Date:
1st December 2004Contact:
Sarah EgertonOrganisation:
The Civic Trust
In July 2004, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) agreed a new Public Service Agreement target, one of only eight across the department, to lead to the delivery of cleaner, safer, greener public spaces. The Green Flag Award scheme has been incorporated as one of the measures of success. The aim is that every community aspires to the Green Flag Award standard and many more improve and achieve the Award over the next few years. Full details will be published shortly by ODPM http://www.odpm.gov.uk
A review of the Scheme commissioned by CABE Space and carried out by a consortium under Andrew Parsons Consultancy, confirmed that the Green Flag Award scheme was seen as the voluntary national standard for parks and green spaces. It is a quality standard that can be achieved by good management and maintenance of any green space. Two thirds of local authorities in England and Wales, as well as other land managers, now use the criteria as a management tool. 97% of respondents to the local authority questionnaire believe that the scheme improves management and maintenance standards of green spaces. The review also concluded that the eight headline criteria are as robust and relevant as when the scheme started.
However, the Review did highlight a number of areas where the Scheme could be made more robust to deal with a growing number of applications.
Improvements and Changes
At the recent Green Flag winners’ awards ceremonies 2004, a number of operational and management changes were announced. The improvements will ensure that the scheme continues to deliver a judging process that is consistent and trustworthy as the scheme grows, will achieve streamlining of the application process, ensure it is inclusive for all freely accessible green spaces, and ensure that it continues to improve the quality of green space.
Some of the improvements will be implemented for the new Awards round opening in December 2004, others will be phased in over the coming years. It is important to note that the changes to the scheme are focused on streamlining its management and operation rather than changing the criteria for good quality green spaces winning an Award.
The Green Flag Award Board
Next year a Green Flag Award Board will be established to give a real voice to all those involved in the scheme and provide the forum to continue its evolution. Representatives from ODPM, CABE Space, The Civic Trust, the original founders, other sponsors and stakeholders, and, crucially, representatives from the judges, will be invited to the Board. The Board will also consider further improvements recommended by the review, as well as considering the future of the Green Pennant Award. ODPM aim to establish the Board in Spring 2005.
A robust and supported Judging Process
The judges are the backbone of the scheme, and have an average of 19 years of experience in the sector. Retention in the judging pool is exceptionally high and the review of the scheme identified the key reason people become judges is to ‘give something back to the sector’, followed by ‘professional development’. The scheme will remain judged through this volunteer input.
To maintain the consistency of the scheme as it grows the recruitment and training of judges will be enhanced to match ability and knowledge to the criteria and assessment process. A judges forum will be established to lead on moderation of assessments and to support exchanges of skills, knowledge and information between judges. We will also aim to recruit a greater diversity of judges and encourage them to have a greater role in the evolution of the scheme. Judges will be asked to assess a minimum number of sites, and this is currently anticipated to be two sites per year. This will require willingness of employers to release their staff to carry out judging.
The Green Flag Award is not just for ‘jewels in the crown’ as proven by the variety of winners each year. To support judges and those green space managers considering entering the scheme to assess sites, we are developing a tool for assessing performance against the Green Flag Award criteria. It is hoped that this tool will also be useful in benchmarking sites, assessing their potential and developing action plans to bring them up to the required standard.
Streamlining the Application Process
Administration of the scheme is currently very paper-heavy. The entry, judging and feedback process will become automated during 2005/6, enabling submission of documents and information electronically. From 2005, entrants will be able to submit the site management plan only for desktop assessment, reducing unnecessary paperwork in the submission. This change will be phased in to allow sites to make the necessary changes, and electronic submission will be trialled this year with a number of authorities.
Announcement of Awards
The next round of Awards will be announced in the summer of 2005 to provide an enhanced opportunity for national and local publicity.
Improving the quality of green space
The eight headline criteria are as robust as ever, although there will be some re-weighting for entrants to be aware of in future, to better reflect the need for community involvement. The review also recommended enhancing assessment of play and design for functionality.
As the site management plan will become the only document submitted for desktop assessment, a quality management plans will be necessary. Guidance on producing park and green space management plans is available from CABE Space at http://www.cabespace.org.uk
NOTES TO EDITORS The independent review was carried out in 2003/04 to see how the scheme might grow to meet both increasing demand and the increased scrutiny that it would naturally come under. By the nature of the majority of its entrants, the review was predominantly targeted at local authorities in England and Wales, of which 52% responded, including many that do not currently enter the awards. This reflects a great interest in the scheme. It also engaged a range of other organisations as stakeholders including those that manage other awards in this sector. Since the review, the CABE Space Steering Committee has taken time to deliberate over recommendations alongside ODPM, and the Civic Trust, which manages the scheme, has been fully involved in responding to how recommendations can be taken forward in practical ways. In addition judges in the scheme have had the opportunity to advise where development work is required. This will ensure that the changes are entirely to the benefit of the scheme.
East Midlands (56)Eastern (55)Greater London (151)North East (42)North West (196)South East (75)South West (52)West Midlands (42)Yorkshire & Humberside (45)Wales (19)Scotland (5)Northern Ireland (3)Republic of Ireland (1)Netherlands (2)Green Heritage Site Winners (42)Green Pennant Award Winners (73)Special Awards for Innovation Winners (7)
