Austerity bites in Haringey parks

Several parks in Tottenham have regained their Green Flag Awards in August after they were temporarily suspended in late 2018. 

The parks include Bruce Castle Park, Downhills Park and Markfield Park. Keep Britain Tidy, who administer the Green Flag Award, said in their Mystery Shopper reports that Bruce Castle and Markfield parks did not: "currently meet the minimum standard for the Green Flag award and the flag should be removed.” The report on Downhills Park said that: “standards on site fall well below the standards expected of a Green Flag Award site.” Criticism in the reports included the need for “an increase in horticultural standards” and that “benches need some maintenance.”

David Morris, chair of Haringey Friends of Parks, said that funding cuts were behind the temporarily suspension of the Green Flags. In a deposition to the council on 9th July he said: “Despite the essentiality of parks, there is a growing underfunding and understaffing crisis back from when budgets were cut by 50% in 2011. This situation is deteriorating year on year,” he said.

The Green Flag Awards were regained after the council implemented an action plan for the parks. Throughout 2019, regular park inspections have rated “hard assets” such as signage, paths, play areas, fountains, raised beds and other park features on a scale from A (excellent) to E (emergency repair required). Items rated E are repaired within 24 hours. A detailed plan of regular maintenance has also been worked out for each park.

Haringey Council has had its budget cut by 59% in real terms since 2010, which is a reduction of £122m. The cuts have fallen across a wide range of council services and the council have 45% fewer staff. Klaus Kuerner from Friends of Bruce Castle Park said that: “The cuts are really biting.” Adding that: “If you save the money here it will bite you later,” and that “in a city like London, you cannot ignore green spaces.”

Haringey Friends of Parks want the council to honour its manifesto commitment to increase spending on parks and to seek additional sources of public funding for parks such as money from TfL or Public Health budgets.

David Morris said that: “Every public green space should be achieving Green Flag and it’s a minimum standard that they should be achieving.” He added that parks are: “essential, therefore they have got to be properly managed.”