Park ranger service faces the axe

The Scarborough ranger service is also in the front line of helping people who sleep rough. It partly pays for itself by deterring vandalism in the local parks and public buildings.

Following the decision to scrap it, protests from councillors and the public have led to the service being granted a year's reprieve – though its future cannot be guaranteed beyond that.

Scarborough Council launched the scheme eight years ago to patrol the areas for yobs between 2pm and 11pm. Just two rangers are employed, working split shifts, and one is always at the end of an advertised mobile phone number.

Their role has evolved to include links with community groups and working with schools, facilitating visits to parks, open spaces and the council's nurseries.

The rangers attend many community and other large-scale events and provide a security function with patrols in the vicinity of many council buildings and property.

They deal with some incidents of antisocial behaviour directly and pass information to other agencies when appropriate.

But as part of across-the-board cuts by the town hall, all senior bureaucrats were set a target to achieve "financial efficiencies" and savings for the financial year 2010-11.

The target for the tourism section was 510,000. One proposal was to axe the two park ranger posts along with the removal from the council's fleet of the park ranger's vehicle to save an estimated 45,000 per annum.

Some councillors have raised concerns about this particular savings proposal and the town hall also received a number of objections. Details of the objections received will now figure in a review of the service.

In the light of the protests, it was agreed that the overview and scrutiny committee would launch a review the park ranger service which will see if there are any outside funding-bodies who could keep it going.

A report by head of tourism Brian Bennett has underlined that although small the ranger service plays a front line role in tackling social problems.

He said: "Some of the objections related to activities that contribute to the work of the Safer Communities Partnership such as reducing incidents of anti-social behaviour and dealing with the homeless sleeping in public places.

"The service therefore impacts upon the local police, local community action policing partnerships and other groups and agencies."

Mr Bennett argued the local Police, Safer Communities Partnership and other relevant stakeholders and groups should also have a say on the impact of the park ranger service and implications for them if it were to disappear.

He continued: "The reduction in antisocial behaviour can encourage use of parks and open spaces by a wider range of the community.

"The reporting of homeless sleepers in parks to the relevant agencies can assist such vulnerable individuals."

Finances have been made available for 2010-11 to enable the service to continue while the review is being carried.

But the threat to the service remained because there was no more money in the current budget.

"So if the service continues beyond the financial year 2010-11 funds will have to be identified – hence the importance of the review including looking at opportunities for external funding," Mr Bennett added.

The review process will start on Wednesday. The team of four councillors is expected to report back on its initial findings in May and July and deliver a final report in September.