David Foster, Chief Executive of the Parks Trust in Milton Keynes, explains the workings of the Trust and how the model might work for other cash strapped local authorities as the Coalition Government’s ‘Big Society’ kicks in
In Parks we trust T
he offices of The Parks Trust are situated in the Cambell Park Cricket Pavilion in Milton Keynes, a purpose built, two storey facility that also caters for
county, club and corporate cricket (more about this later in this issue). The Parks Trust, formerly known as Milton Keynes Parks Trust, was established by the Milton Keynes Development Corporation to own and manage, in perpetuity, the strategic open space in Milton Keynes. It took a 999 year lease of 4,500 acres and, at the same time, was given an endowment of around £20m. The endowment was mainly in the form of commercial property in Milton Keynes, and the rental income is used to fund the Trust. Since then, some of that property has been sold and other assets acquired, both in Milton Keynes and elsewhere, to ensure that the Trust does not have all its ‘eggs in one basket’. The Trust was established with a steering group in 1991, which became
12
the Board when the company was incorporated in 1992. The Trust’s green estate comprises
around 4,500 acres of parks, meadows, river valleys, woodlands, lakes and the landscaped corridors which run along the main grid roads - about twenty percent of the new city area. As the city has continued to grow, new parks and open spaces are being established and transferred to the Trust with an endowment. The endowment sum that is required is the capital sum needed to invest to generate the annual income to cover the maintenance costs each year in perpetuity. The Trust is committed to maintaining
its green estate to a high standard and to continually improve its quality. Many of the parks were built with the intention that facilities, such as toilets, cafés and play areas, would be introduced at a later date and, over time, the Trust is ambitious to provide such facilities and services.
It was always envisaged by the Development Corporation, that Milton Keynes would continue to grow and that the green estate would need to change and, at times, be reconfigured as the city evolved. A key part of the planning, right from the start, was to build in flexibility and make the city ‘future proof ’ as far as it was possible to do so - the wide grid road corridors are an example of that thinking. The Trust considers that it has a responsibility to respond to changing circumstances of different generations, and civic and national priorities, and to help the city develop and grow. The Trust is a Company Limited by Guarantee and a registered Charity. It is what is often called a ‘third sector organisation’, a ‘not for profit company’ and a ‘social enterprise’. This means that it has a social purpose that fits within the legal definition of a charity. Under this structure, it can generate income and make profits and operate much the same way as a private business, with one big
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148