Local government officers, pragmatism and creativity during austerity – the case of Urban Green Newcastle

ABSTRACT

In the UK, during austerity local governments face pressures to identify transformative financial solutions to parks provision and to protect parks as public spaces. Yet, how local government officers balance these demands is under-explored. This article discusses the transfer of Newcastle upon Tyne’s parks from local government to a new entity, Urban Green Newcastle. Working within a project framework, across the local authority, and in public consultation, we show how local government officers crafted narratives to legitimise their work and to provide an ex-post rationalisation for: creative working; the changes to democratic accountability in the new model; and the risks involved in creating UGN. The article deepens our understanding of local government officers’ agency during austerity via its attention to legitimisation narratives. We show how local government officers contribute to the (re)conception of parks as public spaces through the negotiation of alternative narratives of parks management, governance, and democratic accountability.

KEYWORDS:

• Austerity
• parks
• agency
• local government
• local government officer

Acknowledgments

We wish to acknowledge the research assistance provided by Dr Jill Dixon and the reviewers and editor(s) for their constructive advice.

The research that underpins this article was part of COGOV: Co-production and Co-governance: Strategic Management, Public Value and Co-Creation in the Renewal of Public Agencies across Europe, funded by the EU Horizon 2020, Grant Number: 4770591.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Urban Green Newcastle-1182534 (charitycommission.gov.uk) Urban Green Newcastle was known as the Newcastle Parks and Allotments Trust (‘Parks Trust’). On 20/11/2017, the Cabinet of Newcastle City Council (NCC) agreed to create the Trust to manage the city’s 11 principal, 12 neighbourhood and 9 countryside parks and allotments (51 hectares). The Cabinet’s Decision Notice, 20/11/2017 records NCC’s commitment to provide the Trust £9.5 million for 10 years, and to transfer assets as part of a low-cost, long-lease agreement (125 years), as well as responsibility for staff and operations. In 2019, the Trust was renamed Urban Green Newcastle (UGN). NCC Business Cabinet, 20/11/2017, Background Paper Pack, Appendix B.

2. https://www.futureparks.org.uk/Newcastle/UGN was selected to participate in the Future Parks Accelerator

3. NCC Decision Details Business Cabinet, 17/7/2017b, Background Papers, 10.

4. NCC Decision Details Business, Cabinet, 17/7/2017b,5.30pm;Background Papers, 43; Agenda Pack, 59.

5. NCC Decision Details Business, Cabinet, 20/11/2017a,5.30pm, Supplemental Agenda, 1, 2-4.

6. NCC Decision Details Business, Cabinet, 20/11/2017a,5.30pm,Supplemental Agenda, 1, 25-26.

7. NCC Decision Details Business Cabinet, 17/7/2017b,5.30pm, Background Papers, 43

8. Newcastle Council considers handing running of parks to charity - BBC News 8/2/2017; Newcastle City Council gives go-ahead for charity-run parks, BBC News 21/11/2017 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-42058810. On media coverage,NCC- Business Cabinet, 17/7/2017, Background Papers, 111-121.

9. Ahrens, T. and Ferry, L. 2015. Newcastle City Council and the grassroots: accountability and budgeting under austerity. Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal 28(6),909-933.

10. NCC Business Cabinet, 20/11/2017, Supplemental Agenda Pack, 4-7; 24-27.

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the European Union Horizon 2020 [770591].