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Green spin cycle
• WHILE the Lib Dems and Conservatives slug it out in Westminster over who is greener, the environmental message does not seem to have reached Camden Council’s administration who are planning swingeing cuts to the parks and open spaces budget.
As a result of freezing council tax large savings must be found and the parks budget is being slashed. There has been a £2-million reduction in the Culture and Environment Department revenues due to relaxation of parking enforcement.
Parks spending is being axed to plug this hole with dire consequences to our green spaces. Drastic cuts of 60 per cent for park security are planned, threatening a return to the dismal situation of ten years ago, when our parks and squares were degraded, depressing and dangerous places, taken over by addicts and criminals – no-go areas for most people. The tree budget has been pruned to a paltry £50,000 which will not even cover basic maintenance of existing trees, let alone provide for essential new planting.
Whilst the rest of London is waking up to the vital environmental role of our parks, squares and community gardens, and their immense contribution to our health and well-being, Camden Council is retreating backwards into the dark ages.
M McCORMICK
Newton Street, WC2
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