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Boris’s X Factor vote turns our parks into losers
THE votes have been counted and verified, the lines are now closed, and the loser is... Camden.
Its parks have missed out on government funding – thanks to an X Factor-style public vote, according to Labour councillor Jonathan Simpson.
Camden’s entries – Lincoln’s Inn Fields and Coram’s Fields – failed to win one of the £400,000 cash injections on offer to 10 parks in the capital under Mayor of London Boris Johnson’s Help a London Park competition.
Cllr Simpson, of King’s Cross ward, criticised the scheme’s “bizarre and divisive” voting system which rewarded only the parks with the most votes.
“The most pop votes on a TV show are one thing but preserving our parks for future generations should be entirely separate,” he said. “It’s a shame the Mayor didn’t think this through. Parks are fighting parks [while] needy communities are being overlooked.”
He added: “Coram’s Fields is an area that has big deprivation. It’s one of the few spaces in the area where children can go and play. Just because a large number of people can rally behind a park it doesn’t mean it’s a
worthy recipient.”
Using the voting system popular with reality shows such as X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing, members of the public were encouraged to vote for the park of their choice online or by text from October until March this year.
Despite being in an area with higher mortality rates and lower exercise rates than many other parts of the capital, King’s Cross parks were refused funding because they did not win enough votes.
Sandy Wynn, administrator for Coram’s Fields, said: “There are better ways of distributing public money than a populist vote. It would have been better if we could have applied for a straight grant – then it could have been considered on its merits.”
Plans to refurbish the park’s wildlife garden, colonnades and tennis courts had been set back by six months, said Ms Wynn.
A spokeswoman for Mr Johnson said no further Help a London Park competitions were planned. “The Mayor has made his commitment to improving London’s parks and green spaces very clear,” she added. “The Help a London Park vote was an opportunity for Londoners to make the decision about which of their local parks were most deserving of the Mayor’s funds, rather than have a decision made for them behind closed doors.
“Unfortunately, not everyone could be a winner, but we hope the parks that lost out will use the interest generated from the vote to find alternative solutions.” |
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