Green Flag Award to be extended for five more years

The government will renew the Green Flag Award, making sure that Britain’s best parks and green spaces will be recognised and rewarded, Marcus Jones has announced.

The Parks and Green Spaces Minister Marcus Jones made the announcement in Rugby, a town which has itself won four Green Flag awards.

For two decades, the Green Flag Award has recognised the best outdoor spaces in the UK, allowing visitors to find quality parks and other green spaces to enjoy, and setting standards for park managers across the country. Many parks have won the award, but unusual spaces have too, such as social housing developments, cemeteries, canals and shopping centres.

The award is run on behalf of the government to Keep Britain Tidy, an environmental charity that campaigns for people’s right to live and work in a place of which they can be proud.

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has operated the scheme under a licence to Keep Britain Tidy since 2012, and the renewal ensures it will continue until 2022.

Jones said: “I am very happy to confirm that the Green Flag Awards will be continuing, championing Britain’s excellent parks and green spaces and the people behind them.

“These awards are valuable not least because they reward local authorities and communities for their dedication to the great outdoors - and give locals and tourists an easy way to find quality spaces to get outside, exercise and play.”

Allison Ogden-Newton, chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy, said: “We welcome the extension to the Green Flag Award licence as we know how important the scheme has been in the renaissance of our parks over the past 20 years.

“We are delighted that the announcement is being made in Rugby as they have shown how people benefit from the provision of quality parks and green spaces in particular in encouraging people to live healthier and more active lives.”