Fears Huddersfield park could fall into disrepair see hundreds sign petition

Fears that a popular Huddersfield park could fall into disrepair have prompted the launch of a petition.

More than two hundred people have signed the petition set up by the Friends of Beaumont Park (FOBP), urging Kirklees Council to ensure that there is a full-time gardener at the park, as cutbacks are changing the way the borough's parks will be maintained.

The FOBP group was formed in 1998, in response to the “neglect” of the park. Since 1964, Beaumont has seen the demolition of the castle and the pavilion, and the filling in of the paddling pool. Over the years, the group has worked to improve the park and its facilities.

Read More: Boy killed by falling tree leaves community in shock as floral tributes paid - updates

In its bid to cut costs and balance the books, the council is moving towards having teams of gardeners that oversee larger areas, instead of having individual teams for each of the borough’s parks. However, there are fears that this will lead to deterioration at Beaumont Park.

On the petition page, the Friends of group explains: “FOBP are concerned that, without the services of at least one full-time gardener, the park will slip back into a state of disrepair and return to the state which it was in prior to 1998. This will deny the local community, and those drawn from many miles away, the opportunity to enjoy the park and boost their health and wellbeing.

“Please join with FOBP in urging Kirklees Council to ensure that there is at least one full-time gardener at Beaumont Park. Please sign this petition to help protect Beaumont Park's future and ensure it continues to be a haven for all.”

David Shepherd, Strategic Director for Growth & Regeneration at Kirklees Council, said: “We take pride in the beautiful parks and greenspaces we have in Kirklees, and we want to maintain these as best we can. However, as with most councils across the country, we need to make difficult decisions to balance our budgets.

“The outcome of a service review will see us move away from dedicated teams for individual parks, to ones that look after larger areas. We aim to retain and retrain as many staff as possible into alternative positions within the council.

“We do recognise how important our greenspaces are to residents of all ages, and we will continue to support our amazing community groups in helping us to maintain these in the future.”

A link to the petition can be found here: https://www.change.org/p/ensure-that-kirklees-council-retain-one-full-time-gardener-at-beaumont-park

Get all the latest and breaking Huddersfield news straight to your inbox by signing up to our daily newsletter here.