The template Council Motion below is based on a motion from Southwark Liberal Democrats. It is an excellent opposition motion calling for better protection and management of local parts.
You can download the full Southwark motion here and copy the template below to use in your area.
Council notes:
- Parks are one of [AREA NAMES] most vital public assets, improving the mental and physical wellbeing for residents and providing space to for communities to exercise, socialise and connect.
- One of [COUNCIL NAME’s] most important responsibilities is to maintain our parks for the benefit of our communities. This work is made easier by the countless volunteers and community groups who help maintain our local parks.
- Anti-social behaviour has become an all too prevalent issue in our parks, turning spaces that should be for community benefit to spaces that locals may avoid.
- Anti-social behaviour in our parks is therefore undermining the benefits that parks bring to communities throughout [AREA NAME].
Council accepts:
- The council has comprehensively failed to tackle the issue of anti-social behaviour in parks.
- Efforts carried out by the council, along with the police, have actively made some parks worse and undermined efforts by the community to improve them, including the removal of equipment.
- The council has failed to engage properly with community groups and ‘friends of…’ organisations, who actively take care our parks, in their efforts to tackle anti-social behaviour.
- The only real solution to tackling disruptive anti-social behaviour in parks is a consistent visible presence from community wardens and police safer neighbourhood teams using the full extent of the powers available to them.
Council therefore resolves to:
- Hold regular meetings with community groups and ‘friends of…’ groups regarding the tackling anti-social behaviour in parks.
- Guarantee to never making any changes to parks, such as the removal of vegetation, benches or leisure equipment, without meaningful consultation with relevant local community groups and ‘friends of…’ groups.
- Hire additional Park Liaison Officers to facilitate a visible presence in parks across [AREA NAME] in order to deter anti-social behaviour.
- Direct Park Liaison Officers to use all available powers to disperse groups engaging in anti-social behaviour in parks in order to minimise disruption to local communities.