We must guard our green spaces – and this cash is just the start
WHETHER you use a park or not, nearly all of us can recognise their importance.
For millions, they are a gateway to the great outdoors, a place to go for a jog, to walk the dog or simply grab a moment away from the hustle and bustle of modern life.
I’ve been following The Mail on Sunday’s spirited campaign with keen interest and the passionate debate that it has rightly generated. And I want to assure readers that I share this passion.
Parks strengthen our communities and make areas more attractive places in which to live and work. They are communal spaces in which we can be together with friends, but also alone with our thoughts.
As such, no one wants to see much-loved green spaces fall into disrepair, playgrounds shut or be judged no-go areas.
Quite rightly, spending on our parks is a decision for local leaders, but where they have prioritised park protection, and indeed expansion, they have found the funds to do so.
We recognise that councils continue to face tough decisions. Last week, I confirmed their budgets will rise by £1.3 billion this year and we’ve also given local leaders more control over the money they raise and spend. One of the key demands of the Save Our Parks campaign has been for more dedicated Government funding to help those sites most at risk. And I have listened. Today I’m pleased to announce further funding of more than £13 million for parks and playgrounds.
Parks are an invaluable public asset. The new funding will make a big difference, but is only the start of what I hope will be a new conversation – one that focuses on how parks can add even more value to our towns, cities and communities.