Overall there
needs to be a revaluing of the UK's parks and green spaces, not based on the
small amounts that they cost to maintain – but for the greater value they
contribute- in physical and mental health, wellbeing, community cohesion and
placemaking; parks are an expression of a civic culture that values green
spaces for good."
