MHCLG Parks Working Group
A new government in place yet with a £20 billion hole in the budget we see on the news so suspect there will be no huge windfall for the world of parks. We all continue to press on with our daily jobs. However, a glimmer of some hope and recognition. The newly renamed MHCLG have reached out via their parks team (yes there is one!) with the intention of setting up a Parks Working Group. Many have been invited onto this group from OUR world, those working in the sector. This includes Paul Rabbitts (Norwich), Eddie Curry (Nottingham City) and James Jones McFarland (Arun). All are on the PMA Board. The difference it seems from the old Parks Action Group that used to meet is that this time it seems to have a good presence of people working in parks rather than organisations with their own agendas.
No dates have been set for a meeting but we await. It would be good to hear from colleagues what they think MHCLG could be doing to support the sector – for example funding the PMA? a national Parks Strategy and making it compulsory for all authorities to have an adopted Parks Strategy, a resource to get the sector more aligned – we are still too fragmented. Drop us an email at chair@parksmanagement.org.uk