Whatever has happened to Parkforce?

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

A couple of years ago amid great fanfare the Commission for Architecture and the Build Environment(CABE) launched Parkforce – a force for the good of the common, so to speak – to “improve the standing of parks and open spaces”. But what now? Where is Parkforce gone to?

While there are still publications, and very good ones at that, as regards to parks and open spaces, being put out by CABE no mention is made of Parkforce itself any longer, which was to have been a flagship thing.

Annual competitions were to be for “Park Keeper of the Year” ans such like but that only happened once and that appears to have been it.

The seminars that were being held appertaining to parks and open spaces were good and very informative but many of them also seem to have fallen by the wayside.

It is also a most unfortunate fact that is and when CABE has a booth at this or that event this never seems to be manned.

Once again, it would appear, a great opportunity to do something positive for and about Britain's parks and open spaces has been allowed to go to waste.

Most, if not indeed all, Quangos set up by the British government or those aided by it, are, so it would appear, all about gimmicks without substance and no more.

Many park staff who joined are proud to wear the Parkforce badge and to follow the pledge that they took but, alas, that what was supposed to stand behind and support it seems to have, sadly, gone.

If CABE has, more or less, given up on Parkforce maybe a relaunch is called for an d it should then be run by parks officers.

This suggestion is, at present, intended as some kind of food for thought but if Parkforce members are interested it might be good to take it further.

© 2009
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Parks renaissance faces uncertain future

Date: 6 October 2006

In its latest report, CABE Space has warned that new ways to pay for the long term management and maintenance of parks are needed to give parks longer term security, and to sustain the improvement we have seen in parks over recent years.

Without this funding, parks run the risk of enduring a gradual decline in quality in time - requiring further large injections of capital if they are to be restored again. Local authorities need to explore new methods of paying for ongoing maintenance, and central government should encourage councils to pursue innovative funding methods.

The Paying for parks report points out that although parks have undergone a remarkable renaissance in recent years, maintaining this improvement is a major challenge. The huge areas of new and restored green space due to be created in coming years (as part of housing growth and housing market renewal schemes, or as part of the Olympic preparations) are at risk of an uncertain future unless mechanisms to generate their long term revenue funding are built into decisions being made now.

This research shows that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to funding parks. Different models will suit different circumstances and traditional local authority funding is likely to remain key for most parks. The report considers eight models in use in the UK and elsewhere to fund the management and maintenance of urban green space. It encourages local authorities and green space managers to think more imaginatively about what funding mechanisms might be available to them.