evaluation + Legacy
Independent Evaluation
The National Trust has committed considerable resources into Newcastle – both prior to 2019 in exploring options with the Council, and subsequently in supporting Urban Green Newcastle. The National Trust has recognised the challenges facing local authorities in providing green space and is continuing to explore alternative options across the country. They, and the former Trustees of Urban Green Newcastle, were therefore extremely keen to understand what had happened and provide learning for the future. An independent consultant has carried out an extensive evaluation.
Northumbria University Research
Northumbria University has undertaken a comprehensive piece of research into ‘Innovation, Co-Governance and Democracy in Urban Greenspaces’. This work, funded by the British Academy, used Urban Green Newcastle as its principal case study, and also reviewed other parks trust models around the country. It is showing some interesting results, and is due to complete later this year. The report will be publicly available.
More Information
The bold step taken by Newcastle City Council in 2019 to set up a new parks trust charity attracted a large amount of interest – both locally and nationally. Many are interested to know if and how a model of this type might work, given the need to provide quality open space despite the ongoing challenges of public funding. It is therefore important to understand the successes and challenges of Urban Green Newcastle, and provide learning for others exploring more sustainable ways of delivering quality open space.
There is no doubt that Urban Green Newcastle achieved an incredible amount during its six years, with passionate and expert Trustees and dedicated staff. Many of the approaches and improvements put in place by Urban Green Newcastle were recognised by Newcastle City Council when the parks and allotments returned to local authority control. In particular, the uplift in health, safety and maintenance was noticeable and commented upon by local people. The exploration of new opportunities – including volunteering, events, sport, and biodiversity – expanded the role and importance of parks and allotments. And the additional grant funding brought into the city, along with the multiple partnerships created, meant that the charity both reduced the amount of public funding required to manage the sites, while finding better ways of delivering services.
Inevitably, however, there were also significant challenges, and areas which could have been done differently. Urban Green Newcastle’s Board of Trustees felt that the model could have worked given sufficient time to mature and adapt, but a longer period (ideally in advance of the original 10 years) was required, alongside continuing political support from the local authority. This would have allowed for a more thorough testing of the financial model and its assumptions. The experience, however, should help inform the critical success factors for a model of this type.
To capture this learning, two independent pieces of research have been conducted, providing an in-depth look at the charity’s journey and highlighting key lessons for the future. Links to read these pieces of research can be found at the top of this page.
The former Trustees, staff and partners of Urban Green Newcastle hope the learning provides valuable insight and inspires other parts of the country to adopt a similar, visionary approach to securing the long-term future of our shared green spaces.