Deadline moves for Telford green spaces vote

Telford & Wrekin Council’s Big Green Vote has been extended due to popular demand and is now due to end at midnight on May 20.

The extended voting period has been prompted by demand from volunteer groups along with parish and town councils which are keen to rally more supporters for the 96 Green Guarantee sites.

Slight changes have also been made to the way sites are named, making them easier for voters to find, with the top 50 sites receiving the most votes set to get up to £1,000 worth of funding.

Residents are encouraged to vote for their favourite council-owned green spaces categorised by woodlands, allotments, urban green spaces and amenity areas including playing fields and play areas. Telford & Wrekin Council’s cabinet member for leisure, green spaces and parks, Councillor John Minor, said: “Thank you to everyone who took part in the first round.

“It’s important that people vote as it is those who will help us allocate how the funds are spent. For example, if park benches are needed at a site, unless people vote the council won’t be able to engage with them and find out.

“We have been quite surprised by some of the feedback we’ve had about the Green Guarantee sites. People have shared childhood memories about areas they have spent time in growing up, they’ve also shared photographs and reasons about why the areas are so important to them.

“We’re especially keen to get people involved from areas where the voting has been low, particularly Woodside, Sutton Hill some areas of Madeley and even some allotment sites in Brookside and Admaston so we can help support the enhancement of these sites in a way that suits the users.”

The scheme is part of Telford’s 50th birthday celebrations and supports the protection and enhancement of urban green spaces in the borough. People are urged to vote via biggreenvote.telford.gov.uk

It hopes to encourage residents to set up friends groups which can then work with the council to enhance the areas in ways that suit each unique site best.

The 50 sites receiving the most votes will then be granted a share of £50,000 to help enhance them, for example, an allotment group could request additional equipment, grassland areas could receive new benches, wildflower seeds, spring bulbs or woodlands could receive new saplings or bird boxes.

The first round of voting saw more than 1,000 votes cast with people posting photos and comments about how much they value the green spaces around them.

As part of the Big Green Vote, a photo challenge was set up with people posting images along themes such as ‘green headspace’, ‘light and dark’ and ‘colours of spring’, among others.

This second round of 96 sites brings the total number of Green Guarantee areas to 200 in addition to village greens, Fields in Trust, 47 Local Wildlife Sites, 13 Local Nature Reserves (LNR) and eight Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

The project is also in line with the council’s commitment to promote health and well-being as living close to accessible green spaces can reduce levels of obesity, heart disease, reduce stress and levels of depression.

The £2m Telford 50 Legacy Fund supports a mix of physical schemes as well as other projects that help tackle key social issues in the borough and reduce demand on council services.