Islington Council has launched a proposal to stop locking park gates at night in a bid to save money.
Of the 122 parks and open spaces in Islington, 76 are currently left unlocked all night. Under the new plans, the council would stop locking the remaining 46 parks with gates, which it says would save £140,000 a year.
Alongside the proposal, announced on Monday 10 March, the council launched a survey inviting residents to express their views on the potential impact of the plans. The survey will remain open until 11.59pm on Monday 7 April.
While the council has insisted that £40,000 worth of savings would be reinvested into the Parks Security Budget, which would fund new services such as additional park guard patrols and mobile CCTV towers, local residents have expressed anger at the plans.
Some feel that keeping parks open at night would increase crime and anti-social behaviour in the borough and make them feel less safe.
Vita Moltedo Samuel, who lives in Holloway, said: “My closest park is probably Paradise Park. There’s also Gillespie Park on the other side of the Emirates.”
“I think antisocial behaviour is a big issue but it’s not just that. The problem is the rubbish, people walking dogs, people sleeping rough… all those things are not necessarily ‘antisocial’ but they create a gradual deterioration and lack of care and a feeling of [danger] for many people.”
“The money saved is a laughable amount in the context,” she added.
“Parks are a haven for children, toddlers, parents with babies, older people and the rest of the population who need some respite from the air and noise pollution prevalent in central London.”
Some are concerned crime could increase
“To encourage more green spaces to go down the same route is absurd and is inviting in crime – it encourages anti-social people to gather in a dark area together”
Georgie Hills, Barnsbury resident
The proposal comes as 48 men were arrested in Camden and Islington on suspicion of sexual offences in February alone, sparking concerns over women’s safety in the area.
Georgie Hills, who lives opposite a garden square in Barnsbury which is not currently locked at night, said: “anti-social behaviour always occurs after the park patrol have finished – after 2am – so it’s either we call the police, or go out ourselves and try and encourage people to go home, which can be scary for a woman.”
“The local residents clear up the mess after fireworks are let off, needles and waste from people who sit right next to the bins but can’t be bothered to put it in the bin! We even had a poor gentleman pitch a tent last summer.”
“To encourage more green spaces to go down the same route is absurd and is inviting in crime – it encourages anti-social people to gather in a dark area together and also gives an innocent vulnerable person a choice of a shortcut through an unlit unmonitored area, which could have serious consequences,” Hills said.
But some women say that because of safety concerns, they don’t go to parks at night anyway, so the proposed changes would not make a difference for them. Izzy, in Highbury Fields, said: “I do not even know which parks are locked at night. It does not bother me.”
In Finsbury Park, another resident, Celine, said she did not have a strong opinion on the proposal because she does not “go to the park at night.”
Cllr Rowena Champion, Islington Council’s Executive Member for Environment, Air Quality and Transport, said: “The proposed changes to the park gate locking service will make sure that all parks and green spaces in the borough can benefit from the limited resources that we have, which will be most welcome for those parks that aren’t currently locked.
“It will also contribute to vital savings that the council is having to make at a time when council budgets are being stretched to the limit and difficult decisions have to be made.
“We are keen to hear from Islington residents about how this change may impact them, and any ideas or suggestions they may have.”
I am a Newspaper Journalism student at City, University of London, and a graduate in Politics and French from the University of Bristol. With six years of experience in media and a commitment to solutions-based, impactful storytelling, I have previously written for publications such as Marlborough News, Freshered, Her Campus, Epigram and Empoword. My interests are varied, but I mainly specialise in stories related to politics and culture.
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