Parks face "spiral of decline" in Bristol City Council budget cuts, campaigners warn

Bristol’s cherished parks face a “spiral of decline” from huge proposed cuts in the city council’s budget, campaigners warn. The city’s Parks Forum, which works to protect green spaces for residents, says the planned £1.5million savings amount to a quarter of the annual cost of maintaining the beauty spots. It says the parks service has “already been cut to the bone” and could “cease to exist”. In fact the cuts are so severe that they actually total more than the current amount of money the council provides – about £1.3million in the current financial year – meaning parks would become a “net contributor” to City Hall’s coffers and be expected to make money that would help prop up other services. Furious forum members are urging the Labour cabinet to scrap the idea and they are asking people to voice their disapproval in the budget consultation, which closes on December 22.

The measures are part of efforts by Bristol City Council to bridge a £31million shortfall for 2023/24, part of a funding gap over the next five years projected between £37.5million and £87.6million. In a briefing note on its website about the draft budget, Bristol Parks Forum said the cost of maintaining the open spaces was between £6million and £7million a year, so a £1.5million cutback meant 20 to 25 per cent less money available for that. It said there was likely to be a similar reduction in parks service staff, with cash set aside for redundancies in 2023/24 before the budget cuts fully kick in. The forum said: “Reduced staff costs mean reduced staff numbers. “This will mean less work will be done, less grass cutting, less bin-emptying, less repairs, fewer people to answer queries, fewer people to support park groups and other volunteers, fewer people to assess the likely impact of events or activities planned in parks & green spaces by other organisations. “There is a suggestion that volunteers can take up some of the slack and do more, however, volunteers are likely to lose heart if basic maintenance isn’t done and, in any case, will in most cases, not have the time, skills, training or equipment to take on maintenance activities. “They will not want to be in a position of taking on work previously done by staff who have been made redundant. “Volunteering should provide the ‘cherry on the cake’ adding extras to the service provided by the council. “To achieve an imposed budget reduction of £1.5million from April 2024, the parks service would have no option other than to start on a process of downsizing and making staff redundant immediately. “Reduced maintenance and repairs in parks & green spaces will make them less welcoming and appear less cared for – there is a risk that this will lead to a spiral of decline with reduced visitor numbers and increasing anti-social behaviour. “The devastating impact on the parks service of these proposals needs to be highlighted and there needs to be a large response to the consultation to make this clear.” It said parks played a critical role in the city’s health & wellbeing and were vital for free recreation and exercise, especially for residents struggling with the cost-of-living crisis, while less money meant fewer repairs to play areas and benches which would be removed when they became unsafe.

At a council budget scrutiny committee meeting last month, Labour deputy mayor Cllr Craig Cheney said parks made about £12million income a year, so the saving was about one-eighth of this. Cabinet member for public health and communities Cllr Ellie King admitted the cuts were “a big ask for the service” but insisted: “It’s not for volunteers to deliver a public service.” She said the details had not been fully worked out but that the savings could involve a whole range of ideas, such as more food growing, community farms, re-wilding areas and communities taking on more responsibility where desired. “Public access is really important and it isn’t about locking people out or having a knee-jerk reaction to these savings and seeing it as us no longer looking after these spaces, but that needs to be modelled and consulted on,” Cllr King said. She said the use of parks had increased as a result of lockdown but this was adding pressure on the service to maintain the spaces. Cllr King said: “We need to be honest and upfront – can we afford a service that big in this way? “Does that mean it has to be done badly? I don’t think so. “There are amazing opportunities here if we can grasp them and explore them with an open mind.” Credit: Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporting Service