LIVERPOOL'S showpiece Calderstones Park could become the first in the city to be run by a private non-profit making company, fuelling fears parks in the city could face a form of privatisation.
An event takes place tomorrow (Saturday, Oct 24) at the park’s recently opened ice cream parlour to give park goers a chance to air their views on how the park should be run the in the future.
One of the local councillors involved in organising the meeting, Liberal Democrat Richard Kemp insisted if there are changes in the operation of Calderstones the park would remain in the ownership of the city council.
“We have to recognise that with the way government funding to the council is being reduced, we need to take a long, hard look at how our great parks in Liverpool could, or should be run in the future. It costs the council millions of pounds a year to run the parks and that money may not be available for much longer.
“Calderstones is fortunate in that there are already so many groups engaged in the park, that it is a good place to start. As well as the Readers Organisation being based in the Mansion House we have an active friends group as well as a thriving bowling club and the woodcutters who are based in the boating pavilion at the lake.”
Calderstones Mansion House has already been taken over by the Reader Organisation In a notice posted in the park the Friends of Harthill Gardens and Calderstones Park say: “We are told the council is running out of money and in two year’s time we will have no money for the managing of the parks. We are now looking at how the park could be run by a non-profit making company and how it might generate the £200,000-plus per year that is probably needed to keep it in good condition.”
During the drop-in event, which will run from 10-30am until 4pm, information, thoughts and ideas will be gathered. This information will be used to formulate a plan to secure the long term future of Calderstones Park.
“Come and join in this very important date,” is the plea from the Friends chair Rosemary Brice.
There is already controversy over plans by the council to sell some of the land on the Calderstones estate, around the Harthill depot. A plan has been drawn up to move the disabled riding centre over to a purpose built facility at Clarke Gardens in Allerton.
The fears among some park users is that if individual parks, such as Calderstones, are run by private organisations needing to generate income, it could change see money-raising events and facilities being increasingly introduced.
But Cllr Kemp a balance will need to be struck to ensure parks don’t transform into mini ‘Disneyworlds’.
“We think that as this debate has to take place at some stage it is better to engage park users and the local community now,” added Cllr Kemp.
