Parks


Green space 'not equally accessible to all' index reveals 27/05/2021 The most deprived communities tend to have the less access to green spaces, an annual report has found.
Green social prescribing projects chosen for funding 13/05/2021 Funding has been awarded to 10 green social prescribing projects to help communities recover from COVID-19.
Poorer areas see greatest fall in park visits 13/05/2021 The poorest areas have reported the largest fall in the number of people visiting parks and green spaces during the pandemic, new research has uncovered.
Calls to ring-fence funding for ‘social plumbing’ 13/05/2021 The Government should spend 25% of its ‘levelling up’ funding on public spaces such as parks and playgrounds to help revive ‘left behind towns’, a new report has argued.
Notts leader warns residents to stick to social distancing rules 31/03/2021 The leader of Nottingham City Council yesterday called on residents to stick to social distancing rules as lockdown restrictions are eased.
Liverpool parks to be protected 'forever' 19/03/2021 Liverpool City Council has become the first local authority to legally protect the future of its parks and green spaces.
Blossoming tree circles to be planted across UK 26/02/2021 Blossoming tree circles will be planted in cities across England, Wales and Northern Ireland over the next five years, as part of a new project to signal 'reflection and hope'.
The winners of the 2020 Street Design Awards 18/12/2020 To end the year on a positive note, we are delighted to announce the winners of the 2020 Street Design Awards.
Survey shows public trusts councils more than Government on COVID 30/11/2020 The findings of a new opinion poll show the public trusts councils more than Government on the response to COVID, says APSE.
Councils warn about devastation to park services from pandemic 30/11/2020 Councils have warned that parks and green spaces are set to lose 87% of income due to the pandemic.
Record number of spaces achieve Green Flag Awards 14/10/2020 A record number of parks and green spaces have been recognised in this year's Green Flag Awards.
Councils spending thousands on 'littering epidemic' in parks 24/07/2020 Councils have been forced to spend an extra £33,000 on average dealing with litter and anti-social behaviour in parks since lockdown was eased, according to a new survey.
Call for £5.5bn to level up access to urban green spaces 07/07/2020 The prime minister has been urged to invest £5.5bn to 'level up' access to urban green spaces by a coalition of councils, city leaders and charities.
Parks are a 'smart investment' argues new report 24/06/2020 Parks save the health service over £2bn a year making them a ‘smart investment’, according to the Parks Alliance (TPA).
Public parks at 'significant' risk of loss, charity warns 28/05/2020 Hundreds of thousands of people could lose their local green space in the coming years due to development, research has warned today.
Report suggests a new tax for people living near to public parks 18/05/2020 Homeowners living near to public parks should pay councils a small tax to help cover the cost of their upkeep, a think tank has said.
Council mows grass in two metre 'channels' to promote social distancing 14/05/2020 Birmingham City Council has come up with an unusual way to remind people to obey social distancing rules, by mowing two metre strips into its parks and green spaces.
Councils praised for reopening hundreds of parks 27/04/2020 Councils have been praised for reopening around 340 parks and green spaces in the past week.
Councils warned ‘parks must remain open’ 20/04/2020 Councils have been told they should not close parks in a bid to limit the spread of coronavirus.
Councils urged to keep parks open where possible 06/04/2020 Councils have been told not to close parks unless it is impossible to maintain social distancing in them.
Counties warn about service closures during coronavirus 30/03/2020 Councils are being forced to close or reduce more services in order to divert resources to fighting the coronavirus pandemic.
Councils across the UK close parks to limit spread of coronavirus 23/03/2020 Councils have been forced to close parks and other public spaces in a bid to protect people from coronavirus.
Community groups get £1.35m to create ‘pocket parks’ 03/03/2020 Dozens of community groups will receive funding to transform neglected urban spaces into ‘thriving green havens’, the Government has announced.
Last chance to enter the Street Design Awards 25/02/2020 There are only a few days left to enter the Street Design Awards 2020.
Only a month left to enter Street Design Awards 2020 30/01/2020 There is now only a month left to enter the Street Design Awards 2020, which celebrate best practice and innovation across the UK.
Council adopts new grass cutting approach to save bees 02/12/2019 Hertfordshire County Council is set to try out a new approach to grass cutting in an attempt to preserve wildflowers and the bees who rely on them.
Hedges around parks can halve pollution, study finds 21/11/2019 Planting a hedge in front of a park can cut air pollution in half, a new study has found.
Council accidentally cuts down 800 young trees 20/11/2019 Reading Borough Council has apologised to community volunteers after accidentally digging up hundreds of newly planted saplings.
The launch of the 2020 Street Design Awards 05/11/2019 The Street Design Awards 2020 have now been launched to celebrate best practice and innovation across the UK.
Council chiefs sceptical of £1.35m parks fund 28/10/2019 Local government leaders call for ‘long-term, sustainable funding’ to support green spaces in response to the Government’s launch of a £1.35m pocket parks fund.
A quarter of London’s parks have unsafe air quality 11/10/2019 One in four of green spaces in London breach safety limits for air quality, new analysis has revealed.
New financial model needed for national parks, review says 23/09/2019 A review of the way in which green spaces are managed could see more affordable housing built in rural areas and the introduction of a new financial model for national parks.
Government welcomes plans to create West Midlands national park 08/08/2019 Whitehall has welcomed proposals to create a new West Midlands urban national park that would span more than seven cities and open up hundreds of miles of green space.
London becomes world's first capital to achieve National Park City status 22/07/2019 London has become the first capital city in the world to be named as a National Park City.
Neighbourhood services cut by £8.9bn 22/07/2019 Funding for neighbourhood services across Britain has fallen 27% over the last decade, according to new research.
Report explores how public donations could protect future of parks 18/07/2019 Charitable donations could help protect the future of the UK’s parks and green spaces, a new report has found.
Parents urged to find time to take kids to the park 16/07/2019 Three-quarters of children would like to spend more time outdoors, according to a new survey published to coincide with Love Parks Week.
The winners of the 2019 Street Design Awards 26/06/2019 From the restoration of a historic burial site to a successful and innovative road safety scheme, the winners of the 2019 Street Design Awards have been revealed.
Urban Green Space Commended: Mitre Square, City of London Corporation 26/06/2019 Mitre Square in London has been commended in the urban green space category of the Street Design Awards.
Urban Green Space Highly Commended: Grantham Green, Eastleigh Borough Council 26/06/2019 This year's highly commended of the Urban Green Space category is Eastleigh Borough Council for its Grantham Green project.
Urban Green Space Winner: Muslim War Cemetery Peace Garden, The terra firma Consultancy and Woking Borough Council 25/06/2019 The regeneration of the Muslim War Cemetery Peace Garden in Woking has been crowned the winner of the Urban Green Space category.
Parks in danger of being sold, campaigners warn 23/05/2019 Campaigners are calling on local government and landowners to legally protect the parks and green spaces they own.
Play as a powerful motivator 26/04/2019 Beth Cooper explores the value of play and green places in preserving the nation’s health.
Nearly £4m made available for 'pocket parks' 26/03/2019 Over 40 derelict urban spaces across the country are to benefit from the Government’s multi-million pound pocket park fund.
Brokenshire announces £13m of ‘much-needed’ park funding 18/02/2019 Councils across the country are to benefit from a multi-million pound funding boost to ‘breathe new life’ into green spaces.
Popular council services could be swallowed by £8bn funding black hole 01/02/2019 Many popular council services could disappear by 2025 due to a £8bn funding black hole, council leaders have warned today.
Launch of the 2019 Street Design Awards 07/12/2018 The Street Design Awards, celebrating innovation and best practice in street design schemes across the UK, have been relaunched by Local Government News magazine.
Whitehall announces £1m ‘pocket park’ fund 05/12/2018 Community groups can bid for a share of a £1m fund to help them develop ‘pocket parks’.
Councils face calls to ban 'dangerous' weedkiller 14/08/2018 Councils are facing calls to ban the use of a controversial weedkiller after a landmark legal decision in the US.
Charities to give parks a £1.5m ‘innovation boost’ 23/07/2018 Local authorities and other organisations have received a £1.5m ‘innovation boost’ in order to help them find new ways to sustainably run parks.
Councils could save thousands with ‘bee-friendly’ policies 18/07/2018 Local authorities can save thousands of pounds by adopting ‘bee-friendly’ grass cutting plans, campaigners say.
Nearly 2,000 green spaces celebrated in Green Flag Awards 17/07/2018 From traditional parks to burial sites, a record number of green spaces have been awarded a Green Flag this year.
What future for our parks? 02/07/2018 A survey has revealed 85% of councils expect to cut budgets for parks in the next five years. Mark Whitehead finds out what impact this will have on council-owned green spaces.
Councils slash £15m from parks budgets 21/06/2018 Parks and green spaces are falling into ‘disrepair’ because of budget cuts, freedom of information requests reveal.
Council drops plans to sell 10% of its parks 12/06/2018 Knowsley Council has agreed to drop proposals to sell 10% of the borough’s parks.
Parks provide over £34bn of health benefits, report says 08/05/2018 Parks and green spaces across the UK provide people with over £34bn of health and wellbeing benefits, report says.
£1m project to prove economic value of urban green spaces 25/04/2018 A new toolkit to calculate the economic value of urban greenspace is being developed with £1m funding from Innovate UK.
London councils protecting parks ‘despite cuts’, report finds 28/02/2018 London boroughs are working hard to protect parks and green spaces ‘despite funding cuts’, research says.
Getting into a lather over weed control 22/01/2018 Lewes District Council has been trialling the use of an eco-friendly hot foam weed killer as an alternative to traditional pesticides. Laura Sharman reports on the results.
Council agrees to place parks in charitable trust 11/01/2018 Knowsley has agreed to establish a charitable trust to manage the borough’s green spaces after the scrutiny committee requested the decision be put on hold.
Council puts on hold plans to sell 10% of parks 21/12/2017 A council is having second thoughts about selling-off 10% of its parks after its scrutiny committee raised concerns.
Council agrees to sell off 10% of its parks 30/11/2017 Knowsley Council has ‘unanimously’ agreed to sell off 10% of the borough’s parks and green spaces for new development over the next 15 years.
Newcastle first authority to set up charitable trust to run parks 22/11/2017 Newcastle has become the first major metropolitan authority in the UK to establish an independent charitable trust to run the city’s parks and allotments.
Yorkshire national park urges developers to build in the Dales 30/10/2017 A national park in Yorkshire is encouraging developers to build new homes on their land in an attempt to tackle a housing shortage in the Dales.
Liverpool approves plans to hand parks contract to council company 27/10/2017 Liverpool City Council has approved plans to award its parks and green spaces maintenance contract to Liverpool Street Scene Services Limited.
Council-owned company set to take over maintenance of Liverpool’s green spaces 20/10/2017 The contract to maintain Liverpool’s green spaces is to be handed to a council-owned company which operates the refuse, recycling and street cleansing service.
The future of grass breeding 12/10/2017 William Eichler reports from a grass seed facility in France to see how the particular needs of local authorities are being met.
Councils support parks research despite funding pressures 19/09/2017 Council chiefs have thrown their support behind a new Government-created group looking into the future of parks despite funding pressures.
Green Flag Awards extended by five years 23/08/2017 Britain's best parks and open spaces will continue to be rewarded for another five years after Whitehall announced an extension of the Green Flag Award scheme.
Councils urged to make public spaces more accessible 22/08/2017 Councils should ensure bins and other street furniture does not stop people with mobility issues from using public spaces, under guidance published yesterday.
Record number of spaces raising the Green Flag 18/07/2017 A record number of parks and green spaces have been given a Green Flag Award this year.
Council could save £110m through transfer of parks to trust 10/07/2017 Plans to transfer the responsibility of parks and green spaces to a charitable trust in Newcastle would save the council £110m over a 125-year lease agreement.
Green spaces health ‘asset’ to communities, charity says 10/07/2017 Parks are an asset to communities and should not be viewed as a burden by local authorities, charity says as it launches new research findings.
Weed killer ban could add £230m to council tax bills 09/05/2017 A local authority ban on the use of chemical-based weed killers in public places could cost the tax payer nearly £230m, new figures reveal.
Councils to be banned for charging parkruns to use parks 18/04/2017 Councils could be banned from charging parkruns to use public parks, under new proposals unveiled by the Government.
Public parks at ‘tipping point’ due to funding cuts 13/02/2017 Public parks are facing a period of decline due to budget cuts of up to 97%, a new report has warned.
Public parks generate ‘large surplus’ of £1.2bn 24/10/2016 Public parks and green spaces provide benefits worth over a billion pounds and are not the liability they appear in public accounts, a new study reveals.
Councils should have legal duty to protect parks, says public 28/09/2016 Three quarters of the public believe councils should have a statutory duty to protect parks, a new survey has revealed.
Parks should be ‘no smoking zones’ to protect children, experts say 26/09/2016 Local authorities should ban smoking in areas where children play or learn, environmental health professionals urge.
Councils selling off parks and green spaces 07/09/2016 More than half of local authorities are set to sell off their parks or transfer the management of them, according to the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Council considers using parks as flood defences 01/08/2016 Sheffield City Council is consulting on proposals to divert floodwater into parks and woodlands in the event of a severe storm.
Councils run innovative park scheme to improve lives 15/07/2016 Councils are showcasing innovative parks schemes as part of a national campaign to transform people's lives through their local parks.
MPs to examine how best to protect public parks 11/07/2016 The impact council budget cuts have had on public parks and open spaces will be considered in a new Government inquiry.
Early mowing 'eradicating' summer flowers warns charity 21/06/2016 A wildlife charity has warned that 700 species of flowers are at risk due to councils mowing their road verges too early in the year.
Toro 26/04/2016 With the coming months being an ideal time to stock up, Lely is offering end users a 10 percent discount on any Genuine Toro rotary blades bought from 1st to 31st May this year.
Parents reveal concern over future of parks and green spaces 15/04/2016 Seven out of ten parents with young children are concerned that council budget cuts will have a negative impact on parks and green spaces, according to a new survey by The Parks Alliance.
Council first to impose parkrun charge 13/04/2016 A parish council near Bristol has come under fire today after announcing it would be the first in the world to charge runners to use its Little Stoke park.
Government provides £86m guarantee to kick-start Aberdeen scheme 23/03/2016 The Government has backed major development plans in Aberdeen with an £86m guarantee.
Britain’s parks must be funded differently if they are to ‘remain free and open’ 23/02/2016 New models for maintaining and financing public parks could offer viable alternatives to local authority funding, a new report argues.
Funding secured for 87 new pocket parks 16/02/2016 Community groups across the country will share £1.5m of funding to transform 87 neglected urban spaces into new ‘pocket parks’.
Study reveals the economic value of green spaces 22/01/2016 Every pound spent on maintaining green spaces contributes £30 towards health and wellbeing benefits, a new study has revealed.
Council to tackle anglers by ‘euthanizing’ the fish 21/12/2015 A council is planning to wipe out the fish stock in one of its lakes in order to discourage anglers.
Children being let down by poor play facilities, survey argues 01/12/2015 Parents are worried their children may soon have nowhere to play and want the government to provide more funding for facilities, according to a survey.

Sharpening the commercial edge

The case for well-managed council commercial activity is one that needs to be defended if we want a mature and sustainable local state, argues Jonathan Werran.

Slow and steady wins the (cloud migration) race

Sascha Giese? argues that when it comes to cloud migration, local authorities would be wise to opt for a more strategic route and take their time.

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