Parks

• Popular council services could be swallowed by £8bn funding black hole

  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

  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

  Community groups can bid for a share of a £1m fund to help them develop ‘pocket parks’.

  

• Councils face calls to ban 'dangerous' weedkiller

  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’

  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

  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

  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?

  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

  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

  Knowsley Council has agreed to drop proposals to sell 10% of the borough’s parks.