Parks and Open Spaces Consultation - SAVE OUR PARKS

[admin]

And thank you to Marple Hall School for spreading the word about the consultation on proposed Parks and Open Spaces budget cuts that will damage our parks in Marple: http://www.marplehall.stockport.sch.uk/index.php/news/story/217

[admin]

A BIG THANK YOU to All Saints' Primary School for including details about the park budget cuts and a link to www.marple-uk.com/parks in their weekly newsletter this week so that parents will be aware of the risk to our play areas due to the proposal to remove instead of repairing or replacing play equipment that breaks and giving them the opportunity to have their say in the on-line consultation.

[admin]

Continuing to try and raise awareness of the Parks and Open Spaces Budget Cuts Consultation with as many local people as possible, the following resources are now available:

A double-A5 Flyer:
www.marple-uk.com/parks/MARPLE-PARKS-IN-DANGER.pdf

The challenge with this is for everyone who cares about their parks to print off half a dozen or so of these and distribute them to your friends and neighbours.

A two page (or double-sided) paper version of the questionnaire:
www.marple-uk.com/parks/PARKS-CONSULTATION-SHORT-VERSION.pdf

This is for people who cannot access the Internet. You can print it off and get them to fill it out and then you can enter on-line for them, or it can be sent to me to have it entered on-line (72 Woodville Drive, Marple, SK6 7QX).

There is also a 6 page version produced by the council that can be sent to them via FREEPOST
(they will not accept the two page paper version in the post):
www.marple-uk.com/parks/Parks-and-Open-Spaces-Freepost-Questionnaire.pdf

Finally for now, here is a one page set of FAQs provided by the council about the proposed cuts:
www.marple-uk.com/parks/PARKS-CONSULTATION-FAQs-3-4-2013-1.pdf

Everything available here too: www.marple-uk.com/parks

[admin]

On this new page on the main site are a series of posters that can be downloaded, printed and displayed to raise awareness about the council's consultation:

Please display some or all of them on your community notice board or in your shop window if you are a local business and show that you value our parks:

www.marple-uk.com/parks

[admin]

I have completed my questionnaire!

Thank you - please ask all your family and friends to do it too!

[Stockport Classic Bus]

I have completed my questionnaire!

[Mr Marple]

Done.

[red666bear]

i have seen people on community service tendering the park.

[simonesaffron]

Just done it - it's a shocker, isn't it!   But it's not hard to work out why it's happening now - as I understand it, the latest cuts are being forced on councils by the government's big reductions in Council Tax Benefit.   Councils are having to decide whether to pass on the reduction to those who have been in receipt of the benefit, which means their Council Tax will go up, or absorb the cut by making savings.  Trouble is, as Admin says, they can only make savings in non-statutory areas such as libraries, parks, museums etc.  In other words, they are between a rock and a hard place.

So the wealthiest people in the country are getting a tax cut (down from 50% to 45%), funded by the running down and/or closure of parks and childrens' playgrounds.  I think I'll stop now - I can feel a rant coming on.....  

As you know Dave there is a bit more to it than Council Tax benefits. Councils the length and breadth of the country are having to make unprecedented amounts of savings. I can't give a figure because everytime I look it seems to change although it only seems to change one way - it goes up instead of down. The last time I looked and understood the figure, Stockport had to take £45m out of its budget over a fixed period. So it really is a wonder that we've got any parks left at all. Councils are funded in the main by a "settlement" from National government. They are dependent upon this to run the services that they offer. This settlement is being systematically reduced. At one time this could have been offset locally by raising their Council Tax accordingly ( I didn't say that I SUPPORTED THAT Duke, just that they had it as an option) but now this option that has been taken away from them. So they are forced to step in line with the Coalition's "austerity programme". Add to that the treble dip - recession climate and the country is in a load of financial trouble. That's before we start to discuss the "deficit reduction"  

I guess only a combination of Labour winning the next election nationally and when Stockport becomes Labour controlled in 2014 or 2015 at the latest, will the Austerity programme for Councils be rescinded but by then it may be too late for such things that do not come under the umbrella of "statutory requirement".

TOUGH TIMES EH !      

[ROTHERS]

done, but i still wonder why these survey's ask me stupid questions about my mobility, religion etc, what has that got to do with saving our parks ?

[amazon]

Just done it - it's a shocker, isn't it!   But it's not hard to work out why it's happening now - as I understand it, the latest cuts are being forced on councils by the government's big reductions in Council Tax Benefit.   Councils are having to decide whether to pass on the reduction to those who have been in receipt of the benefit, which means their Council Tax will go up, or absorb the cut by making savings.  Trouble is, as Admin says, they can only make savings in non-statutory areas such as libraries, parks, museums etc.  In other words, they are between a rock and a hard place.

So the wealthiest people in the country are getting a tax cut (down from 50% to 45%), funded by the running down and/or closure of parks and childrens' playgrounds.  I think I'll stop now - I can feel a rant coming on.....   

done thanks for info

[Dave]

Just done it - it's a shocker, isn't it!   But it's not hard to work out why it's happening now - as I understand it, the latest cuts are being forced on councils by the government's big reductions in Council Tax Benefit.   Councils are having to decide whether to pass on the reduction to those who have been in receipt of the benefit, which means their Council Tax will go up, or absorb the cut by making savings.  Trouble is, as Admin says, they can only make savings in non-statutory areas such as libraries, parks, museums etc.  In other words, they are between a rock and a hard place.

So the wealthiest people in the country are getting a tax cut (down from 50% to 45%), funded by the running down and/or closure of parks and childrens' playgrounds.  I think I'll stop now - I can feel a rant coming on.....   

[admin]

Thank you Sharky, Lily and Chicken Lady!

Please also tell all your friends through Twitter, Facebook, email and word-of-mouth too.

We managed to keep the Park Toilets open with a huge public response - we will need a bigger one if we are to succeed with this.

You can use the link below (plus your own words) to embed this page in Twitter or Facebook:

http://www.marple-uk.com/smf/index.php?topic=4979.0

[Sharky]

Many thanks for pointing this out. Done!

[chicken lady]

done it too -took less than 5 mins