Tag: Parks

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Parks Gate Locking Service to be continued!

Last August I wrote about the trial by Birmingham City Council to end the city gate locking service for 34 city parks that have car parks attached to them. I sent a letter on behalf of Friends groups and residents expressing our concern that ending this contract would result in more issues of fly tipping, vehicle incursions and anti – social behaviour and compromise the security of buildings like the MAC. A short term saving would ultimately result in greater long term costs than renewing the current contract.

After our letter, at the end of the trial, the contract was renewed for six months with a further review to take place before March.

At the Neighbourhoods Overview and Scrutiny Committee this week I asked Cllr Majid Mahmood if that review had taken place. He confirmed the gate locking contract would be renewed in March and said the council “would no longer proceed with that saving”.

This is a very sensible decision welcomed by Park Friends groups and park users across the city.

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Protect our parks

On 2nd August some Councillors and Friends groups of our parks received an email to say that a trial was to take place in August involving the gate locking service. Currently thirty four parks in the city have their gates locked at night by a private contractor. The parks are those that have car parks within the park and it is the car park gates that are locked. The trial would entail the gates being left open overnight to the car parks in seven parks across the city.

Ending the gate locking contract will save the council money in the short term but has huge long term implications of the security of our parks after darkness. The gate locking crews have also previously assisted people in distress who may have intended to harm themselves in the parks after dark.
This is the letter received:

Following concerns raised by Friends groups and residents I wrote to the director of Street Scene and Cabinet member to ask how the impact of the trial would be measured.

20240815 Gate locking in parks – briefing note v0.1Download

I have received this reply with a briefing note listing all 34 parks where the locking service is used. These include Cannon Hill Park, Highbury Park, Kings Heath Park, Windermere Fields and Swanshurst Park.

I intend to ask for more details of the trial and the bench marking exercise referred to in the briefing note. In the meantime I have urged all friends groups and residents to report issues in the parks, especially at night, to both council and police.

Councillor Izzy Knowles