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Good quality green space enhances the quality of urban life and contributes to wider Government objectives such as improved health, more sustainable neighbourhood renewal and better community cohesion, especially in more deprived communities. Neglected parks attract anti-social behaviour and have the potential to undermine regeneration of deprived neighbourhoods.
Up until recently, the quality and management of urban green space was regarded as the exclusive responsibility of local authorities and other local agencies. But in response to the findings of a 1999 Select Committee report which noted a general decline in the quality of green space, central government decided to intervene. The Department for Communities and Local Government (formerly the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister) now leads a number of initiatives to raise the profile of green space and enhance its quality.
These initiatives have helped to bring about a halt in the decline of the quality of green space in many neighbourhoods. The number of residents satisfied has risen and is over 60%. However one in six urban local authorities say their green space is in decline. A national target has been set for resident satisfaction with green space, but achievement of the target masks continuing dissatisfaction in a large number of neighbourhoods. Over 90% of urban authorities have satisfaction levels of 60% or more, but residents in deprived communities have not shared equally in the improvements seen. Central support, advice and funding needs to be better targeted at poorer performing local authorities.
The Department does not know whether the amount of urban green space is shrinking or growing. To help balance the needs of urban development and green space provision, planning authorities need to develop a vision of the value and role of green space which is shared by local partners and citizens. Yet many planning authorities are making decisions in an information vacuum and have yet to conduct a full analysis of their current provision and/or local needs as required by Planning Policy Guidance Note 17. Only 38% of urban local authorities have adopted a green space strategy and those that do exist are often weak, failing to prioritise spending options, set out clear allocation of responsibilities or provide timetables for implementation.
As schemes like the renovation of Sheffield Botanical Gardens show, community groups have played a commendable part in bringing about improvement in green spaces, large and small. Yet not all local authorities have consulted widely, and the needs of children in particular are often not well reflected in councils' green space priorities. Green space managers need to be equipped with the necessary skills to engage communities and especially children and young people, and develop a local vision for green space but the Department has made slow progress in developing an appropriate national skills programme to address these needs.
Almost a quarter of the £693 million funding made available each year for green space is now provided through direct grants from central government and the national lottery. The large number of funding programmes each with their own objectives and criteria need to be rationalised to reduce bureaucracy. A commitment to maintenance should be a condition of funding for refurbishment and capital improvement schemes. Some local authorities spend five times as much as others maintaining their green space, and there is scope for improved efficiency. Green space managers need to better demonstrate the value for money with which they use resources by improving local financial management and reporting. Key lessons from central government funded projects to encourage local authorities to be innovative in their management of green space need to be fully identified and spread.
On the basis of the Report[1] by the Comptroller and Auditor General, the Committee examined the Department for Communities and Local Government, CABE Space and Groundwork UK on their initiatives and performance in enhancing urban green space.
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