We are greatly heartened by the outpouring of solidarity with park runners threatened with ludicrous hire fees (Report, 14 April). Our public green spaces are a vital service that must continue to be open to all members of the community. The problem is that local councils are getting desperate due to the government’s continuing savage cuts to all public services, which threaten the survival of “non-statutory” but essential provision such as youth services, libraries and parks.
This is unacceptable. We are a rich society, with the 1,000 richest individuals having a combined wealth of £550bn all to themselves – a shocking figure which has incredibly doubled over the last 10 years. Contrast that with the mere £2bn annual national budget for local parks services trying to manage the UK’s 27,000 urban parks serving 60 million people. This scandalous underfunding crisis must be reversed. We are calling for a national inquiry into the funding for the UK’s parks and for their statutory recognition. As the voice of the movement of over 5,000 Friends of Parks groups, we are also calling on all park users everywhere to join their local Friends groups and set up thousands more to fight for adequate funding, much-needed improvements and proper protection.
Dave Morris
Chair, National Federation of Parks and Green Spaces
• Yes, for all sorts of reasons parks should be free, public open spaces, and paid for from the taxes we pay. However, the anger is being directed at the wrong target, as with the cuts to arts funding (Bazalgette tells councils to ‘keep faith’ in arts, 14 April).
The government, as it planned, has deflected the blame for its own cuts in local government funding on to councils and other publicly funded bodies.
Michael Miller
Sheffield
• Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com
