People living near parks starved of funding by cash-strapped councils should pay higher taxes to maintain their upkeep, a think-tank recommended today.
The NHS should be given the power and funding to maintain and even create new parks ‘as a tool of healthcare’, the report by the Social Market Foundation (SMF) also suggested.
While more people are able to use public parks as Covid-19 lockdown measures ease, the SMF study found that the 27,000 urban green spaces in the UK are often poorly maintained
Many councils have cut maintenance spending and rely on community groups and National Lottery funding for the upkeep of public parks.
People living near parks starved of funding by cash-strapped councils should pay higher taxes to maintain their upkeep, a think-tank recommended. (Above, people in Finsbury Park, north London yesterday)
While more people are able to use public parks as Covid-19 lockdown measures ease, the SMF study found that the 27,000 urban green spaces in the UK are often poorly maintained. (Above, Finsbury Park yesterday)
Similar schemes where homeowners pay a levy to look after green spaces have been introduced in US cities such as Chicago and Seattle.
In the King County area of Seattle, for example, owners of homes worth $500,000 (£410,000) each pay $7 (£6) a month to help fund parks, trails and recreational activities.
Meanwhile, the NHS’s role in maintaining parks and green spaces should be seen as a tool of healthcare in the same way as medicines and therapies, the SMF said.
The NHS should be given the power and funding to maintain and even create new parks ‘as a tool of healthcare’, the report by the Social Market Foundation (SMF) also suggested. (Pictured, Golders Hill Park in north-west London)
Even though parks have been neglected under austerity, health professionals have begun to see greater value in using green spaces to relieve pressure on the NHS. (Pictured, a woman relaxing in Central Park, Plymouth, on Saturday)
The report suggests that NHS bodies should be able to take part in bidding for any additional parks funding offered by central government, perhaps in partnership with local authorities.
Giving the NHS a role in supporting the spaces would allow doctors to make more use of ‘social prescribing’ techniques – where patients are told to take exercise and spend time outdoors to boost physical and mental health.
International evidence and NHS pilots have shown that using parks as a healthcare resource can improve outcomes for patients and significantly reduce demands on GP surgeries.
The coronavirus lockdown has sparked new debates about access to green space.
One in eight UK households has no garden, rising to one in five in London, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Even though parks have been neglected under austerity, health professionals have begun to see greater value in using green spaces to relieve pressure on the NHS.
Some Clinical Commissioning Groups have started using parks to support patients with anxiety and depression whose frequent GP appointments place significant burdens on surgeries.
One scheme in Liverpool involved setting up a park walking club for patients who made frequent use of GP services for non-clinical needs.
The result was a significant reduction in the group’s use of GP services, freeing up resources for others.
In New Zealand, doctors have issued ‘green prescriptions’ since 1998 – and 60 per cent of the patients involved became more active, according to a survey.
In 2018/19, the Social Market Foundation received financial support for its work from various charities, trusts, companies and other organisations including Age UK, Alzheimers Society, Barclays Bank, the Peabody Trust and the Greater London Authority.
The full list can be found here: http://www.smf.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Social-Market-Foundation-Funding-2018-2019.pdf