Campaigners appeal to council to reverse plans to slash costs by 20%
PARKS groups and conservationists have called for the city council to abandon planned 20 per cent cuts to Birmingham’s green spaces saying it will cost more in the long run.
A total of 30 groups and individuals representing the city’s environmental, conservation and leisure sectors have signed a letter to the council – printed in today’s Birmingham Post – warning that the proposed £1.8 million cut to park maintenance next year will damage communities, threaten investment and impact on the health and quality of life.
Birmingham City Council plans to reduce maintenance of roads and pathways, cut the number of park keepers and staff, reduce the frequency of grass cutting, cut flower bed and shrub planting and withdraw funding for planters and hanging baskets in high streets.
Many of the concerned organisations, such as the Birmingham Open Spaces Forum, represent the hundreds of volunteers who give their time to care for city parks and green spaces.
The council’s proposed budget outlines a £1.8 million cut in parks and green space maintenance in 2017/18, rising to £2.4 million a year from 2018/19.
But the groups, including the city’s Wildlife Trust, Civic Society, Trees for Life and various parks groups, warned the cut was a false economy.
They said: “We are concerned that the proposed 20 per cent cut to the parks and nature conservation budget for Birmingham City Council will damage our communities, increase the need for future spending on health and reduce investment in our city in addition to the inevitable decline in the quality of our green spaces for people and reduced habitat for wildlife.”
They pointed out that land values are higher nearer parks and that they encourage healthy physical activity, community activities, and help with flood defences and air quality.
“It is fundamental to the sustainable economic growth of Birmingham that these green spaces are managed,” they said.
“This costs money. The city benefits from many thousands of hours of volunteer time every year to improve parks and green spaces.”
They also argued that the volun- teers still needed the backing of paid expert staff, equipment and infrastructure.
While there has been a major decrease in funding available to the council, the groups said parks needed to be a priority – particularly as a magnet for investment and development.
And they warned: “Not investing will mean our green spaces deteriorate becoming overgrown with unseen areas that attract crime and anti-social behaviour...
“We urge the council to rethink the immediate budget cuts to parks and green spaces.”
The call follows revelations that the city’s culture sector will be hit with a £1.7 million in grant funding without alternative plans to keep the orchestras, theatres and galleries going.
The city council is currently consulting over its 2017/18 budget – including £76 million cuts or savings across a range of services and departments. Final proposals will be drawn up in February and put to the council for approval in March.
It is fundamental to the sustainable economic growth of Birmingham that these green spaces are managed