4
www.bradleystokejournal.co.uk
t: 01454 300 400
May 2017
News
Parkrun charging row…
S
Contact Us Editor: Stephen Horton info@bradleystokejournal.co.uk 01454 300 400 83 Snowberry Close Bradley Stoke Bristol BS32 8GB
Find us on Facebook: BradleyStokeJournal Follow us on Twitter: @TheBSJournal
About the Bradley Stoke Journal The Bradley Stoke Journal website and magazine are published by North Bristol Press, a trading name of Snowberry Media Ltd; company number 8451178 (registered in England and Wales); registered office: 7 Chelford Grove, Stoke Lodge, Bristol BS34 6DD. Our other publications include the Patchway Journal website, the Stoke Gifford Journal website and the Filton Journal website. North Bristol Press is independent of any other media company or network operating in the Bristol area. We accept no responsibility for anything stated by advertisers, who are themselves responsible for complying with all relevant legislation. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the editor or article author. © North Bristol Press 2017. Content published in our magazines or on our websites may not be reproduced in any form without our express written permission.
WEDDINGS BIRTHDAYS CORPORATE Candy Cart Candy Buffet Candy Floss Stand
Get in contact with Nichola to talk about your requirements
TEL: 07572457362
WEB: www.projectcandy.co.uk EMAIL: projectcandybristol@gmail.com
toke Gifford Parish Council, which hit the national headlines last year when it withdrew permission for a not-for-profit group to use Little Stoke Park for a free weekly running event, has been singled out for criticism by the government in a recently published consultation document titled ‘Running Free’. The parish council caused outrage in April 2016 when it voted to insist on a financial contribution from the local volunteer group which had staged a weekly 5km ‘parkrun’ in Little Stoke Park since November 2012, claiming that, as an organised group, it should contribute financially towards the maintenance of the park. Parkrun is a free-to-enter timed 5km run that takes place at 445 locations across the UK at 9am every Saturday. The events are delivered entirely by local volunteers, with support from parkrun UK, a national notfor-profit organisation funded by sponsorship, grants and donations. Local representatives said parkrun’s founding principles ruled out any compulsory charge being made on participants and forbade them from handling money, the latter effectively ruling out the raising of funds through any other means (such as asking for voluntary donations or applying for a grant). There is also a 2km junior version of parkrun, for children aged between 4 and 14, the local stage of which continues to take place in Little Stoke Park on Sunday mornings as it was exempted from the parish council’s ruling. In the consultation paper published on 12th April, the government says the decision by Stoke Gifford Parish Council to impose a charge on parkrun for the use of Little Stoke Park is “entirely contrary to the objectives of this government both for health and for voluntary community action”. The paper’s introductory
section adds: “The government considers it important that action be taken to prevent other local authorities following Stoke Gifford Parish Council’s example.” Justifying the proposal to legislate, the paper continues: “Local authorities quite legitimately charge for a variety of different events and specific activities that take place in local parks. The government considers that it is appropriate for the public to pay a reasonable sum for the exclusive use of a facility such as a tennis court or for the shared use of a facility such as a golf course. It is also considered appropriate for charges to be made for special events such as outdoor concerts or other ticketed events that generate a profit for the local authority or the event organiser.” “However, the government does not consider it appropriate for a local authority to charge a volunteer community seeking to provide a free weekly event for the use of a public park, overturning our long standing convention of free access to parks for their everyday use.” Emphasising the distinction between shared and exclusive use, the paper adds: “Parkrun and junior parkrun share the park with other park users. Although a course may be marked out and may be the same course every week, and volunteer marshals line the route, there is no exclusive use of the park. Parkrunners share the park with other members of the public during the parkrun. This is quite different to the use of a facility in a park that is subject to exclusive use such as a tennis court, or even a facility such as a football pitch that is exclusively used by groups of players at certain times of the week.” Beyond its specific references to parkrun, the consultation also asks for views on local authorities charging professional dog walkers, personal trainers and other individuals and organisations that use public
To advertise in this magazine or on our websites, phone The Journal’s sales team on 01454 300 400