The Guardian view on parks: an asset that should be for everyone | Editorial

With austerity eviscerating their budgets, councils are renting out public land to generate incomeWhen the mill owner Joseph Strutt cut the ribbon on the Derby Arboretum in 1840, entry came with a caveat. This landscaped sweep, one of the first public parks in England, was only open to the public on Sundays and Wednesdays. For the rest of the week, its fountains and pathways were reserved for paying customers, whose entry fees effectively subsidised the park.The system was scrapped in 1882, as the growing concern for public health among Victorian reformers accelerated the creation of open public parks in towns and cities across England. Anyone can now stroll through Derby's arboretum. But another form of gatekeeping is taking place in parks today. Councils that have seen their budgets eviscerated by austerity are finding ways to turn parks into cash-generating assets, often by renting stretches of the land to fenced-off commercial events. Continue reading...