Lack of maintenance in Peckham Rye Park

[Sue]

I am really sorry to be writing this, as in past years I and others have posted on here to say how well kept the park was and how lovely it looked.

However this year everywhere is full of weeds, including the enclosed Sexby Garden, and the whole place looks really run down, apart from the beds at the main entrance and the plants round the old fountain (?) near the lake.

Has the park lost funding, or have staff been cut?

It is very sad to see.

[sunbob]

Where's the walled garden? Used to go daily with children but less now so I can't remember that part.

[fastmoneyvn]

:(

[Sue]

sunbob Wrote:

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> Where's the walled garden? Used to go daily with

> children but less now so I can't remember that

> part.

It's in the park quite near to the lake. Actually it may not be walled, I may be confusing it with the one in Brockwell Park, but it is enclosed. It is the Sexby Garden.

It was renovated with lottery funding a few years back.

It was very well planted, there are pergolas with climbing plants and until recently it all looked lovely.

It is now a really horrible mess, as is the pond in the middle, although obviously there are still flowering plants as well.

Many of the beds in there, and also elsewhere in the park, seem to be infested with Mare's Tail, as well as many other weeds.

It looks as if it would take many days of work to get back to looking good, and the longer it is left like this the longer it will take.

There is a Friends of Peckham Rye Park group. Can anyone shed any light on what has happened?

This is far worse than a bit of damage to grass caused by the festival, in my opinion.

[alex_b]

Friends of Peckham Rye Park has a website at http://www.peckhamryepark.org/opportunities/

[Sue]

alex_b Wrote:

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> Friends of Peckham Rye Park has a website at

> http://www.peckhamryepark.org/opportunities/

Thanks, I just found them on Twitter.

If any of them are reading this, could they (or the relevant councillor) comment?

[TE44]

Thanks so much, I don't mean to take this off topic but i haven't seen any horsetail this year, just an amazing medicine but yes very invasive. Thank you, I'll get overthere and pick some.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/whisperingearth.co.uk/2010/06/12/horsetail-ancient-wonder-modern-medicine/amp/

[Toby Tobias]

I totally agree with you Sue; as a keen gardener myself I have really noticed the lack of maintenance over the past few months. It had occurred to me to pop into the park office and enquire as to the reason but I suspect it is because they no longer have their head gardener - the lady was always out in the park doing something and whilst she was around all was well. Very sad that is no longer the case.

[Penguin68]

I have posted on another thread that using hiring fees for the park to then maintain it would be a cost effective way to go - those closest to the park both being those most to suffer from a weekend or two's disruption - but then to benefit from having a well maintained park close to them to enjoy. Most pain: most gain.

[intexasatthe moment]

I was speaking to one of the gardeners heroically battling the weeds in the Sexby Garden . He told me that they now have only 5 gardeners .Down from 30 or 40 ,I'm unable to remember which .And I don't know over what period the decline has taken place .

[Elaine25]

I noticed the very sorry state of the sexby gardens. I was wondering if Southwark Council could use some of the money it has just earned from hiring out the park to employ maybe a seasonal gardener to help with getting the gardens back to its former glory?

[Sue]

intexasatthe moment Wrote:

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> I was speaking to one of the gardeners heroically

> battling the weeds in the Sexby Garden . He told

> me that they now have only 5 gardeners .Down from

> 30 or 40 ,I'm unable to remember which .And I

> don't know over what period the decline has taken

> place .

It seems to me that it is only over the last year.

I'm sure it was nothing like as bad as this last summer, in fact my recollection is that it was pretty well maintained at that time.

I'm wondering if it's just lack of staff or lack of qualified/experienced/knowledgeable staff. If the head gardener has sadly left that would make things worse, as at least presumably she could tell her team what they needed to do if it wasn't obvious to them.

[RobMiller]

From a quick look at Southwark's budget book they've had to find ?1,230,000 in savings from the parks & open spaces budget over the last two years (c 18.5% of the total budget they had in 2016/17):

* 2017/18: ?410,000 (https://www.southwark.gov.uk/assets/attach/4421/Environment%20and%20Social%20Regeneration%20Budget%20Book%202017-18.pdf - p32)

* 2018/19: ?820,000 (https://www.southwark.gov.uk/assets/attach/6432/Budget%20book%202018-19%20-%20Environment%20and%20Social%20Regeneration.pdf - p33)

Some context on the general picture across local authorities here in case it's of interest: https://www.local.gov.uk/about/news/council-funding-be-further-cut-half-over-next-two-years-lga-warns.

[alice]

I wonder how much the totally unnecessary and cosmetic upgrade to kerbstones in Dulwich Park has cost?

Isrhwre a place where we can see the budget and breakdown of spending in these 2 parks.

[RobMiller]

Hi @alice, their budget books are here: https://www.southwark.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/key-documents/budget-book and details of the council's spending is here: https://www.southwark.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/open-data.

[alice]

Many thanks RM

[RobMiller]

Oh, a bit of further clarification that might be useful. Maintenance and staff costs etc will be revenue budget (essentially paid for from the council's current account) and major works to the fabric of the park will be from the capital budget. There are strict rules about what councils can spend revenue and capital on, which can restrict the choices they can make.

[alice]

Maybe its me but doesn?t seem to show spending for individual parks. Any idea where I could find that.

[RobMiller]

Hi @alice, if it's not possible to find that using those then it's probably a Freedom of Information request.

[Renata Hamvas]

Hi Sue, I'll make enquiries about this. I think the grounds maintenance company have been taken over by another one and this may be the root of the inadequate weed control/clearance.

I'll get back to you.

Renata

[intexasatthe moment]

ah ,I see what you did there Renata ......the root of the problem indeed .

[Sue]

Renata Hamvas Wrote:

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> Hi Sue, I'll make enquiries about this. I think

> the grounds maintenance company have been taken

> over by another one and this may be the root of

> the inadequate weed control/clearance.

> I'll get back to you.

Thanks Renata.

That sounds like bad news. Surely they must have a contract laying down standards to be met? Have they sacked staff from the previous maintenance company, to save money?

It isn't just weeds, although they are currently all over most of the beds in the park, it is general lack of any care, eg grass paths in the sexby garden do not appear to have been mowed, and the pond in that garden is an absolute mess.

It all reminds me of when parks departments were made to go out to tender, and lost their permanent staff. Places like The Rookery in Streatham went downhill really fast because - I imagine - councils went for the lowest tender, with predictable results.

[Houseoflego]

Hi Sue,

You could always volunteer for helping out. The friends of Peckham rye are just a volunteers i think so you can't complain to them. But they have really helped to improve the park.

http://www.peckhamryepark.org/opportunities/

[Sue]

Houseoflego Wrote:

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> Hi Sue,

> You could always volunteer for helping out. The

> friends of Peckham rye are just a volunteers i

> think so you can't complain to them. But they have

> really helped to improve the park.

>

> http://www.peckhamryepark.org/opportunities/

Good idea, but much as I would like to I just don't have the time!

ETA: And I had no intention of complaining to the Friends, I just wondered if they could shed any light and/or put pressure on the people in the council responsible for the park upkeep.

In any case, I don't think it should be down to volunteers to maintain a public space.

[Penguin68]

Renata

Do you know what the spend priorities are for The Rye and Peckham Rye Park? I would have guessed H&S issues (like dangerous trees); routine maintenance (keeping it in a decent state) and then improvements (such as carved trees and granite areas)? But I'm not sure there aren't different budget heads - so that 'improvements' may be done whilst routine maintenance is ignored.

Also - do hire fees etc. go back into park budgets, or are they taken off to other funds?

That whole area is one hell of an amenity - but it won't manage itself and the cost of 'recovering it' (if left to rack and ruin) will be far higher than routinely maintaining it.

We are very lucky in ED and its surrounds with our green spaces - be it parks, woodland, common land or cemeteries. It almost compensates for the lack of public transport (compared with much of the rest of London). We cannot afford for any part of that benefit to degrade.