Park plan gets £194,000 boost

A blueprint to secure the future of eight parks and green spaces in Redcar and Cleveland has received a £195,000 boost.

The council was one of eight authorites to get the six figure sum which will help form a “Park Foundation” charity.

This will have the responsibility for the day-to-day running of borough spaces with the help of voluntary bodies, sports clubs and friends groups.

Money has come from charity Nesta and Cllr Alec Brown, cabinet member for neighbourhoods, said it was a “bold and ambitious” plan for the way it manages its eight parks.

He added: “After years of government austerity, budgets are not what they used to be – we are having to look at the long term future of how we manage our parks.”

WHERE WILL IT APPLY TO?

Flatts Lane Woodland Country Park

Guisborough Forest and Walkway

Locke Park

Zetland Park

Borough Park

Eston Recreation Ground

King George V playing fields, Guisborough.

Marshall Drive playing fields, Brotton

Redcar and Cleveland beat 50 other authorities to get the money.

Cllr Brown said the council already had “strong relationships” with voluntary groups.

But Cllr Steve Kay, independent member for Lockwood, had doubts at Tuesday morning’s cabinet meeting (November 6).

He added: “I think it would have been better to be more honest about this and say we haven’t got the money to maintain our parks and therefore we ask the public tro give us a hand.

“Instead of that, we embellish it with a message that in some way this is going to end in everything better than it is now.

“It will only get better on the backs of the people of our local community – is it possible to get enough volunteers to maintain and manage these vast areas?”

“We should be saying we haven’t got the money any more – will you help us.”

But council leader Cllr Sue Jeffrey said the ownership of the parks would stay with the council and the maintenance budget would stay the same.

“It’s not a cost saving measure,” she added.

While the council will remain the owner of the parks, the Foundation will deliver maintenance, litter picking and be responsible for future developments and all commercial activity such as cafes and events.

Cllr Dave Walsh said Cllr Kay “clanking chains and howling at the moon” would “end in tears” – pointing to how effective friends’ groups had been in getting grants.

Cllr Glyn Nightingale, Liberal Democrat member for Ormesby, said the approach smacked of “old mother bountiful” where rich Victorian benefactors would put money into the community project.

He added: “There ain’t no lady or lord bountiful now so we’ve got to be very careful of relying on volunteers – it’s important we put together a more stringent plan so we can see what the costs are going to be.”

Cllr Kay questioned whether it was fair to “add to the burden of volunteers”.

But Cllr Brown said Cllr Kay was “making it sound like a press gang”.

He added: “These people are already volunteering and doing it for the love of the area.

“We’re not saying ‘you must do this’ – and it’s not just volunteers there are football clubs and big businesses as well.”

LEADER’S VIEW

Cllr Jeffrey said parks were “hugely important assets” and believed the plan would put parks “at the heart of communities”.

She added: “To close our eyes to the fact we have funding issues would just be nonsense. We have to think about the future of our parks and how we ensure they are brilliant places for our communities.

“The fact we have got so many friends groups already in there shows the enthusiasm of communities to ensure these places are kept as well as they possibly can be.”

NESTA VIEW

Amy Solder, project leader at Nesta, said: “Parks are wonderful free public resources that communities treasure.

“They support health and wellbeing as well as provide spaces for socialising, play, activity and a connection to nature. Nesta aims to help parks, and the people who run them, to innovate to keep them free, open and truly valued community spaces.

“Redcar and Cleveland Council’s proposal reflected our ambitions by putting people at the heart of a bold and ambitious parks foundation to creating vibrant parks at the centre of their communities.”

The Park Foundation is due to be formed in January 2020