England’s parks and open spaces have lost £75m in cuts since 2010
A creeping attack on the green lungs of our green and neglected public land – this article tells us:
“Over £75m has been cut from England’s parks and open spaces since 2010, according to a report from the thinktank Policy Exchange. The cuts show a north-south divide, with spending reductions more than twice as great in the north and the Midlands than in the south.
“Flourishing parks and green spaces are central to the success of our cities,” said Katherine Drayson, author of the report. She said parks enabled people to exercise and relax, as well as cleaning pollution, reducing flooding and cooling urban areas: “Yet we’ve all gone for a walk in our local park only to find used needles, dog excrement and litter ruining our beautiful green spaces.”
The report recommends the creation of a website, analagous to Tripadvisor, where the public can report problems. “A ‘markmypark’ website would allow the public and councils to work together to tackle much of the anti-social behaviour that blights our parks,” said Drayson.
The spending data compiled by Policy Exchange showed that between 2010-11 and 2012-13 over £75m, or 13%, of funds for open spaces had been cut. The north-east region suffered the greatest cut of almost 40%, while the south-east cut just 3.4% of its money for green spaces. Local authorities have faced severe budget pressures as the coalition government has sought to reduce the national deficit by restricting public spending.”
Taking a different spin on this I wonder if part of the neglect arises from the fact that parents are now largely afraid to let their children play out in the places our ancestors used to cherish??