From: Pete Fawcett, author, gardener, Cleckheaton.

Bradford Council has allocated £300,000 in the Bradford Council budget, (not extra from the Government). Bradford is investing in its Parks - a wise decision.

The performance in the last 25 years of Kirklees Council in regards to parks is one of constant year-on-year decline.

Parks have their place to play, but due to a lack of concern and love their funding has been reduced year-on-year - until now the funding hardly exists.

Early autumnal views around Wilton Park.

placeholder image — Early autumnal views around Wilton Park.

It is wrong to cut funds for parks which use less money to provide a lot of benefits.

Wellbeing, the pleasure of colour and making towns look brighter at very little cost.

So why are they treated in this way when they could do so much to improve people's lives at very little cost.

I have a photo of Peter Walker, the Cleckheaton Memorial parks gardener, standing proudly with his work (assisted by me) in 2009, when there were 18 flower beds.

The few that remained have been filled in (roughly) this winter a bit of grassseed has been thrown down.

It is an insult and a disgrace for Kirklees council to abandon parks. They have been treated so badly.

All the past gardeners of Kirklees are saying that for what is left now, the grass might as well be tarmaced over and turned back into the fair ground. Then at least we would have the car park free.

If not for the friends group Cleckheaton in bloom, the town would have no flowers or beauty at all.

It is not for the lack of money that Kirklees has abandoned the parks - millions have been spent on expensive whims, under the watch of this same Kirklees Council, this decline has been getting worse every year.

The parks of Kirklees have no pride left. It has been taken from the gardeners - who are the salt of the earth, a fact which Bradford council to their credit can clearly see.