Agenda item

Report of the Director of Open Spaces.

The Committee considered a joint report of the Director of Open Spaces and Chamberlain on the Departmental and Service Committee budget Estimates 2021/22.

The Committee discussed opportunities for holding appropriate events in the City Gardens to provide valuable income opportunities. The Director of Open Spaces explained that, while the sites in the City Gardens are not as large as the open spaces outside of the City of London, events in the City Gardens had been marketed. It was added that the Open Spaces Act 2018 requirement to keep open spaces accessible to the public and the COVID restrictions could potentially cause difficulties for holding events.

Following a Member’s query, the Director of Open Spaces confirmed that the maintenance of the Barbican Gardens would not be impacted by the efficiency savings of 12% as these are funded by Barbican Residents through the service charge account.

It was raised by a Member that the Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queens Park Committee Budget for 2021/22, appended to the report, was not the updated version as agreed by the Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queens Park Committee. Further to this the Committee agreed that the recommendations of the report would be approved with the caveat that the updated Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queens Park Committee Budget for 2021/22 be included when presented to the Finance Committee.

A West Ham Park Committee local observer appointed to the Committee confirmed that as the West Ham Park Committee had not yet received the report so the approval would need to be given subsequently from the West Ham Park Committee its 2021/22 Budget.

RESOLVED- That: -

1. The Directorate, Bunhill Fields and City Gardens proposed revenue budget for 2021/22 be approved for submission to Finance Committee; and
2. That the City Gardens and Bunhill Fields capital and supplementary revenue budgets for 2021/22 be approved for submission to Finance Committee; and
3. That the provisional 2021/22 revenue budget for the services overseen by the other Open Space Service Committees (appendices 6 - 8) be noted;
4. That the Chamberlain be authorised, in consultation with the Director of Open Spaces, to revise these budgets to allow for any further implications arising from Corporate Projects, the City’s new Target Operating Model, and changes to the Cyclical Works Programme.