Thursday 13 December 2012
News report on last night's Council meeting
Wednesday 12 December 2012
Cabinet Meeting 12th December 2012
Cllr Mike Bird kindly allowed me to address the Cabinet Meeting this evening where the draft budget proposals were discussed.
The following is more or less what I said to them:
"Thank you for allowing me to speak to you this evening.
I’m here to represent the Save Walsall’s Green Spaces and Countryside Services campaign, which I started and also Walsall Network of Parks and Green Spaces.
I’m passionate about Walsall’s Green Spaces, hence the campaign, which isn’t just about opposing proposed cuts but also to celebrate the wonderful asset Walsall’s green spaces are. The campaign has grown from nothing to an active Facebook Group of 188 members, a blog and an e-petition on the Council’s web site signed by 175 people.
Following the successful implementation of the first GS strategy by Walsall Council, the GS team and their expertise have received wide recognition and Walsall is seen as a case study in best practice.
We fully understand that government policy is such, that savings have to be found but what we don’t understand are proposals that appear to have been formulated without fully understanding the role of both park and countryside rangers and how reducing such posts could lead to the decline of some GS.
We do have ideas as to how financial savings would be better sought from other areas and also for raising money in order to off set some of the savings that need to be made and I’ll give you a list of ideas that have been debated. We don’t have the expertise available as to how the ideas could be implemented but you do.
Looking at the budget proposals and the recent merger of green spaces with street pride ,it is evident that recommendations made by the Future of GS Strategy Working Group and agreed by the Community Services Scrutiny and Performance Panel, plus the views put forward by the Network of Parks and GS(whose report I have here to give to you), have been ignored. Street Pride, seen by many as the takeover partner in the recent merger, are making decisions about the structure and function of GS without taking into account the expertise and experience of the GS team in anti social behaviour, optimum working patterns, visitor numbers, GS maintenance and specialist events.
To try and understand I would like explain what these front line staff of Countryside and Park Rangers do. Countryside Rangers are usually an expert in fields such as animals, botany or forestry for example. They bring with them a wealth of experience which has seen Walsall Council receive plaudits and praise from around the UK for the imaginative and important work that they do. The CS Rangers patrol and inspect GS sites (at the moment about 6 each), they arrange for any problems to be dealt with straight away. They liaise with many people including Friends and User Groups, local natural history groups, other council departments, trusts, Natural England, landowners and farmers. They prepare and apply work programmes and arrange habitat management. They arrange and attend events on GS sites and then they have all the admin work too. This is just a snapshot of some of their work but importantly they undertake a great deal of extra work, especially the liaison with Friends and User Groups, outside of normal working hours and the voluntary improvement and maintenance work that the groups do could be curtailed. With fewer of them, they are going to be spread thinly and be unable to carry out all of the duties needed for each site. Without CS Rangers, Friends and User groups are rudderless and could unwittingly cause damage.
Turning to park rangers, many people just see the more visible work that they do maintaining parks, gardens, and equipment. They start work at 7.15 am making sure that their parks are fit for public use and in summer remain until 9.30 pm ensuring that their parks stay safe plus they provide full weekend cover. What most don’t appreciate is the enormous amount of work done by them in the last few years in reducing anti-social behaviour. They approach disaffected youths, ask why they feel it is OK to drink alcohol, smoke cannabis, smash glass on play areas and vandalise play equipment. They organise kick abouts, building up relationships, gaining trust, forming bonds and being an open ear. Gradually through this, anti-social behaviour has been reduced, meaning that parks are a more attractive place for users, thereby increasing the use of them.
Which brings me to an important point. Walsall’s GS are the most frequently used cultural and leisure facility in the borough. The borough has a problem with the health of its residents and with obesity in particular. If GS are less attractive to users you lose in improving the health and wellbeing of the residents.
It is all very well to say that there will be an increased presence in GS under the proposals by using environmental operatives instead of park rangers but this fails to take into account two important points. Firstly the EO’s will not be assigned to one particular GS but will work throughout the borough.There is little opportunity therefore for the building and nurturing of relationships with the disaffected. Secondly EOs summer working hours of 7.30 to 5.30 five days a week, no weekend cover and winter to 3.30 on four days a week, no weekend cover, do not reflect the reality of park use. CCTV although useful, cannot build and nurture the relationships that has led to a decrease in anti-social behaviour.
It is no use maintaining a presence, visible or otherwise unless the presence is informed, educated, fully trained,experienced.
The insurance and personal safety implications of possibly using residents to open and close GS needs to be examined thoroughly. The ubiquitous advert states that where there’s blame, there’s a claim. An unfortunate incident could cost the council far more in the long term plus there is always the chance that the goodwill of residents and friends and user groups could be lost if they are utilised in such a way and then taken or perceived to be taken advantage of.
There does not appear to have been a major management restructuring exercise carried out since the merger and this needs re-examining. If financial efficiencies are required it makes sense to look at backroom jobs and if the structure of the organisation is efficient from the top to the bottom. Traditional management structures tend to be triangular in nature but from what we can see the triangular structure of street pride under the proposals you are considering are inverted. We therefore urge you to look at where savings can really be made, in management and backroom posts, rather than by reducing front line staff.
We ask you to question how posts have been reallocated during this proposal exercise, has it been done in a way that will benefit the users? What criteria has been used? Who has made these decisions and are they the best qualified and experienced in the field to do so? Have the views of different groups been considered properly? Have recommendations made by your own steering groups been adhered to and accounted for? Moreover, have the views and remarks of your Chief Executive Paul Sheehan in the most recent corporate plan been adhered too? And I quote:
“ Whilst change is both inevitable and desirable what remains constant is the fact that we exist as an organisation only to service you, the residents of Walsall. All that we do should be for your benefit - to support you in living healthy lifestyles, to give increased access to better jobs and to make your neighbourhoods better places to live.”"
***************************************************************************
The following is the document tabled on ideas for savings and raising finances:
1. Re-examination of management structures and back office jobs post Street Pride and Green Space merger, taking the opportunity to look seriously at the merger of senior management positions. Ensuring that the expertise of certain renowned sections of Green Spaces is maintained and utilised to its full extent.
2. Introduction of a car parking fee at some sites.
Not all sites are appropriate but Barr Beacon with in excess of 150K visitors per annum is and the Arboretum also. The fee would not be intended to be excessive, say £1 for all day parking, therefore not prohibitive and cheaper than similar sites in neighbouring counties and borough’s . Possibility of a season ticket for borough residents?
All monies collected after costs to be ring fenced for Green Spaces.
3. New holistic and single strategy approach for grounds maintenance (as proposed and adopted in the new GS Strategy 2012-2017)
Mowing frequency; designated areas where frequency of mowing is reduced.
Wildflower meadows within formal parks as well as nature reserves.
Shrub and hedge development.
Less formal and civic planting.
The advantage of reducing costs in this area is that biodiversity and additional habitats would be created.
4. Charging of professional users of Green Spaces
Many professional keep fit, military fitness, fat burner type bootcamp now use green spaces on a regular basis plus dog training/obedience classes. There should be a charge for doing this or alternatively a ban on any such use unless approved and licensed by (at a cost) or run by Council leisure based organised activities.
5. Development of Open Air Events
There seems to be a great desire for more open air events to be held in Walsall, not just at the large green spaces such as Barr Beacon, Aldridge Airport or the Arboretum where more musical concerts, boot sales and fairs could be run but at smaller spaces such as King George V.
Playing Fields, Willenhall Park and Holland Park where more local events such as small music events, craft events and sales could be held. Suggestions of similar type events held successfully in nearby places are the music events at Cannock Chase which attract big name acts.
It is not necessary for the Council itself to run such events. Outside promoters and organisers could be used, thereby taking on the financial risk but with some portion of any profits going back to the council. Having said that experienced staff are required (such as those currently in post) who have experience in the organisation of events and can advise accordingly.
The Bandstand Marathon was an enormous success with no risk involved for the council. Similar events run along similar lines could be held.
The council could also look at actively publicising the sorts of open spaces we have available for large open air events by large organisations such as horse eventing type shows and making a realistic charge for the use of the land and facilities.
6. Closure of Top Hangar at Aldridge Airport and transferring the staff to other facilities within the borough.
As well as making building and maintenance savings, the building could then be let or changed into the sort of facility that events or green type industries would find useful to rent for long or short periods or for letting by new small businesses that need workshop space at low rents. Further research would be needed but this building could be very useful in getting new businesses of a workshop nature off the ground within the borough.
7. Development of Green Wood Skills Courses
There has been a revival in recent years of interest in traditional green wood type crafts and there is a shortage of available courses (suitably and prominently publicised!) in the local area apart from at Chasewater where this type of activity has become very popular. Foraging courses would also be popular if local free events are anything to go by and for the charges being made by private individuals offering such courses in the area. Again retention of appropriate staff would be paramount.
8. Renting of pitches
Some green spaces are ideal for renting pitches for food and refreshments etc from mobile facilites.
9. Charging for toilets
Making a small charge for using public facilities in green spaces where they are available.
10. Promotion of Green Spaces for educational purposes
Many schools in Walsall feel the need to organise trips outside of the borough for the practical application of curriculum subjects for field studies. Walsall has a wealth of resources (such as wildlife, plant and insect habitat biodiversity, geological, old industrial, geographical )that are available on the doorstep that are suitable for many subjects. Charges could be made to schools for walks and explorations that are led by the appropriately qualified member of staff on an hourly basis. This would still be cheaper for the schools than travelling outside the borough.
11. Spend a Penny
Not in the traditional sense but in an honesty box type sense. This is not an idea for charging residents to use their green spaces but to ask that each time they do use one they consider spending a penny as a donation towards the upkeep of the green space they are using. Anti-vandal type boxes could be installed for the purpose. It’s an idea that is similar to the voluntary donations that are requested at museums etc and very few people miss a penny.
12. Not using agency staff and using internal resources only for consultation. The use of agency staff and external consultants is expensive. Overtime and time off in lieu for existing staff is cheaper.
13. Revisiting and renegotiating PPP contracts that were negotiated prior to the credit crunch and recession.
**************************************************************************
And finally this is the report prepared by the Walsall Network of Parks and Greenspaces:
"CONTEXT:
Representatives of the various Friends Groups met to discuss the priorities requested by Mark Holden(Head of Street Pride) at the last formal Network Meeting (30th September 2012).
Members were aware of the budgetary constraints in the present economic climate but considered that this made balanced, equable restructuring vital.
Whilst recognising that each Green Space presented individual requirements and concerns it was clear that certain issues were common to all. Please see below the key issues identified.
•The continued need to maintain the vital role played by the Greenspace Service in supporting
and developing individual sites was considered of paramount importance.
Some groups felt that without the expertise and knowledge of Greenspace personnel
they would find it difficult to continue. Concern was also expressed that the way in which
restructuring appears to be proceeding would impact upon staff morale and potentially lead
to the departure of skilled ‘green’ professionals which would prove a real loss to the Borough.
The groups wished to place on record their appreciation for the input which they had receive
in the past. It was also pointed out that without the input of GIS the substantial funding grants
obtained by Friends Groups might well be lost. In addition, their specialist knowledge, in relation
to the achievement of Green Flag awards was invaluable. Representatives expressed the hope
that the gaining and retaining of Green Flag status for as many sites as possible would remain
Council policy.
•The retention of the Ranger Service, as a key part of Greenspaces, was considered to be of
major importance for monitoring, enforcement and education input to a sense of visitor
security -a fact highlighted in the public response to surveys commissioned for the Green
Space Strategy Review. In addition several members stated that key public events held in their
green space were only made possible by the presence of Rangers and Greenspace officers,
who in the past had played important roles in staging and supporting events - often in their
own time. Consequently it was considered to be imperative that the Ranger Service remains
under the direct control of the Greenspace Service. Any suggestion that the roles of Gardeners
and Rangers could be combined would undermined the important function that each section
entailed e.g working as trained horticulturists and, in the case of Rangers, fulfilling the tasks
above. Certainly each section could and should work cooperatively but essentially their roles are
different.
•The Urban Forestry Unit is considered a vital service provider, not only supporting the volunteer
tree warden network that does so much to maintain areas of woodland but offering advice
and expertise in sites across the borough. Their status nationally and internationally raises the
profile of Walsall.
•Individual maintenance plans developed in consultation with the specific Friends Group that,
within the constraints of the available budget, meet the horticultural and environmental aims
of green space users and conform to the recommendations of the new Green Space Strategy - a document which needs to be shared more widely with all Friends Groups.
•Some continuity in staff deployment is needed to enable staff to respond to the needs of each
site. It was felt that this would also develop greater commitment and involvement with the
areas concerned.
• Members recognised that Walsall was fortunate in having very diverse Green Space with
varying requirements consequently the issue of official opening and closing policies produced
differing opinions. Issues such as Health, Safety and Criminal damage at times when the site was unsupervised were considered important. It was also considered vital that any sites with car-parking facilities should be locked at specific times to reduce anti-social behaviour. There was a general agreement that any staffing policy should respond to times of greatest use so that parks especially had a visible Ranger presence at the busiest times e.g. weekends, public and school holidays and throughout key events. All public consultation exercises have highlighted this as an area of major concern.
• As a result of the close working relationship between Friends Groups and officers of GIS
members felt that they had a clear understanding of roles and responsibilities within the service.
It was generally felt that this was not the case with regard to Street Pride despite the fact that
they had assumed responsibility for Grounds Maintenance in 2009.
Greater clarity of roles and responsibilities in this service was requested together with
information on budget breakdowns and maintenance schedules for individual sites. The view
was also expressed that future maintenance schedules should reflect the aims of the Green
Space Strategy especially with regard to environmental objectives.
The Green Space Strategy Review presents an ambitious and inspiring blue-print for the future of Walsall’s Greenspaces which, regardless of budget constraints, is not only achievable but offers an exciting way forward - something too valuable to be lost."
Linda Mason
The following is more or less what I said to them:
"Thank you for allowing me to speak to you this evening.
I’m here to represent the Save Walsall’s Green Spaces and Countryside Services campaign, which I started and also Walsall Network of Parks and Green Spaces.
I’m passionate about Walsall’s Green Spaces, hence the campaign, which isn’t just about opposing proposed cuts but also to celebrate the wonderful asset Walsall’s green spaces are. The campaign has grown from nothing to an active Facebook Group of 188 members, a blog and an e-petition on the Council’s web site signed by 175 people.
Following the successful implementation of the first GS strategy by Walsall Council, the GS team and their expertise have received wide recognition and Walsall is seen as a case study in best practice.
We fully understand that government policy is such, that savings have to be found but what we don’t understand are proposals that appear to have been formulated without fully understanding the role of both park and countryside rangers and how reducing such posts could lead to the decline of some GS.
We do have ideas as to how financial savings would be better sought from other areas and also for raising money in order to off set some of the savings that need to be made and I’ll give you a list of ideas that have been debated. We don’t have the expertise available as to how the ideas could be implemented but you do.
Looking at the budget proposals and the recent merger of green spaces with street pride ,it is evident that recommendations made by the Future of GS Strategy Working Group and agreed by the Community Services Scrutiny and Performance Panel, plus the views put forward by the Network of Parks and GS(whose report I have here to give to you), have been ignored. Street Pride, seen by many as the takeover partner in the recent merger, are making decisions about the structure and function of GS without taking into account the expertise and experience of the GS team in anti social behaviour, optimum working patterns, visitor numbers, GS maintenance and specialist events.
To try and understand I would like explain what these front line staff of Countryside and Park Rangers do. Countryside Rangers are usually an expert in fields such as animals, botany or forestry for example. They bring with them a wealth of experience which has seen Walsall Council receive plaudits and praise from around the UK for the imaginative and important work that they do. The CS Rangers patrol and inspect GS sites (at the moment about 6 each), they arrange for any problems to be dealt with straight away. They liaise with many people including Friends and User Groups, local natural history groups, other council departments, trusts, Natural England, landowners and farmers. They prepare and apply work programmes and arrange habitat management. They arrange and attend events on GS sites and then they have all the admin work too. This is just a snapshot of some of their work but importantly they undertake a great deal of extra work, especially the liaison with Friends and User Groups, outside of normal working hours and the voluntary improvement and maintenance work that the groups do could be curtailed. With fewer of them, they are going to be spread thinly and be unable to carry out all of the duties needed for each site. Without CS Rangers, Friends and User groups are rudderless and could unwittingly cause damage.
Turning to park rangers, many people just see the more visible work that they do maintaining parks, gardens, and equipment. They start work at 7.15 am making sure that their parks are fit for public use and in summer remain until 9.30 pm ensuring that their parks stay safe plus they provide full weekend cover. What most don’t appreciate is the enormous amount of work done by them in the last few years in reducing anti-social behaviour. They approach disaffected youths, ask why they feel it is OK to drink alcohol, smoke cannabis, smash glass on play areas and vandalise play equipment. They organise kick abouts, building up relationships, gaining trust, forming bonds and being an open ear. Gradually through this, anti-social behaviour has been reduced, meaning that parks are a more attractive place for users, thereby increasing the use of them.
Which brings me to an important point. Walsall’s GS are the most frequently used cultural and leisure facility in the borough. The borough has a problem with the health of its residents and with obesity in particular. If GS are less attractive to users you lose in improving the health and wellbeing of the residents.
It is all very well to say that there will be an increased presence in GS under the proposals by using environmental operatives instead of park rangers but this fails to take into account two important points. Firstly the EO’s will not be assigned to one particular GS but will work throughout the borough.There is little opportunity therefore for the building and nurturing of relationships with the disaffected. Secondly EOs summer working hours of 7.30 to 5.30 five days a week, no weekend cover and winter to 3.30 on four days a week, no weekend cover, do not reflect the reality of park use. CCTV although useful, cannot build and nurture the relationships that has led to a decrease in anti-social behaviour.
It is no use maintaining a presence, visible or otherwise unless the presence is informed, educated, fully trained,experienced.
The insurance and personal safety implications of possibly using residents to open and close GS needs to be examined thoroughly. The ubiquitous advert states that where there’s blame, there’s a claim. An unfortunate incident could cost the council far more in the long term plus there is always the chance that the goodwill of residents and friends and user groups could be lost if they are utilised in such a way and then taken or perceived to be taken advantage of.
There does not appear to have been a major management restructuring exercise carried out since the merger and this needs re-examining. If financial efficiencies are required it makes sense to look at backroom jobs and if the structure of the organisation is efficient from the top to the bottom. Traditional management structures tend to be triangular in nature but from what we can see the triangular structure of street pride under the proposals you are considering are inverted. We therefore urge you to look at where savings can really be made, in management and backroom posts, rather than by reducing front line staff.
We ask you to question how posts have been reallocated during this proposal exercise, has it been done in a way that will benefit the users? What criteria has been used? Who has made these decisions and are they the best qualified and experienced in the field to do so? Have the views of different groups been considered properly? Have recommendations made by your own steering groups been adhered to and accounted for? Moreover, have the views and remarks of your Chief Executive Paul Sheehan in the most recent corporate plan been adhered too? And I quote:
“ Whilst change is both inevitable and desirable what remains constant is the fact that we exist as an organisation only to service you, the residents of Walsall. All that we do should be for your benefit - to support you in living healthy lifestyles, to give increased access to better jobs and to make your neighbourhoods better places to live.”"
***************************************************************************
The following is the document tabled on ideas for savings and raising finances:
1. Re-examination of management structures and back office jobs post Street Pride and Green Space merger, taking the opportunity to look seriously at the merger of senior management positions. Ensuring that the expertise of certain renowned sections of Green Spaces is maintained and utilised to its full extent.
2. Introduction of a car parking fee at some sites.
Not all sites are appropriate but Barr Beacon with in excess of 150K visitors per annum is and the Arboretum also. The fee would not be intended to be excessive, say £1 for all day parking, therefore not prohibitive and cheaper than similar sites in neighbouring counties and borough’s . Possibility of a season ticket for borough residents?
All monies collected after costs to be ring fenced for Green Spaces.
3. New holistic and single strategy approach for grounds maintenance (as proposed and adopted in the new GS Strategy 2012-2017)
Mowing frequency; designated areas where frequency of mowing is reduced.
Wildflower meadows within formal parks as well as nature reserves.
Shrub and hedge development.
Less formal and civic planting.
The advantage of reducing costs in this area is that biodiversity and additional habitats would be created.
4. Charging of professional users of Green Spaces
Many professional keep fit, military fitness, fat burner type bootcamp now use green spaces on a regular basis plus dog training/obedience classes. There should be a charge for doing this or alternatively a ban on any such use unless approved and licensed by (at a cost) or run by Council leisure based organised activities.
5. Development of Open Air Events
There seems to be a great desire for more open air events to be held in Walsall, not just at the large green spaces such as Barr Beacon, Aldridge Airport or the Arboretum where more musical concerts, boot sales and fairs could be run but at smaller spaces such as King George V.
Playing Fields, Willenhall Park and Holland Park where more local events such as small music events, craft events and sales could be held. Suggestions of similar type events held successfully in nearby places are the music events at Cannock Chase which attract big name acts.
It is not necessary for the Council itself to run such events. Outside promoters and organisers could be used, thereby taking on the financial risk but with some portion of any profits going back to the council. Having said that experienced staff are required (such as those currently in post) who have experience in the organisation of events and can advise accordingly.
The Bandstand Marathon was an enormous success with no risk involved for the council. Similar events run along similar lines could be held.
The council could also look at actively publicising the sorts of open spaces we have available for large open air events by large organisations such as horse eventing type shows and making a realistic charge for the use of the land and facilities.
6. Closure of Top Hangar at Aldridge Airport and transferring the staff to other facilities within the borough.
As well as making building and maintenance savings, the building could then be let or changed into the sort of facility that events or green type industries would find useful to rent for long or short periods or for letting by new small businesses that need workshop space at low rents. Further research would be needed but this building could be very useful in getting new businesses of a workshop nature off the ground within the borough.
7. Development of Green Wood Skills Courses
There has been a revival in recent years of interest in traditional green wood type crafts and there is a shortage of available courses (suitably and prominently publicised!) in the local area apart from at Chasewater where this type of activity has become very popular. Foraging courses would also be popular if local free events are anything to go by and for the charges being made by private individuals offering such courses in the area. Again retention of appropriate staff would be paramount.
8. Renting of pitches
Some green spaces are ideal for renting pitches for food and refreshments etc from mobile facilites.
9. Charging for toilets
Making a small charge for using public facilities in green spaces where they are available.
10. Promotion of Green Spaces for educational purposes
Many schools in Walsall feel the need to organise trips outside of the borough for the practical application of curriculum subjects for field studies. Walsall has a wealth of resources (such as wildlife, plant and insect habitat biodiversity, geological, old industrial, geographical )that are available on the doorstep that are suitable for many subjects. Charges could be made to schools for walks and explorations that are led by the appropriately qualified member of staff on an hourly basis. This would still be cheaper for the schools than travelling outside the borough.
11. Spend a Penny
Not in the traditional sense but in an honesty box type sense. This is not an idea for charging residents to use their green spaces but to ask that each time they do use one they consider spending a penny as a donation towards the upkeep of the green space they are using. Anti-vandal type boxes could be installed for the purpose. It’s an idea that is similar to the voluntary donations that are requested at museums etc and very few people miss a penny.
12. Not using agency staff and using internal resources only for consultation. The use of agency staff and external consultants is expensive. Overtime and time off in lieu for existing staff is cheaper.
13. Revisiting and renegotiating PPP contracts that were negotiated prior to the credit crunch and recession.
**************************************************************************
And finally this is the report prepared by the Walsall Network of Parks and Greenspaces:
"CONTEXT:
Representatives of the various Friends Groups met to discuss the priorities requested by Mark Holden(Head of Street Pride) at the last formal Network Meeting (30th September 2012).
Members were aware of the budgetary constraints in the present economic climate but considered that this made balanced, equable restructuring vital.
Whilst recognising that each Green Space presented individual requirements and concerns it was clear that certain issues were common to all. Please see below the key issues identified.
•The continued need to maintain the vital role played by the Greenspace Service in supporting
and developing individual sites was considered of paramount importance.
Some groups felt that without the expertise and knowledge of Greenspace personnel
they would find it difficult to continue. Concern was also expressed that the way in which
restructuring appears to be proceeding would impact upon staff morale and potentially lead
to the departure of skilled ‘green’ professionals which would prove a real loss to the Borough.
The groups wished to place on record their appreciation for the input which they had receive
in the past. It was also pointed out that without the input of GIS the substantial funding grants
obtained by Friends Groups might well be lost. In addition, their specialist knowledge, in relation
to the achievement of Green Flag awards was invaluable. Representatives expressed the hope
that the gaining and retaining of Green Flag status for as many sites as possible would remain
Council policy.
•The retention of the Ranger Service, as a key part of Greenspaces, was considered to be of
major importance for monitoring, enforcement and education input to a sense of visitor
security -a fact highlighted in the public response to surveys commissioned for the Green
Space Strategy Review. In addition several members stated that key public events held in their
green space were only made possible by the presence of Rangers and Greenspace officers,
who in the past had played important roles in staging and supporting events - often in their
own time. Consequently it was considered to be imperative that the Ranger Service remains
under the direct control of the Greenspace Service. Any suggestion that the roles of Gardeners
and Rangers could be combined would undermined the important function that each section
entailed e.g working as trained horticulturists and, in the case of Rangers, fulfilling the tasks
above. Certainly each section could and should work cooperatively but essentially their roles are
different.
•The Urban Forestry Unit is considered a vital service provider, not only supporting the volunteer
tree warden network that does so much to maintain areas of woodland but offering advice
and expertise in sites across the borough. Their status nationally and internationally raises the
profile of Walsall.
•Individual maintenance plans developed in consultation with the specific Friends Group that,
within the constraints of the available budget, meet the horticultural and environmental aims
of green space users and conform to the recommendations of the new Green Space Strategy - a document which needs to be shared more widely with all Friends Groups.
•Some continuity in staff deployment is needed to enable staff to respond to the needs of each
site. It was felt that this would also develop greater commitment and involvement with the
areas concerned.
• Members recognised that Walsall was fortunate in having very diverse Green Space with
varying requirements consequently the issue of official opening and closing policies produced
differing opinions. Issues such as Health, Safety and Criminal damage at times when the site was unsupervised were considered important. It was also considered vital that any sites with car-parking facilities should be locked at specific times to reduce anti-social behaviour. There was a general agreement that any staffing policy should respond to times of greatest use so that parks especially had a visible Ranger presence at the busiest times e.g. weekends, public and school holidays and throughout key events. All public consultation exercises have highlighted this as an area of major concern.
• As a result of the close working relationship between Friends Groups and officers of GIS
members felt that they had a clear understanding of roles and responsibilities within the service.
It was generally felt that this was not the case with regard to Street Pride despite the fact that
they had assumed responsibility for Grounds Maintenance in 2009.
Greater clarity of roles and responsibilities in this service was requested together with
information on budget breakdowns and maintenance schedules for individual sites. The view
was also expressed that future maintenance schedules should reflect the aims of the Green
Space Strategy especially with regard to environmental objectives.
The Green Space Strategy Review presents an ambitious and inspiring blue-print for the future of Walsall’s Greenspaces which, regardless of budget constraints, is not only achievable but offers an exciting way forward - something too valuable to be lost."
Linda Mason
Sunday 25 November 2012
A Ranger's work is never done .......
Yesterday on our Facebook page it was suggested that .......
Here was the reply from Morgan Bowers, one of the four senior Countryside rangers employed full time by Walsall Council. We believe much of what the Rangers do goes above and beyond the call of duty.
This year .....
Here was the reply from Morgan Bowers, one of the four senior Countryside rangers employed full time by Walsall Council. We believe much of what the Rangers do goes above and beyond the call of duty.
This year .....
Park Lime Pits we have done bee walk and bat walk, two foraging bike rides.
Merrions Wood has had Winter ramble, spring walk, bluebell walk, bumblebee walk and butterfly walk.
Barr Beacon has had bat walk, Halloween ghost walk, bumble bee walk, and FIVE astronomy events.
The Grange has had bee walk and two bioblitz days.
I've also done around half a dozen newt survey and identification days, two other bat walks (Daw End canal), peregrine watch, beetle surveys, insect survey training days, aquatic plant identification training & surveys, reptile surveys, and loads of talks about wildlife, bats, representing Walsall at national conferences.
And I am just 1 of 4 rangers.
All of these events were free and widely publicised.
If anyone is unaware of them and wants to stay in the loop,
they should 'like' ...... facebook.com/walsallwildlife,
join the BCBG on facebook.com/groups/bcbgroup,
or simply regularly check whatsonwalsall.co.uk, where all my events are publicised.
Oh, and keep an eye on facebook.com/walsallbutterflies for a spring and summer FULL of butterfly events, lots of new dates about to be posted.
And I can assure you that the other 3 rangers do as many events (although theirs are often conservation, forest-school or bushcraft related, as we all have different areas of expertise).
Hope this helps convince you that we do the occasional guided walk.
Saturday 24 November 2012
What everyone in Walsall needs to know
This blog is written by Linda Mason and therefore represents her views.
The first Green Space Strategy adopted by Walsall Council has led to the recognition of Walsall as a case study in best practice. It has been seen as a resounding success with Walsall Council and the Green Spaces team receiving regional and national plaudits. This has led to the evolution of an expertise within the department that the council, despite having patted itself on the back because of all the public praise and acknowledgment, now seems to want to allow to go to waste. Is this the fault of Councillors council officers or national government?
Clearly the proposed budget for 2013/14 is heavily influenced by the policies of national government and I will leave my thoughts on the coalition out of this blog but what council officers plan and the decisions that Councillors make based upon those plans are totally relevant to our campaign to save Walsall's Green Spaces and Countryside Services.
It became clear to those of us that attended the protest on Monday evening that the reaction of some of our local Councillors clearly indicated that they were not really aware of the budget proposals effects upon our Green Spaces. If this is the case then how aware are they of proposals in connection with Green Spaces strategy that have been 'hidden' or discarded in between working groups, scrutiny committees, cabinet and full council?
There are two areas for consideration: firstly the merger of Street Pride and Green Spaces and secondly, the current budget proposals of a £400K cut to the budget of what was Green Spaces.
Notes of a meeting between Jamie Morris, Mark Holden, myself and Roger Jones have been posted on the Facebook Group and also by Brownhills Bob here. During this meeting it was stated that in August this year a decision was taken to merge Green Spaces and Street Pride. This flies in the face of recommendations previously made and I'll return to this point later but for now what you need to know is that Street Pride provides ground maintenance such as grass cutting, shrub bed maintenance and provision of floral bedding. Green Spaces, set up in 2006 is responsible for the management and development of public open spaces in Walsall. This includes the Park Ranger Service, Green Space Improvement Service, Countryside Services, Infrastructural Maintenance and the Urban Forestry Unit. Just from those descriptions you can see why the service provided by Green Spaces is specialised and expert.
Looking at the job cuts proposed it seems to me that your job is more at risk if you formerly worked for Green Spaces because even those jobs cuts proposed from Street Pride are more heavily weighted towards former Green Space roles. I'm not trying to set department against department here (there is evidence in the Green Spaces Strategy Working Group that there was poor communication between the two services and that there was also a lack of communication between Street Pride and Friends and User Groups) but as an outsider looking in on the current situation and also in examining documents freely available on the council's website in the form of meeting minutes and reports by various committees, this merger is not a merger but a take over of Green Spaces by Street Pride in order to enable a fiefdom to be maintained at the expense of another department that receives national recognition and accolades. The job cuts being proposed are in the main, cuts in front line services formerly provided by Green Spaces and are not cuts in back room activities. Please do not think that I have a problem with the services provided by Street Pride; I don't. What I am trying to emphasise in this blog is that something, somewhere has gone very wrong and is against everything that is documented.
Paul Sheehan, Chief Executive of Walsall Council says in his remarks contained within Walsall Council's Corporate Plan for 2011/12 to 2014/15:
"Whilst change is both inevitable and desirable, what remains constant is the fact that we exist as an organisation only to service you, the residents of Walsall. All that we do should be for your benefit - to support you in living healthy lifestyles, to give increased access to better jobs and to make your neighbourhoods better places to live."
Where was this thought when it was decided that Street Pride and Green Spaces should merge and when deciding that it would be Ranger posts that would be dispensed with to meet budget cuts? Both Park and Countryside Rangers are essential if Paul Sheehan desires us to live a healthier lifestyle and in making our neighbourhoods good places to live. It's good to print fine words in glossy brochures but it seems that Walsall Council fails in ensuring that their officers keep these ideals in mind when doing their day to day work.
Returning to the Corporate Plan, the Vision is:
"Walsall will be a great place to live , work, invest, where
*there are a wide range of facilities for people to use and enjoy
*people consider the impact of what we do now on future generations
*growing up is as good as it can be
*people feel proud to live."
If we discard our Rangers, how are the four principles above going to be upheld? If we don't have our specialised Rangers to maintain and develop our green spaces what will future generations think of our legacy of wastelands where once there was green and as I've said before, will our children have spaces where there should be memories of trips to the swings and slides, pond dipping, bee hunting, newt spotting and family games of football and cricket?
Another comment in the plan states:
"Our Green Spaces will be well maintained and accessible so that people want to use them and value the time they spend there."
Walsall's Green Spaces are the most frequently used cultural and leisure facility so they need the best of staff. It's not enough to just pop anyone in there to provide a 'presence'. They need to be trained in many areas, not just in mowing the grass but
- in creating bonds and ties and maintaining them, with their local communities, tackling anti social behaviour and its perpetrators by actively engaging with disaffected youth,
- in health issues and how Green Spaces can help the community be fitter and healthier in mind and body and in ensuring that schemes such as the popular and beneficial WALK ON scheme continue and develop
- lastly but definitely not least, in developing and maintaining the huge ecological and environmental biodiversity of Walsall, explaining and educating communities and ensuring the legacy and heritage for future generations.
In February this year the Community Services Scrutiny and Performance Panel met, considered and approved the report and recommendations of the Future Greenspaces Strategy In Walsall, working group. It seems that since then there have been holes punched in this well written, well researched and well consulted report. The full report can be downloaded from the Council's web site but let's just take a few bits and pieces from that report and then consider whether or not we and our Councillors are really aware of what a properly researched and consulted report recommends and if those priorities identified should be abandoned in the name of a departmental merger and proposed budget cuts.
The working group recommended that the vision for Greenspaces 2012 to 2017 should be;
"Green Space in Walsall should be a proud public asset securing the environmental and ecological future of the borough for the benefit of the health and wellbeing of the whole community."
The case for that vision was set out in six priorities.
Priority 1 - Greenspace in Walsall should be enhanced and improved.
The working group believed that Walsall's Green Spaces were a proud public asset and that they were in a good place at that time due to the previous green spaces strategy. They proposed that Walsall Council should retain management of Greenspace and that a borough wide Country Park should be set up, radiating out from the Arboretum and eventually encompassing all borough wide green space, developing green corridors between parks and reserves and linking them all together.
I think this is the Country park that was reported upon recently by the Express and Star and which mystified many of us but what a brilliant and innovative idea. The problem is though, that if the proposed cuts go ahead, where are the staff and where is the expertise in making such a proposal reality?
Within this priority was also the recommendation that a new approach to grounds maintenance be developed by devising a new holistic and single strategy approach, involving low maintenance such as less grass cutting, more wild flower planting and meadows etc and that this approach be managed by Green Spaces. Yet now we have the merger and in effect the take over of all maintenance by Street Pride and it appears no consideration (see the notes of the meeting last Wednesday) has been given by officers of a revised maintenance structure that would in fact cut costs!
Priority 2 - All Green Space should be safe and free of crime and anti-social behaviour
Many of the posts going to Street Pride from Green Spaces that will remain if budget proposals are implemented will be renamed from Ranger type posts to environmental operatives. Rangers have over the last few years spent a lot of their time engaging with some of the people that are responsible for the majority of anti social behaviour and this approach has been most successful, various reports in the local press in just the last two weeks have given details of such success. The proposals are that some of these people will go and so their expertise and the trust that they have built up will go with them. At the meeting on Wednesday we were told that there would be more of a visible presence in green spaces. My question is will that presence have the expertise and experience to continue with programmes already started and will it also have what is needed to ensure that this priority can be fulfilled?
Priority 3 - Green space should be used to increase the health and well being of residents
There is much to comment upon here but I'll stick to education and the experiences that should be promoted to our local schools pointing out the history, geography, geology, habitats, biodiversity and so on of our local green spaces. Again if our Rangers have gone how can we fulfil this?
Priority 4 - Commercial opportunities should be sought in green spaces
Again, where are these considerations in the proposals and why has income generation been ignored? It is interesting that some of the proposals made by the working group are very similar to finance proposals made on the Facebook Group!
Priority 5 - Greater partnership working for the development of all green space should be pro-actively developed
Amongst others, Friends and User groups are recognised here but it is recommended that they are not viewed as cheap labour in times of austerity. This again appears to have been forgotten with murmurs of getting such groups to take over the locking and unlocking of green spaces with all the insurance and security implications that that entails. User and friends groups need Rangers! Without them there is no leadership and no guidance. An environmental operative would just not have the same expertise.
Priority 6 - Green Space should be used to create rich habitats and biodiversity
At the risk of repeating myself how can this be fulfilled without the appropriate expertise of Rangers?
From my experience at Wednesdays meeting and from my own research it is clear to me that recommendations are being hidden or ignored and that the corporate vision not even being paid lip service with the budget proposals for Green Spaces. Why?
My final point. The budget consultation is a glossy farce. Even now, when the public 'have your say' has finished, finer details to various proposals of cuts are still emerging. These details could not have been taken into account when people were having their say. Even what was available was difficult to access. Walsall Council, if you really want to consult, if you really want people to have their say, then lay it down straight, make it easily accessible instead of being hidden away on your web site.
The first Green Space Strategy adopted by Walsall Council has led to the recognition of Walsall as a case study in best practice. It has been seen as a resounding success with Walsall Council and the Green Spaces team receiving regional and national plaudits. This has led to the evolution of an expertise within the department that the council, despite having patted itself on the back because of all the public praise and acknowledgment, now seems to want to allow to go to waste. Is this the fault of Councillors council officers or national government?
Clearly the proposed budget for 2013/14 is heavily influenced by the policies of national government and I will leave my thoughts on the coalition out of this blog but what council officers plan and the decisions that Councillors make based upon those plans are totally relevant to our campaign to save Walsall's Green Spaces and Countryside Services.
It became clear to those of us that attended the protest on Monday evening that the reaction of some of our local Councillors clearly indicated that they were not really aware of the budget proposals effects upon our Green Spaces. If this is the case then how aware are they of proposals in connection with Green Spaces strategy that have been 'hidden' or discarded in between working groups, scrutiny committees, cabinet and full council?
There are two areas for consideration: firstly the merger of Street Pride and Green Spaces and secondly, the current budget proposals of a £400K cut to the budget of what was Green Spaces.
Notes of a meeting between Jamie Morris, Mark Holden, myself and Roger Jones have been posted on the Facebook Group and also by Brownhills Bob here. During this meeting it was stated that in August this year a decision was taken to merge Green Spaces and Street Pride. This flies in the face of recommendations previously made and I'll return to this point later but for now what you need to know is that Street Pride provides ground maintenance such as grass cutting, shrub bed maintenance and provision of floral bedding. Green Spaces, set up in 2006 is responsible for the management and development of public open spaces in Walsall. This includes the Park Ranger Service, Green Space Improvement Service, Countryside Services, Infrastructural Maintenance and the Urban Forestry Unit. Just from those descriptions you can see why the service provided by Green Spaces is specialised and expert.
Looking at the job cuts proposed it seems to me that your job is more at risk if you formerly worked for Green Spaces because even those jobs cuts proposed from Street Pride are more heavily weighted towards former Green Space roles. I'm not trying to set department against department here (there is evidence in the Green Spaces Strategy Working Group that there was poor communication between the two services and that there was also a lack of communication between Street Pride and Friends and User Groups) but as an outsider looking in on the current situation and also in examining documents freely available on the council's website in the form of meeting minutes and reports by various committees, this merger is not a merger but a take over of Green Spaces by Street Pride in order to enable a fiefdom to be maintained at the expense of another department that receives national recognition and accolades. The job cuts being proposed are in the main, cuts in front line services formerly provided by Green Spaces and are not cuts in back room activities. Please do not think that I have a problem with the services provided by Street Pride; I don't. What I am trying to emphasise in this blog is that something, somewhere has gone very wrong and is against everything that is documented.
Paul Sheehan, Chief Executive of Walsall Council says in his remarks contained within Walsall Council's Corporate Plan for 2011/12 to 2014/15:
"Whilst change is both inevitable and desirable, what remains constant is the fact that we exist as an organisation only to service you, the residents of Walsall. All that we do should be for your benefit - to support you in living healthy lifestyles, to give increased access to better jobs and to make your neighbourhoods better places to live."
Where was this thought when it was decided that Street Pride and Green Spaces should merge and when deciding that it would be Ranger posts that would be dispensed with to meet budget cuts? Both Park and Countryside Rangers are essential if Paul Sheehan desires us to live a healthier lifestyle and in making our neighbourhoods good places to live. It's good to print fine words in glossy brochures but it seems that Walsall Council fails in ensuring that their officers keep these ideals in mind when doing their day to day work.
Returning to the Corporate Plan, the Vision is:
"Walsall will be a great place to live , work, invest, where
*there are a wide range of facilities for people to use and enjoy
*people consider the impact of what we do now on future generations
*growing up is as good as it can be
*people feel proud to live."
If we discard our Rangers, how are the four principles above going to be upheld? If we don't have our specialised Rangers to maintain and develop our green spaces what will future generations think of our legacy of wastelands where once there was green and as I've said before, will our children have spaces where there should be memories of trips to the swings and slides, pond dipping, bee hunting, newt spotting and family games of football and cricket?
Another comment in the plan states:
"Our Green Spaces will be well maintained and accessible so that people want to use them and value the time they spend there."
Walsall's Green Spaces are the most frequently used cultural and leisure facility so they need the best of staff. It's not enough to just pop anyone in there to provide a 'presence'. They need to be trained in many areas, not just in mowing the grass but
- in creating bonds and ties and maintaining them, with their local communities, tackling anti social behaviour and its perpetrators by actively engaging with disaffected youth,
- in health issues and how Green Spaces can help the community be fitter and healthier in mind and body and in ensuring that schemes such as the popular and beneficial WALK ON scheme continue and develop
- lastly but definitely not least, in developing and maintaining the huge ecological and environmental biodiversity of Walsall, explaining and educating communities and ensuring the legacy and heritage for future generations.
In February this year the Community Services Scrutiny and Performance Panel met, considered and approved the report and recommendations of the Future Greenspaces Strategy In Walsall, working group. It seems that since then there have been holes punched in this well written, well researched and well consulted report. The full report can be downloaded from the Council's web site but let's just take a few bits and pieces from that report and then consider whether or not we and our Councillors are really aware of what a properly researched and consulted report recommends and if those priorities identified should be abandoned in the name of a departmental merger and proposed budget cuts.
The working group recommended that the vision for Greenspaces 2012 to 2017 should be;
"Green Space in Walsall should be a proud public asset securing the environmental and ecological future of the borough for the benefit of the health and wellbeing of the whole community."
The case for that vision was set out in six priorities.
Priority 1 - Greenspace in Walsall should be enhanced and improved.
The working group believed that Walsall's Green Spaces were a proud public asset and that they were in a good place at that time due to the previous green spaces strategy. They proposed that Walsall Council should retain management of Greenspace and that a borough wide Country Park should be set up, radiating out from the Arboretum and eventually encompassing all borough wide green space, developing green corridors between parks and reserves and linking them all together.
I think this is the Country park that was reported upon recently by the Express and Star and which mystified many of us but what a brilliant and innovative idea. The problem is though, that if the proposed cuts go ahead, where are the staff and where is the expertise in making such a proposal reality?
Within this priority was also the recommendation that a new approach to grounds maintenance be developed by devising a new holistic and single strategy approach, involving low maintenance such as less grass cutting, more wild flower planting and meadows etc and that this approach be managed by Green Spaces. Yet now we have the merger and in effect the take over of all maintenance by Street Pride and it appears no consideration (see the notes of the meeting last Wednesday) has been given by officers of a revised maintenance structure that would in fact cut costs!
Priority 2 - All Green Space should be safe and free of crime and anti-social behaviour
Many of the posts going to Street Pride from Green Spaces that will remain if budget proposals are implemented will be renamed from Ranger type posts to environmental operatives. Rangers have over the last few years spent a lot of their time engaging with some of the people that are responsible for the majority of anti social behaviour and this approach has been most successful, various reports in the local press in just the last two weeks have given details of such success. The proposals are that some of these people will go and so their expertise and the trust that they have built up will go with them. At the meeting on Wednesday we were told that there would be more of a visible presence in green spaces. My question is will that presence have the expertise and experience to continue with programmes already started and will it also have what is needed to ensure that this priority can be fulfilled?
Priority 3 - Green space should be used to increase the health and well being of residents
There is much to comment upon here but I'll stick to education and the experiences that should be promoted to our local schools pointing out the history, geography, geology, habitats, biodiversity and so on of our local green spaces. Again if our Rangers have gone how can we fulfil this?
Priority 4 - Commercial opportunities should be sought in green spaces
Again, where are these considerations in the proposals and why has income generation been ignored? It is interesting that some of the proposals made by the working group are very similar to finance proposals made on the Facebook Group!
Priority 5 - Greater partnership working for the development of all green space should be pro-actively developed
Amongst others, Friends and User groups are recognised here but it is recommended that they are not viewed as cheap labour in times of austerity. This again appears to have been forgotten with murmurs of getting such groups to take over the locking and unlocking of green spaces with all the insurance and security implications that that entails. User and friends groups need Rangers! Without them there is no leadership and no guidance. An environmental operative would just not have the same expertise.
Priority 6 - Green Space should be used to create rich habitats and biodiversity
At the risk of repeating myself how can this be fulfilled without the appropriate expertise of Rangers?
From my experience at Wednesdays meeting and from my own research it is clear to me that recommendations are being hidden or ignored and that the corporate vision not even being paid lip service with the budget proposals for Green Spaces. Why?
My final point. The budget consultation is a glossy farce. Even now, when the public 'have your say' has finished, finer details to various proposals of cuts are still emerging. These details could not have been taken into account when people were having their say. Even what was available was difficult to access. Walsall Council, if you really want to consult, if you really want people to have their say, then lay it down straight, make it easily accessible instead of being hidden away on your web site.
Monday 19 November 2012
Press Release - 19 November 2012
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A successful protest was held this evening by the Save Walsall’s Green Spaces and Countryside Services Facebook Group.
The Group, recently formed to celebrate and protect Walsall’s Green Spaces, which are under threat from a £400K cut in funding by Walsall Council under draft proposals recently published, met outside the Council House in Walsall to lobby, leaflet and talk to councillors prior to a full council meeting that was taking place.
Linda Mason, spokesperson for the group explained that although the subject of cuts were not being debated at the meeting, it was important to keep the subject fresh in councillors minds and to remind them how much Walsall’s Green Spaces and in particular the Countryside and Park Rangers mean to the people of Walsall.
The protesters numbered a dozen or so and were able to engage some councillors in conversation, who in the main appeared broadly supportive. Protesters outlined their particular concerns regarding a proposed cut in Ranger posts. Councillor Arif, representing St Matthews ward said “We are not cutting any Countryside Rangers”.
Cllr Arif’s quote is most welcome to the group who will continue with their campaign which includes an online petition, now signed by the largest number of people in Walsall Council's e-petition history and a web site.
The Group, recently formed to celebrate and protect Walsall’s Green Spaces, which are under threat from a £400K cut in funding by Walsall Council under draft proposals recently published, met outside the Council House in Walsall to lobby, leaflet and talk to councillors prior to a full council meeting that was taking place.
Linda Mason, spokesperson for the group explained that although the subject of cuts were not being debated at the meeting, it was important to keep the subject fresh in councillors minds and to remind them how much Walsall’s Green Spaces and in particular the Countryside and Park Rangers mean to the people of Walsall.
The protesters numbered a dozen or so and were able to engage some councillors in conversation, who in the main appeared broadly supportive. Protesters outlined their particular concerns regarding a proposed cut in Ranger posts. Councillor Arif, representing St Matthews ward said “We are not cutting any Countryside Rangers”.
Cllr Arif’s quote is most welcome to the group who will continue with their campaign which includes an online petition, now signed by the largest number of people in Walsall Council's e-petition history and a web site.
Sunday 18 November 2012
Without Rangers .........
Many a bag of litter is collected each week from our parks and nature reserves. Of course Walsall Council have dedicated teams employed on such tasks, but generally it is the volunteers and friends groups that collect most of the litter from our local nature reserves. This naturally has to be coordinated and it is one of the many tasks undertaken by the Countryside Rangers. If these posts disappear, there will be no-one to organise these important activities ....
A litter pick at a nature reserve normally only takes a Ranger with a few volunteers (maybe just 2 or 3) to meet on site and spend a couple of hours collecting cans, paper, bags and anything else that is not pleasing to the eye or that might be harmful to wildlife. The Ranger of course is key to this as they have access to the refuse bags, hoops and litter picking tools that are needed for this work. The Rangers also arrange for the bags to be collected from site by their estates department or Streetpride.
A litter pick at a nature reserve normally only takes a Ranger with a few volunteers (maybe just 2 or 3) to meet on site and spend a couple of hours collecting cans, paper, bags and anything else that is not pleasing to the eye or that might be harmful to wildlife. The Ranger of course is key to this as they have access to the refuse bags, hoops and litter picking tools that are needed for this work. The Rangers also arrange for the bags to be collected from site by their estates department or Streetpride.
How do volunteers get to hear about litter picks and other perhaps more enjoyable pursuits at their local reserve. Below is the '2012 Programme of Events for Merrions Wood' And there is so much more than litter picking - Conservation Days, and Walks through different seasons, all led by a Countryside Ranger.
If Walsall Council dispense with the role of Countryside ranger, the above would rapidly disappear and we could be faced with the kind of problems pictured below .....
A quick phone call or tweet to a Ranger at Countryside Services soon resolved this fly tipping ...........
This of course is but a small part of a Ranger's responsibilities. They are very experienced and gifted people, with a passion for nature and the outdoors. They have expertise in the management and conservation of wildlife reserves, from flora to fauna. They educate our children with walks and talks.
More on a later blog but for now .........
SUPPORT OUR RANGERS and OPPOSE THE COUNCIL CUTS TO COUNTRYSIDE SERVICES
Thursday 15 November 2012
A Poster for the Board
The following was written by Facebook Group member Darlaston Duo. He put it together from various comments that had been made on the group for one reason; to print off and to put on notice boards at work. Please feel free to do the same! We're beginning to be heard. Make us even louder!
Save Walsall’s Green Spaces and Countryside Services
I am asking residents of the Walsall Borough to please help and save our green spaces and countryside services after Walsall council have proposed cuts of £400,000,00 from this department.The vast majority of accessible nature has been managed by man for centuries. If we want it to remain accessible and enjoyable – and this is vitally important in a borough like Walsall, which is not exactly the Lake District, the New Forest or the Cotswold’s (which are all managed, not left to go to waste) – we need to maintain the staff levels in parks and countryside which are already minimal, having been continually run down since the 1980s. It’s not that long ago since we lost our permanent on-site park keepers, and dare I mention the loss some years ago of the highly productive parks department facilities in the Arboretum. And what about real efficiency savings which can be made? I can’t think that exporting money outside the borough to pay for contractors, agency workers and the flowers that bloom in plastic buckets on our High Streets makes very good economic sense either. Bring it back in-house if you want to save money. Hell, you could even generate income that way. Sadly, modern governments are all about the short-term headless chicken balance sheet especially when it involves things that only affect us plebs/commoners/serfs – and a knee jerk application of ‘slash and burn’ which allows for neither thought nor careful consideration of legacy. The leader of Birmingham Council, Albert Bore, recently made it clear that the Con-Dem government’s cuts regime will see the end of local government as we know it, and this is just another sad symptom of that thoughtless culture. Ill-considered cuts will surely mean that one day our green spaces will end up as locations exclusively for burnt-out cars, fly-tipped rubbish and drug addicts, not havens for both hard-pressed wildlife and those of us in need of a bit of spiritual freedom in stress-distorted modern life. As well as these cuts the council has also announced a SPEND of £400,000,00 for the Arboretum to make it into a country park so they can attract more visitors. Surely they have got things wrong, therefore I ask residents of Walsall to please, please, please sign an E-Petition that has been set up to try and tackle this issue.
The web address for this is as follows https://walsall.cmis.uk.com/walsall/Petitions/tabid/40/ID/13/Save-Walsall-s-Green-Spaces-and-Countryside-Services.aspx
There is also a Facebook group you are welcome to join for more information. https://www.facebook.com/groups/437765136281023/
Please log onto this address and put names of all your family within household even the very youngest as these parks, green spaces and countryside services are the future for your children and their children. Thank you very much for your co-operation, if you have any concerns please contact (Add your name)
Extra! Extra! Read all about it ....
This is the leaflet we have produced for handing out on Monday at the Council House (dbl-side A5)
Save
Walsall's Green Spaces and Countryside Services
We are very
concerned at the cuts to the Green Spaces and Countryside Services
identified in your proposed budget for 2013 and beyond. Walsall is
blessed with a variety of green spaces and areas of outstanding
beauty. From heathland to man made quarry ponds, woodland walks to
scenic vistas.
However
these reserves do not manage themselves, it takes an incredibly
devoted team of specialists to maintain and promote their use and
protect the future availability as a legacy to our children. Not only
do these provide a welcome reprise for the population of Walsall, the
Rangers also tackle issues of worldwide importance, working with
local landowners to ensure the best use of their land to protect and
monitor biodiversity. It is becoming recognised that the symbiotic
relationship of man and nature has to be nurtured to ensure a healthy
planet and Walsall is very much up there in this department. The
Rangers provide tireless enthusiasm to all aspects of the Countryside
but this enthusiasm isn't just from the heart, it is backed up with
bags full of experience and qualifications. This expertise isn't
something that Walsall can afford to lose, without it amateurs such
as ourselves and the friends groups devoted to protecting the future
use of these areas of outstanding beauty could actually do more
damage than good. Without these experts, we could not understand the
complex relationships than ensure a secure future. We understand how
this could be seen as an easy target for cuts but in reality the
short term financial gains would result in the long term destruction
of many places that make Walsall wonderful. We urge you to carefully
consider the implications of your proposals and how they will affect
the richness of your population's lives.
_______________________________________________________________________________
WHO
ARE WE?
Ordinary Walsall
residents, proud of our town and its green spaces.
We have many
supportive groups including ….
Friends of Park
Lime Pits Friends of Merrions Wood
Friends of Shire
Oak Park Friends of Moorcroft Wood
OUR PETITION TO
WALSALL COUNCIL
has
now been signed by ........................... 120
residents
"We,
the undersigned, petition the council to …......
Reconsider
the 2013 budget proposals for Walsall Green Spaces and Countryside
Services. We are concerned that proposed redundancies will signal the
demise of this precious and well loved department, our community
green spaces and local nature reserves.
All
Green Space staff including Countryside Rangers are an asset to the
town and borough and are an essential service to the people of
Walsall demonstrated by their hard work and commitment
in caring for and improving our green spaces, promoting environmental
issues of local, national and international importance. They share
their passion, knowledge and expertise to the people of Walsall in
many guises including local residents groups, user groups and friends
groups.
Rangers are an
asset that Walsall cannot afford to lose.
We ask that the Council do not make redundancies and instead look
seriously at other routes including maximising income from the
resource. We also ask that the council remember that our green spaces
are our legacy to the town's young people and of generations yet to
come. We are merely guardians of them and as such should not be
neglected or destroyed."
We have a very
strong social media presence that includes Facebook, Twitter and
several local blogs devoted to Walsall's neighbourhoods and nature
reserves. They include …...
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/437765136281023/
Email:
savewalsallsgreenspaces@gmail.com
___________________________________________________
Tuesday 13 November 2012
Shire Oak: explanations via Brownhills Bob
Local blogger Brownhills Bob has penned a lovely piece explaining all about the importance of and the winter works soon to be carried out at Shire Oak Nature Reserve.
It's worth a read!
Click here!
It's worth a read!
Click here!
Monday 12 November 2012
List of Links and Resources
This blog entry is basically a list of links where you can find more information and articles that are directly linked to this campaign or provide food for thought.
If anyone thinks of anything I've missed please email me or comment. Thanks!
Council Press release on Budget Have Your Say
https://www.walsall.gov.uk/News/Story/2012/10/24/Council_launches_budget-__have_your_say_campaign
Have Your Say on Council’s Budget Proposals
http://cms.walsall.gov.uk/budgethaveyoursay
Article in Express & Star
http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2012/11/06/facebook-group-on-cuts-plan-for-walsall-green-spaces/
Facebook Group
www.facebook.com/groups/437765136281023/
Petition
https://walsall.cmis.uk.com/walsall/Petitions/tabid/40/ID/13/Save-Walsall-s-Green-Spaces-and-Countryside-Services.aspx
Local Bloggers who have commented on what is happening
http://ramblingsofamadoldbaggage.blogspot.co.uk/
http://brownhillsbob.com/
http://thisistherealwalsall.blogspot.co.uk/
http://aideym.wordpress.com/
http://theplastichippo.wordpress.com/
Find your local councillor and lobby them!
http://cms.walsall.gov.uk/index/council_and_democracy/find_your_councillor.htm
Walsall Council Labour Group Press Release
http://www.wclg.org.uk/news.php?id=148
Lib Dem Press Release
http://danielbarker.mycouncillor.org.uk/2012/11/12/difficult-times-%E2%80%93-call-for-co-operation/
Where are Walsall's Local Nature Reserves?
Here are Walsall's main local nature reserves managed by the very dedicated team at Countryside Services .....
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Step a few yards into any of these reserves and you're as close to nature as you can get in an urban environment. In fact its often hard to believe that thousands of people live close by. They are a real haven for wildlife, especially birds. My nearest and dearest is Park Lime Pits where any day you might come across this handsome fellow staring down at you ........
On the other hand he might be hiding ....
he'll probably see you first ....
Whetted your appetite yet ... there's more to follow .... so keep coming back or better still subscribe and get notified of updates.
.jpg)
Step a few yards into any of these reserves and you're as close to nature as you can get in an urban environment. In fact its often hard to believe that thousands of people live close by. They are a real haven for wildlife, especially birds. My nearest and dearest is Park Lime Pits where any day you might come across this handsome fellow staring down at you ........
On the other hand he might be hiding ....
he'll probably see you first ....
Whetted your appetite yet ... there's more to follow .... so keep coming back or better still subscribe and get notified of updates.
Autumn at Park Lime Pits
PROTEST!
PRESS RELEASE
The newly formed Facebook Group “Save Walsall’s Green
Spaces and Countryside Services” are organising a static protest.
The protest will be held on Monday 19th
November from 5pm when there will be a full Council Meeting at The Council
House, Lichfield Street, Walsall. The Group are hoping to highlight their cause
by greeting local councillors as they enter The Council House and also by
attending the meeting that begins at 6 pm. All are welcome to join the protest.
There is no requirement to be a member of the Group on order to attend.
Linda Mason a local resident who set up the Group has also
set up an e-petition, which can be found on Walsall Council’s website and urges
local residents who have an interest in saving the Borough’s nature reserves
and parks for the future to sign it online. “It takes just two minutes of your
time and anyone of any age who lives, works or studies in the Borough can
sign.” The petition can be found here: https://walsall.cmis.uk.com/walsall/Petitions.aspx
Anyone wanting more information can email the group savewalsallsgreenspaces@gmail.com
or check out the blog
http://savewalsallsgreenspaces.blogspot.co.uk/, which
contains details of all the latest news in connection with the campaign.
Saturday 10 November 2012
Petition!
As part of the campaign to save Walsall's Green Spaces and Countryside Services, I've set up an e-petition on Walsall Council's website. Click HERE. If you do nothing else this weekend please do take a look and sign. It takes less than two minutes and every signature helps demonstrate to our local councillors that we care about our nature reserves, parks and green spaces and do not want to see them fall into decline.
When you've signed please share the fact that you have with your friends, colleagues and even your enemies!
If you need more information then please do get in touch. Email at the top of the page.
When you've signed please share the fact that you have with your friends, colleagues and even your enemies!
If you need more information then please do get in touch. Email at the top of the page.
Friday 9 November 2012
What's this all about then?
My name is Linda and one week ago I set up a Facebook Group called "Save Walsall's Green Spaces and Countryside Services." I did this for two reasons. Firstly as an individual who lives in the Borough of Walsall, I am passionate about the superb service that is offered by the teams employed at Walsall Council to nurture, maintain and develop the many green spaces, parks and nature reserves of the Borough and I am passionate about those places too. Secondly, the budget proposals currently being debated for the coming 2013 financial year could have a detrimental effect upon this jewel in Walsall's crown.
The basics are that a £440K budget cut for the department is being proposed. this could mean the loss of two Countryside Rangers and four Senior Park Rangers. In the long term this could lead to the decay, decline and destruction of places that residents of Walsall hold dear and are justifiably proud of.
The Facebook group is somewhere that people can drop into and discover all the latest news about our campaign and can also post ideas and opinions regarding the potential loss of our precious green spaces. However, I have been made aware that not everyone wants to access Facebook and it does have it's limitations. So this is a blog which I hope will compliment and grow in a different way to the group.
Please feel free to get in touch through the email address savewalsallsgreenspaces@gmail.com
The basics are that a £440K budget cut for the department is being proposed. this could mean the loss of two Countryside Rangers and four Senior Park Rangers. In the long term this could lead to the decay, decline and destruction of places that residents of Walsall hold dear and are justifiably proud of.
The Facebook group is somewhere that people can drop into and discover all the latest news about our campaign and can also post ideas and opinions regarding the potential loss of our precious green spaces. However, I have been made aware that not everyone wants to access Facebook and it does have it's limitations. So this is a blog which I hope will compliment and grow in a different way to the group.
Please feel free to get in touch through the email address savewalsallsgreenspaces@gmail.com
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