Wakefield parks receive a miniscule amount of available grant funding

Parks and similar green spaces in Wakefield – or projects directly linked to them – received just £10,000 from the NLHF over the period.

This was equivalent to only 3p per person in the area, based on Office for National Statistics population estimates.

It compares to a £4.35 average for Yorkshire and the Humber, and the highest individual amount in that – £46.89 per head, which was awarded to Scarborough.

People have a newfound appreciation for their parks and green spaces since the country was laid low by the coronavirus.

Months before news of a possible vaccine, these places were administering a vitalising shot in the arm for millions, and providing a rare chance to safely socialise, exercise and unwind.

Yet squeezed council budgets across the UK have left many communities more reliant on other ways of raising cash to care for these refuges.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund handed out £406 million for parks and similar green spaces across the UK in the decade to 2019-20.

But analysis shows these grants are unevenly spread across the country.

Compared to the 3p per head breakdown of the Yorkshire funding for Wakefield, Scarborough received the most in the region at £46.89.

Compared to Yorkshire’s £4.35 per head of funding London took the lion’s share, at £11.94 per head, followed by Scotland at £6.81.

Rachael Maskell, Labour’s shadow minister for the voluntary sector and charities, said the differences were stark, and steps must be taken to “redress this imbalance”.She said: “Action must be taken to ensure that everyone has access to safe, green spaces and parks.”