Brent Council has confirmed in a response to Cllr Lorber that Brent Council currently has no Green Flag awards. This confirms my statement on Twitter (above) refuting claims by Cllr Nerva (Queen's Park) during the Council meeting on February 27th, apparently after some frantic googling, that Brent had won Green Flag awards for Gladstone Park and Roundwood Park. His intervention came before his prepared speech. He said:
I'd just like to pick up on a point made about parks in Brent. I've just looked up, Gladstone Park: Green Flag, Roundwood Park: Green Flag. There are lots pf other places in Brent that provide really great recreation and wellbeing. I think it is really sad to hear someone denigrate the really hard working Brent Parks Service.
It's 'really sad' that a member of Brent Cabinet does not know that Brent Council opted out of the Green Flags Award scheme back in 2014 when parks maintenance was outsourced to Veolia. LINK
The Award was always a great incentive across London and is international in its scope. The map below shows the Brent desert with just Roe Green Walled Garden and Queens Park marked. The Walled Carden is looked after by the Barn Hill Conservation Group rather than Brent Council/Continental Landscapes (the new contractor) and Queens Park by the City of London Corporation.
Indeed there is some hope as Continental Landscapes features in the 2024 Green Flag Awards list for work in some other London boroughs and applications have been made for King Edward VII Park and Bramshill Open Space.
It is to be hoped that Brent Council will listen to residents who truly value their parks, including supporters of Barham Park who were recently refused a hearing, and renew their commitment through participation in the Green Glag Award scheme.
Back in 2011 I celebrated Fryent Country Park's Green Flag Award with congratulations to Brent Council and a video showing the park throuh the seasons.
A rather tattered green flag remained in the Fryent Way car park for some time after the Council withdrew from the Award.
