Parks and Recreation: Unlike the TV programme, there is no quick fix for the crisis facing British parks

Parks play an important role in the health of the nation, both physical and mental, not least as places where deeply divided communities can come together. But a funding black hole of £8bn by 2025 could see the end of this essential national resource. James Moore explains

The cast of ‘Parks and Recreation’ (Chris Haston/NBC)

The parks department was the first to feel the axe when the fictional American city of Pawnee went bust in NBC’s wonderful sitcom Parks and Recreation, all seven seasons of which can currently be seen on Amazon Prime. Leslie Knope, the sunny lead character, ultimately only saved it through staging a massive festival to raise revenue for her city. Even her grumpy, but secretly good-hearted, libertarian boss Ron Swanson was dragged into helping.

Such commercial opportunism is an increasing feature of Britain’s real-life councils that find themselves in a similar financial straightjacket to the one Pawnee faced. Their parks are also under grave threat, but they lack the quick fix of a fictional festival to raise the cash to keep them going. The threat they face is sustained.

This was originally going to be an ode to my local park, Clayhall Park, which is one of the lucky ones, and it still features because it serves as a good example of why parks are important, and the benefits they bring when they are properly looked after. But it soon became clear in researching this article that the existential crisis facing Britain’s parks generally had to take priority. Clayhall Park is in a remarkably healthy state. That’s not something that can be said of all the 27,000 parks and recreation grounds up and down this country.