London parks are threatened by staff exodus

 
Challenge: Prince William is campaigning to save parks such as Brockwell in Lambeth
10 April 2012

Park staff across London are quitting their jobs or being sacked amid council cuts, according to a study.

Research by the Parks & Green Spaces Forum found that a quarter of senior posts have disappeared in the past 18 months and it is claimed that more junior - and sometimes inexperienced - staff are being left charge.

Brent, Hammersmith & Fulham, Haringey, Hillingdon, Kingston-upon-Thames, Lambeth and Waltham Forest are among those losing managers or heads of department.

Forum director Tony Leach said: "Over the past 18 months, 25 per cent have either left or their jobs have been deleted.

"We are losing people with park-specific skills who are often being replaced by staff responsible for leisure or sport, or those lower down the food chain.

"Boroughs are slipping back to the old ways of working - retreating to safe areas and not sticking their heads above the parapet to talk to each other because they haven't the time or resources."

The research found that park bosses are also retiring and their positions not being filled. The loss of staff has led to fears that London's parks will slip into disrepair or be sold off for housing and commercial developments. The Duke of Cambridge and former Arsenal captain Tony Adams are supporting the campaign for green space.
In October, Prince William took to YouTube to call for more to be done to save parks and recreation grounds.

He is heading the Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge and warned that "many of these sites may be lost" if more action is not taken soon.
Adams told how his local parks when he was growing up in Dagenham were crucial for him.

He said: "Without those opportunities to live and breathe football, I wouldn't have had the fantastic opportunity to play for my country.

"That's why it's vital that we preserve parks and playing fields, to ensure future generations of footballers - and cricketers, rugby fly-halves, tennis players and sprinters - have their first taste of sport at the grass roots, near home."

A Brent council spokeswoman said it faced significant budget shortfalls and had to consider all its options "whilst ensuring that park users continue to experience a high quality service".

A Lambeth spokesman said the council faces £95 million of cuts over the next four years. Hillingdon said it had "a strong management team", 19 green flag awards and was a finalist in Britain in Bloom.

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