West Midlands’ public parks under threat

According to a new report from the Heritage Lottery Fund, parks across the West Midlands are facing large maintenance budget cuts, leading to fears of a serious decline in park conditions.

Concern is being shown by both the general public, and park managers, over proposed funding changes. 36 percent of surveyed parks’ managers expect a decline in the condition of local parks across the West Midlands over the next three years.

This is as a result of average expected cuts to maintenance budgets of 16 percent. Managers’ apprehension is mirrored by a 71 percent rise in membership of Friends Groups for West Midlands Parks over the last three years.

Parks such as Newbold Comyn and Jephson Gardens are particularly popular amongst students based in Leamington, especially during term three and around exam time. Chloe Child a third-year Chemistry student stated: “It’s actually really worrying, I really enjoy the atmosphere at the park”.

The Heritage Lottery Fund is the largest dedicated funder of heritage projects in the UK, and has invested £61 million of lottery money in West Midlands Parks since 1994.

In 1998 Jephson Gardens received £3 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund for flood reconstruction and new facilities.

There has been no appropriate statutory requirement for the fund to invest in maintenance or repairs. This has led to concerns that previous expenditure may not be utilised to its full potential.

In combating this shortfall, councils are being urged to rethink how parks are viewed and utilised.

It is possible that alternative funding opportunities could be made available by presenting parks as an investment by the community in eco-services, such as flood management and air quality.

Additionally, the National Trusts ‘Rethinking Parks’ project is exploring means of attracting corporate giving, and local government support, to ring-fence funding for green space in towns and cities.