Earlier today, Hilary Benn MP went on a tour of Woodhouse Moor where he saw first hand evidence of the many years of neglect including cracked and missing areas of York stone paving, the unusable tennis courts, and badly rutted paths. He was accompanied by representatives from local community groups who explained to him that :
1. Leeds City Council say there’s no money to maintain the park, and yet :
- Three years ago, they made £170,341 of Parks Renaissance Fund money available for a pay and display car park to be built on the park, money which was spent elsewhere when local people rejected the car park proposal.
- They’ve now made £20,000 available for their scheme to sink 40 concrete blocks into the Moor to create barbeque areas, money which they say can’t be spent to repair the park’s existing facilities.
2. The council spends a quarter per hectare on its parks what other major English cities spend on their parks.
3. The council does not produce individual park budgets, so it’s impossible to compare the amount spent on Woodhouse Moor, the city’s most intensively used park, with the amounts spent on other parks.
When Mr Benn was told about the council’s plan to sink 40 concrete blocks into the park to create barbeque areas, he described it as “Bonkers”.
In the photograph above, Mr Benn is shown talking to Amit Roy, whose father is unable to use the park because of the state of the paths. Pictured from left to right in the photo are Sue Buckle from South Headingley Community Association, Martin Staniforth from North Hyde Park Neighbourhood Association, Hilary Benn MP, and Amit Roy from Hyde Park Unity Day.