Welsh council criticised after pulling out of Green Flag parks scheme
Welsh council criticised after pulling out of Green Flag parks scheme
Vale of Glamorgan Council removed Green Flag park status from all eight parks
Vale of Glamorgan Council parks, like Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, were pulled from the Green Flags parks scheme last year
(Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne )
A Welsh council has been criticised for the way it is looking after its green spaces after it chose not to re-think its decision to withdraw from the Green Flag park status. Vale of Glamorgan was one of the leading areas in Wales for award winning parks before the county council decided in 2024 to withdraw from the scheme in a cost-cutting move.
This year, Vale of Glamorgan Council has continued with its stance on the scheme, with one of the local authority's cabinet members saying parks remain well maintained and continue to "offer excellent amenity value".
Conservative group leader at the council, Cllr George Carroll, said he wasn't surprised with the council's move, calling the Labour administration "out of touch" and criticising the decision to allow an aqua park at Cosmeston Lake this summer. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here.
Vale of Glamorgan Council's leader, Cllr Lis Burnett, said: "We fully recognise how important our parks and green spaces are to our residents and continue to maintain them to a high standard.
"We withdrew from the external scheme last year as we work towards a more sustainable approach with greater use of perennial plants, trees and local species to support local biodiversity.
Article continues below
"Over the coming year we will be talking to local communities about how they want to use 'green and blue spaces', which will guide how we manage parks, open spaces and our coastline.
"We hope as many people as possible will participate."
Vale of Glamorgan Council took the decision to remove Green Flag park status from all eight council parks that had it as part of the 2024/25 budget setting process.
These included:
Alexandra Park, Penarth
Belle Vue Park, Penarth
Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, Penarth
Central Park, Barry
Gladstone Gardens, Barry
Knap Gardens, Barry
Porthkerry Country Park, Barry
Romilly Park, Barry
Not being under the scheme meant the council did not have to undertake some of the higher level horticultural tasks required or pay an external organisation to have parks formally accredited.
A council document published in March, 2025 shows that the council saved £140,000 from the decision.
In March 2025 the council voted through a number of other proposals as part of its 2025/26 budget, including reducing street cleansing and removing litter bins, to save £8.77m.
A view of Porthkerry Viaduct from Porthkerry County Park, Vale of Glamorgan
(Image: Jeremy Segrott / Flickr / Creative Commons )
Since then, the council has also looked at opportunities to generate income.
In March, the council announced that it planned to enter into an agreement with Aqua Park Group to pilot an aqua park with inflatable slides and climbing frames at the eastern side of Cosmeston Lake from May 2025 to September 2025.
Thousands of people are opposing the plans. You can read more about that here
Cllr Carroll mentioned this in his response about the council's continuation of its Green Flag park status policy.
He said: "This move is not surprising, given the council's desire to open an aqua park at Cosmeston Lakes.
"These plans are completely unsuitable for this location and have no regard for the natural environment or unique qualities that make Cosmeston so special.
"This out of touch Labour council should be protecting green spaces like Cosmeston, not subjecting them to overdevelopment."
So far, 3,537 have signed a Change.org petition calling for the aqua park not to be installed.
Vale of Glamorgan Council's director of place, Marcus Goldsworthy, said the move presented an opportunity for the council to generate income for improving park facilities at Cosmeston.
He also said a number of conditions will be attached to any licence agreement moving forward to ensure ecologically important areas of the park are protected.
On Green Flag park status concerns, Vale of Glamorgan Council cabinet member for neighbourhood and building services, Cllr Mark Wilson said: 'The decision not to apply for the Green Flag Award was made in 2024, and that decision has remained in place for 2025/26 as part of continuing cost-saving measures, so I am surprised that this matter is being raised now and in response to a recent budget report and not as a result of any concerns with the standards of maintenance in our parks during 2024/25.
'The decision formed a part of the budget proposal for 2024/25, which was subject to public consultation and extensively scrutinised by councillors.
Article continues below
'From April 1st, 2024, we have not undertaken some of the higher-level horticultural tasks required or paid an external organisation to have our parks formally accredited with a Green Flag; though our parks remain well maintained and continue to offer excellent amenity value to our residents and visitors alike, I believe that this is what is most important.
'It is necessary to ensure that we run our services as efficiently as possible, and the decision was made in line with the Council's budget strategy which is to protect education and social care services as a priority and this strategy was supported by the majority of respondents in our most recent budget consultation.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
27 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Hope for 100s of Scots jobs hit by bus firm plan to go to England
And it has emerged that the SNP-led Scottish Government and the Labour-led UK Government have agreed to establish a joint working group to discuss options to find a solution and avert job losses. They are looking at how far they 'can push' the UK 'state aid' rules set out in the Subsidy Control Act 2022 to create a support package to save the 400 jobs. The second meeting of that working group was held on Monday last week and it is due to meet again this week. An Alexander Dennis source said that they are engaging with both governments "in good faith on the possibility of any intervention" and stressed that a final decision on the move had not yet been made. Read more: The Scottish Government came under fire after the deputy first minister Kate Forbes pledged to leave "no stone unturned" in securing a future for ADL. Kate Forbes (Image: Colin Mearns) Ministers have said there was "cause of hope in terms of looking at a way through the challenges". A row erupted in the Scottish Parliament in the wake of revelations in the Herald over the depth of the public funding for Scottish jobs over the past ten years - and even while it was cutting back its workforce by a third five years ago. The Herald also revealed how the First Minister was warned of Alexander Dennis concerns last summer a year before announcing plans last week to relocate to England putting 400 jobs at risk. Alexander Dennis, which has factories in Falkirk and Larbert, said it was considering moving manufacturing to a site in Scarborough. The plans would see work at the Falkirk site discontinued, while the Larbert site would be closed after current contracts are completed. The company said it was facing strong competition from Chinese electric bus manufacturers whose share of the market had risen from 10% to 35%. Alexander Dennis, which manufactures single and double decker buses, said the new proposed structure would lower costs and increase efficiency. Calls have been made to claw public money back money if Alexander Dennis follows through with its plans. The Herald revealed that the row between ministers and ADL emerged over levels of support and had its roots in Scottish Government schemes launched from 2020 to accelerate the use and manufacture of zero and low emission buses in Scotland and 'help drive a green recovery out of the Covid pandemic" which have been worth a total of £155.8m to date. The SNP launched their financial case for Scottish independence at Alexander Dennis (Image: Newsquest) Frustrations emerged after May 2023 when Alexander Dennis hosted the second phase of the Scottish Government's Zero Emissions Bus Challenge Fund (ScotZEB) which was to have funding worth £58m. It also showcased its Enviro100EV concept, a lightweight single-deck zero-emission bus with new in-house battery powertrain confirmed that grant backing accelerated its development. In a scathing letter seen by The Herald, Paul Soubry, president and chief executive of Alexander Dennis's parent company NFI, told John Swinney that recent developments had 'regretfully left [them] with the impression that the Scottish Government has little regard for domestic bus manufacturing jobs in Scotland'. The First Minister was also told they had already been 'forced' to offshore certain manufacturing functions to China. But a Scottish Government memo said that ADL had received orders for 363 zero-emission buses from ScotZEB more than any other manufacturer benefitting from the schemes. A separate briefing states that Alexander Dennis was awarded only 17% or 44 buses from second phase of the programme. A significant grant through the ScotZeb 2 programme was awarded to Zenobe, and its consortium of bus and coach operators to support the transition of bus fleets to electric. ADL, which incurred total losses over three years of £44.9m between 2021 and 2023, made its own bid to the programme but was unsuccessful. While ADL was a supplier to the successful consortium it was not a formal part of it. An Alexander Dennis spokesman said: 'Our focus remains on ensuring our people are supported during our consultation process. "This is a challenging time, and we are grateful for the active engagement from the Scottish and UK Governments and other political parties and stakeholders to discuss options and possible interventions. "It is clear there is a shared ambition to ensure the Scottish and UK manufacturing industry is protected and can thrive and we hope that we can encourage a cross-nation, collaborative approach as we continue to progress these important discussions.' The Scottish Government has said that policy interventions had been designed to "accelerate uptake of zero emission buses in the Scottish market". According to Scottish ministers, ADL secured orders for more than 360 vehicles through Scottish Government funding programmes. And they say the route to providing further support involves looking at ADL's cost base, considering what additional support can be provided to help with productivity and to lower costs and to look at how an order book can be developed for the company. They to say that there is "cause for hope" and that there were "solutions" that can be delivered through the collaborative process. While they say they have to abide by public procurement regulations and subsidy controls, but were working on a "support package" for the company.
The Herald Scotland
32 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Scottish Labour says SNP ban on nuclear power should end
Speaking ahead of a visit to Torness Nuclear Plant in Dunbar, Mr Sarwar has said that the SNP's 'Student politics and dated views' on nuclear power are standing in the way of jobs, investment, and energy security for Scotland. Mr Sarwar's intervention comes as the UK Labour government has announced tens of billions of pounds of investment in new nuclear projects to secure our energy security and to deliver new high-skilled jobs. Today Mr Sarwar has said that a Scottish Labour government would allow Scotland to join the race to be a 'nuclear energy superpower' and unlock billions of pounds of investment. Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar MSP said: 'The global race towards clean power is on and I firmly believe Scotland should be at the forefront of it. 'Investing in clean power will not only deliver lower bills, but will create quality jobs and strengthen our energy security so we are no longer subject to the whims of tyrants like Putin. 'Communities elsewhere in the UK are set to reap the benefits of nuclear power, but the SNP is stopping Scotland from doing the same. 'John Swinney could unlock millions of pounds of investment in Scotland with the stroke of a pen by lifting his party's ideological ban on nuclear power, but he refuses. 'A Scottish Labour government would ditch the SNP's damaging ban, unlock billions of pounds of investment and get Scotland in the race to become a nuclear energy superpower.' A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'The Scottish Government is focussed on supporting growth and creating jobs by capitalising on Scotland's immense renewable energy capacity rather than expensive new nuclear energy which takes decades to build, creates toxic waste which is difficult and costly to dispose of and does not generate power at a cost that will bring down energy bills." The Herald has teamed up with the East Lothian Courier for an in-depth series, The Future of Torness. Our team of journalists has worked together to look at everything from the current state and safety of Torness to ideas for its future, from decommissioning to fresh new options for the site. We will also look at what closure will mean for the many people in the area who have worked there, sometimes over decades, and been part of what the plant calls 'the Torness family'. We'll ask the big Torness questions. How safe are its aging and cracked reactors? How do new apprentices feel about their future in a Scotland where nuclear is considered not an option? What is it like to spend a day in the plant? What happens to the site when it stops generating power? And does Torness itself tell us anything about whether Scotland should grasp or reject the idea of new nuclear? Join us next week, on June 26, in both The Herald and East Lothian Courier. Subscribe to The Herald here for exclusive access to the series.
North Wales Live
42 minutes ago
- North Wales Live
The £50m Brexit Border Post on Anglesey that could end up being a massive white elephant
A facility built to deal with extra red tape caused by Brexit could end up being redundant before it even opens. Leaving the EU in 2020 added bureaucracy on the border between the UK and the European Union. This included sanitary and phytosanitary checks on fresh produce from the EU. The last UK Government delayed implementing the checks over concerns that it would lead to price rises for businesses and consumers. But they did not scrap the checks and work continued on developing the border facilities to carry out the work. In North Wales, the UK Government allocated £47.8m to build the border control post at Holyhead. This would be operated by Welsh Government, as they are responsible for biosecurity, food safety and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) controls in Wales. Kier Group were handed a £41m build contract last summer and work got underway on the development at Parc Cybi, just outside Holyhead. Work is due to be completed by the autumn. But the site could now turn into an expensive white elephant before it even becomes operational. In May, the UK and EU reached a new SPS agreement as part of efforts to reset their post-Brexit relationship. This agreement aims to reduce trade barriers for food, plants, and animal products by streamlining processes and reducing checks, making trade between the UK and EU cheaper and easier. It should be good news for businesses and shoppers and Holyhead port overall. But it could mean the new facility will not be required as most of the planned checks will not be required. The Welsh Government said: 'We are considering the implications of a potential SPS agreement with the EU on the future implementation of the Border Target Operating Model in Wales. The Deputy First Minister will make a statement to the Senedd in the coming weeks." Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth, MS for Ynys Mon, said 'The chaotic situation regarding the need – or not – for border control posts is symptomatic of the chaos and costs surrounding Brexit as a whole. "Large sums of public money have been spent, Anglesey Council has faced significant pressures, and we even lost the very important truck stop that went to make way for post-Brexit border infrastructure.
