Agenda item - Open Spaces Strategy - update on Action Plan

Report of the Executive Director, Economy, Environment & Culture

1)            That the Committee approves the establishment of a Brighton & Hove Parks Foundation as set out at Section 3.2 and Appendix 6 to lead creative and innovative fundraising which would be invested in the council’s parks and open spaces subject to 2.2 below

 

2)            That the Committee recommends to Policy, Resources & Growth Committee that it approve the appointment of a member of each political group of the council alongside the three independent Trustees and that the Brighton & Hove Parks Foundation be delegated the decision on the appointment of its Chair

 

3)            That the Committee approves the proposal on new management arrangements for the tennis courts in the city council’s parks as per paragraphs 3.7-3.12 of this report that will also include a detailed review and recommendation on the proposal put forward by the Queens Park Tennis Club. A further report will be brought to a future Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee for a decision on the management arrangements.

 

4)            That the Committee notes the updates provided in the appendices in relation to:

·         Allotments

·         Cemeteries and Churchyards

·         Heritage

·         Open Space Hire

·         Outdoor Sport & Physical Activity Facilities

·         Parks Foundation

 

5)            That the Committee approves the establishment of a Brighton & Hove Parks Foundation as set out at Section 3.2 and Appendix 6 to lead creative and innovative fundraising which would be invested in the council’s parks and open spaces.

 

6)            That the Committee recommends to Policy, Resources & Growth Committee that it approve the appointment of the Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability as the Chair of Brighton & Hove Parks Foundation.

 

7)            That the Committee approves the direction of travel on new management arrangements for the tennis courts in the city council’s parks as per paragraphs 3.7-3.12 of this report that will also include a detailed review and recommendation on the proposal put forward by the Queens Park Tennis Club. A further report will be brought to a future Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee for a decision on the management arrangements.

 

8)            That the Committee notes the updates provided in the appendices in relation to:

·         Allotments

·         Cemeteries and Churchyards

·         Heritage

·         Open Space Hire

·         Outdoor Sport & Physical Activity Facilities

·         Parks Foundation

·         Parks & Gardens

·         Parks Trust

·         Small Grassed Areas

·         Sponsorship, Advertising and Donations

·         Volunteering

8.1         The Committee considered a report of the Executive Director, Economy, Environment & Culture that provided an update on progress made against the Open Spaces Strategy agreed by the committee at its meeting in January 2017 and requested approval to proceed with specific actions.

 

8.2         Councillor Nemeth asked for clarification on what level of support would qualify as consensus from tennis clubs.

 

8.3         The Assistant Director- City Environmental Management stated that this would likely be a simple majority supporting one set of proposals or clubs setting out a number of proposals that could be supported.

 

8.4         Councillor Atkinson noted his disappointment that the application for Parklife Funding was unsuccessful and asked whether that could re-applied for at any stage.

 

8.5         The Assistant Director- City Environmental Management clarified that a reapplication could not be made at this stage but that would give opportunity to revisit the discussions held with football clubs prior to the application for funding, particularly those that had expressed interest in self-managing arrangements.

 

8.6         Councillor Littman noted that the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) had a chequered history of involvement with tennis clubs in the city and asked the rationale behind their involvement in the Strategy.

 

8.7         The Assistant Director- City Environmental Management replied that it would be unusual if a national body such as the LTA was not engaged in such a Strategy and a strong working relationship would enhance the chances of unlocking funding opportunities.

 

8.8         Referring to appendix 10 of the report that detailed sponsorship and advertising, Councillor Littman expressed his concern for the over-commercialisation of public green spaces and how the partnership with Friends of Groups would relate to that.

 

8.9         The Assistant Director- City Environmental Management stated that the council had a commitment to working with Friends of Groups. The Assistant Director- City Environmental Management added that clear guidelines were in place relating to what the council could and could not do in terms of sponsorship and advertising and regular update reports would be brought to the committee.

 

8.10      Councillor Wares asked what experience the LTA had in guiding local authorities in how to manage tennis clubs and facilities. Referring to page 70, Councillor Wares asked what discretion would be given to volunteers for maintenance of parks and facilities, particularly in relation to pruning and cutting trees.

 

8.11      The Assistant Director- City Environmental Management confirmed that the LTA had worked with other authorities and given professional advice. Volunteering was something the council wanted to develop and promote and a set of standards and safeguards would need to be put in place.

 

8.12      Councillor Brown noted that page 57 stated that there would need to be identification of costs where events had caused a detrimental impact to park infrastructure so as not to cause a shortfall in the cost to Cityparks in making good. Councillor Brown welcomed the initiative but expressed concern as to why such a policy was not already in place. Councillor Brown asked for clarification on what was meant by a ‘park improvement district’ in Hove Park and for clarification on statement relating to the benefits of car parks in parks as that was cause for some concern.

 

8.13      The Assistant Director- City Environmental Management stated that there were instances where Cityparks had reinstated damage caused to parks in relation to events where costs could not be recovered and there was a need to understand what that level of cost was and have appropriate mechanisms to be able to re-charge. Park improvement districts were an initiative learnt from other authorities and a concept whereby park improvements could be directly associated with business improvement districts. That would entail discussions with the private sector about possible levies or volunteer work to drive improvement in city centre green space at in turn raise business footfall. The Assistant Director- City Environmental Management clarified that the statement on car parks was related to the car parking arrangements in place at Preston Park whereby revenue from station parking was ring-fenced for improvements to the park infrastructure. That measure would relate to existing car parking infrastructure and no new car parks would be built.

 

8.14      On behalf of the Conservative Group, Councillor Wares moved an motion to amend recommendation 2.3 as shown in bold italics below:

 

2.3       That Committee approves the direction of travel on new management arrangements for the tennis courts in the city council’s parks as per paragraphs 3.7-3.12 of this report that will also include a detailed review and recommendation on the proposal put forward by the Queens Park Tennis Club. A further report will be brought to a future Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee for a decision on the management arrangements.

 

8.15      Introducing the motion, Councillor Wares stated that the purpose of the amendment was an attempt to make explicit that the proposal put forward by Queens Park Tennis Club would be reviewed.

 

8.16      Councillor Peltzer-Dunn formally seconded the motion.

 

8.17      On behalf of the Green Group, Councillor Littman moved a motion to amend recommendations 2.1 and 2.2 as detailed in bold italics below:

 

2.1         That the Committee approves the establishment of a Brighton & Hove Parks Foundation as set out at Section 3.2 and Appendix 6 to lead creative and innovative fundraising which would be invested in the council’s parks and open spaces subject to 2.2 below

 

2.2      That the Committee recommends to Policy, Resources & Growth Committee that it approve the appointment of a member of each political group of the council alongside the three independent Trustees and that the Brighton & Hove Parks Foundation be delegated the decision on the appointment of its Chair

 

8.18      Introducing the motion, Councillor Littman stated that the amendment was not a personal reflection of the Chair but a measure to remove potential politicisation of the organisation and to increase democratic oversight by including a member of each political group on the council. Councillor Littman added that he strongly believed that the appointment of Chair should be made by the Foundation rather than the council as it would be best suited to decide upon the best candidate.

 

8.19      Councillor West formally seconded the motion.

 

8.20      Councillor Wares encouraged officers to be certain in any proposals for bowls clubs as it would be a very sensitive issue and one that had to be right. Councillor Wares added that the council had to be very clear in its communications that residents were not to be asked to cut all small grass verges and such a scheme was strictly voluntary.

 

8.21      Councillor West stated that open space hire and any income from advertisement and sponsorship should be ring-fenced for use and maintenance of parks to protect them.

 

8.22      Councillor Littman stated that a key part of obtaining support for the Strategy and any proposals that came with it would be to demonstrate to the public the opportunities for changes. Councillor Littman explained that this had been particularly beneficial in the case of Preston Park where changes were made to parking arrangements but it was made clear that any surplus would be ring-fenced to improve the park.

 

8.23      Councillor Robins stated his concern that the Foundation Board may be too small at six and a larger number could be considered to cover a wider skill set.

 

8.24      The Chair noted that the report that would be submitted to Policy, Resources & Growth Committee at a later date would clearly identify the personnel and make-up of the Board

 

8.25      The Chair then put the Conservative Group motion to the vote which passed.

 

8.26      The Chair then put the Green Group motion to the vote which passed.

 

8.27      The Chair then put the recommendations as amended to the vote which were agreed.

 

8.28      RESOLVED-

 

1)            That the Committee approves the establishment of a Brighton & Hove Parks Foundation as set out at Section 3.2 and Appendix 6 to lead creative and innovative fundraising which would be invested in the council’s parks and open spaces subject to 2.2 below

 

2)            That the Committee recommends to Policy, Resources & Growth Committee that it approve the appointment of a member of each political group of the council alongside the three independent Trustees and that the Brighton & Hove Parks Foundation be delegated the decision on the appointment of its Chair

 

3)            That the Committee approves the proposal on new management arrangements for the tennis courts in the city council’s parks as per paragraphs 3.7-3.12 of this report that will also include a detailed review and recommendation on the proposal put forward by the Queens Park Tennis Club. A further report will be brought to a future Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee for a decision on the management arrangements.

 

4)            That the Committee notes the updates provided in the appendices in relation to:

·         Allotments

·         Cemeteries and Churchyards

·         Heritage

·         Open Space Hire

·         Outdoor Sport & Physical Activity Facilities

·         Parks Foundation

 

5)            That the Committee approves the establishment of a Brighton & Hove Parks Foundation as set out at Section 3.2 and Appendix 6 to lead creative and innovative fundraising which would be invested in the council’s parks and open spaces.

 

6)            That the Committee recommends to Policy, Resources & Growth Committee that it approve the appointment of the Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability as the Chair of Brighton & Hove Parks Foundation.

 

7)            That the Committee approves the direction of travel on new management arrangements for the tennis courts in the city council’s parks as per paragraphs 3.7-3.12 of this report that will also include a detailed review and recommendation on the proposal put forward by the Queens Park Tennis Club. A further report will be brought to a future Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee for a decision on the management arrangements.

 

8)            That the Committee notes the updates provided in the appendices in relation to:

·         Allotments

·         Cemeteries and Churchyards

·         Heritage

·         Open Space Hire

·         Outdoor Sport & Physical Activity Facilities

·         Parks Foundation

·         Parks & Gardens

·         Parks Trust

·         Small Grassed Areas

·         Sponsorship, Advertising and Donations

·         Volunteering