A new Parks Action Group has been launched by the Parks and Green Spaces Minister, Marcus Jones, in order to help England's parks and green spaces meet the needs of communities, both now and in the future.
The Parks Action Group will be supported by £500,000 in Government funding. It will consist of experts from the horticulture, leisure, heritage, and tourism sectors, tasked with the purpose of bringing forward proposals to address the issues faced by public parks and green spaces across England. The group will then propose steps to be taken in line with the Government's response to the recent report of the House of Common's Communities and Local Government Select Committee into the future of parks and green spaces.
Minister Marcus Jones said: "We recognise the value of parks and green spaces to local communities – including reducing loneliness, increasing wellbeing, and revitalising town and city centres. But we need to do more to make sure future generations are continuing to enjoy their benefits. That is why we have announced a new expert-led Parks Action Group to work closely with the sector to find the right solutions."
This comes as part of the Government's strategy to encourage more people to make better use of parks, as research published from the charity Fields in Trust shows that living close to green spaces can increase people's wellbeing, and emphasises the importance of providing spaces for neighbours to socialise. In February 2016 the Government awarded over £1 million to improve 87 small areas of undeveloped or derelict land to transform them into green spaces for the benefit of the whole community.
