How to save Britain’s parks

Our public parks are under threat, with cuts to their funding being one of the biggest challenges they face. Local authorities are grappling with extraordinary pressures on their finances, and parks all too often are ending up as casualties of difficult decisions, since many town halls do not appreciate the benefits they bring.

The scale of spending reductions varies between local authorities. Newcastle City Council told the House of Commons Communities and Local Government Committee that its parks management budget has been cut by 97 per cent over the past five…