Bowes and Bounds Connected
A Community Network for Bowes Park and Bounds Green
ENFIELD: **Locking of Parks** Discussion to take place at Overview and Scrutiny 2nd June 2015
Extract from Enfield Independent
The decision to keep all of Enfield’s parks unlocked has been delayed until next year.
Enfield Council had previously agreed to keep all of the borough’s parks unlocked to the public in a bid to cut costs.
However, the decision has been put on hold after a heated debate at an overview and scrutiny committee meeting on Wednesday night.
The decision had been called-in by members of the opposition party with Friends of Parks also voicing their concerns for the scheme which is predicted to save £26,000.
Peter Gibbs, chairman of the Friends of Parks Consortium labelled the reasoning for the decision as "incoherent" and that the decision should be made on a park-by-park basis.
He said: "There has been no consultation on this decision and the reasoning behind the proposals are incoherent.
"We now have to opportunity to sit down and discuss park-by-park instead of this being a cookie-cutter exercise."
Fears about a potential rise in anti-social behaviour were also brought up at the meeting and resulted in the delay until April 2015 on a decision.
Shadow cabinet member Councillor Joanne Laban, who called in the report, said: "I cannot believe Councillor Chris Bond made the original decision to not lock parks without consulting the Friends Groups and the Police.
"I am pleased that Chris Bond as a result of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Meeting has decided to delay implementation of this scheme and to work with both the Friends Groups and the Police."
Mr Gibbs added: "Following a vigorous examination of Cllr Bond's plans for reducing security in 23 of Enfield's parks, friends and residents gave cogent reasons for rejecting his proposals at the Council scrutiny panel this evening.
"He then without a vote undertook to consult fully with interested parties and to reshape night security plans for each affected park on a consensual basis by April 2015."
Cllr Bond said ‘We value our parks and the friends groups that assist us in running them.
"I have always offered to attend Friends Group meetings when they want me to and that offer still holds. I would urge those concerned to contact me so we can fully explain the decision and how it would affect parks.
"I would like to thanks those that have contacted me already on this matter and urge those not involved in their local park to do so."
The council also states that Cllr Bond offered to meet park groups and is yet to have a response.
- Attachments:
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Geoffrey Kemball-Cook on -
It's interesting that the original article in the Enfield Independent refers to the high crime rate in Broomfield Park, which is said to have its pedestrian gates locked at night. Well, it's true that often they are locked (although not always, and rarely at the advertised times on the railings). However possibly more relevant is the fact that the main drive-in park entrance (the big white gates on Broomfield Lane) are NEVER shut, day or night.
Geoff
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Permalink Reply by Donald Smith on
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Thanks for the reply I totally agree with your observation.
I have added the original CABINET report to the discussion as well as the formal BYELAWS as attachments. I spent more than several hours with the LEGAL Officer at Enfield Council successfully challenging the contents of the proposed Byelaws prior to their approval by the Secretary of State, DCLG in August 2011. As far as I am aware the CABINET report by Matthew Watts uses the parks list in Schedule 1 and Schedule 2 of the BYELAWS. The main gates of Broomfield Park were ever open prior to 2011, ostensibly for the benefit of the tenants of the residential accommodation. It is interesting to note that the report concentrates on notifiable breaches of criminal legislation dealt with by a police officer in uniform, and fails to include any action taken against breaches of the Parks Byelaws.
Note also that Schedule 2 of the Bye laws
was intentionally drawn up so that Broomfield Park Memorial Gardens can be locked at different times from the main area of Broomfield Park
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Permalink Reply by Donald Smith on
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Enfield's Overview and Scrutiny Panel is to meet on 2nd june 2015
Parks Locking will be discussed as Agenda Item 4
Read the documents and have your say
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Permalink Reply by Donald Smith on
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Publicly available information attached as pdf files
- Attachments:
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PARKS LOCKING.pdf, 191 KB -
Appendix 3 Parks Locking.pdf, 121 KB
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Env 14.160 Appendix 2.pdf, 25 KB
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