Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think Middlesbrough should not lock the parks

62 replies

calllaaalllaaammma · 22/04/2020 12:04

The Mayor of Middlesbrough has decided that the people of Middlesbrough can't be trusted not to congregate in parks and they remain locked.
I'm sad as my dad is on his own there, we can't visit and he used to get a lot of pleasure walking the central Middlesbrough park.
There's lots of terraced housing there with young families with no gardens.
I understand there is a small increased risk but think they could police it and the attitude of the Mayor is high handed and condescending.
Vote Yes, re-open it
No, Keep it locked

OP posts:
HomeForever · 22/04/2020 14:04

What is worse is that he doesn't even live in the town so it is having no effect on him. It doesn't matter to him that the residents can't go to a park, not exactly "in it together".

It is an incredibly foolish decision and one that I hope he reverses quickly, people don't like being taken for fools.

HomeForever · 22/04/2020 14:10

On the whole people are following the rules, there is a small cohort in one part of the town who regularly aren't, but people generally are.

Original poster
calllaaalllaaammma · 22/04/2020 15:28

okiedokieme
Do you think the whole town should be punished because of the behaviour of a few?
I think most people are taking it pretty seriously.

OP posts:
Orangeblossom78 · 22/04/2020 17:05

It annoys me, why not open the park for walker and runners and police it if they are so bothered

It is not open spaces but mixing in homes and close contact which is the problem anyway.

Spodge · 22/04/2020 17:29

Communities secretary said specifically during one of the press briefings that councils must keep parks open and are being instructed to do so.

BogRollBOGOF · 22/04/2020 18:06

My council has closed car parks to the larger, more attractive, popular parks which is fair enough as it then stops crowding from additional people driving in from a wider area. Local people are still able to walk/ cycle in.

Closing parks completely is poor for the whole community especially if access to green space is already limited.

Blackandgreenteas · 22/04/2020 18:36

I’m not in Middlesbrough but people near me are bending the rules a lot re parks. I still think they should keep them open, as people have to be able to go somewhere!

maddy68 · 22/04/2020 18:38

It's a government instruction to keep parks open ?

opticaldelusion · 22/04/2020 19:30

This is perfectly fine. Rich people have gardens and don't need parks. Poor people don't matter.

Alsohuman · 22/04/2020 19:36

It's a government instruction to keep parks open ?

It is. The police were also advised not to tape benches over too.

RandomMess · 22/04/2020 19:46

Don't the poor areas of Teesside have the lowest life expectancy in the country? The documentary by the GP that one end of Stockton Lane to Eaglescliffe versus the other in Stockton and the difference was something like 20 years!

I reckon it will be pre existing conditions that is the issue, it all basically comes back to poverty Sad

Bella2020 · 22/04/2020 19:59

I think it's a big mistake on the part of the mayor. As usual, a whole group of people are being punished because of a few people who are selfish.

They should open Albert Park at the very least, maybe Stewart Park too, and the police should patrol them.

Most of my family are in Boro, but luckily they live right by a big, open space and have big gardens, too. Not everyone is in Nunthorpe, Marton or Brookfield. Its disgraceful that they are being punished, especially as the government have stated all parks should remain open.

tinytemper66 · 22/04/2020 20:01

All parks and cemeteries in my county in Wales have been closed.

ErrolTheDragon · 22/04/2020 20:05

Wasn't Roseberry Topping absolutely rammed just before the lockdown, with all the associated stop offs in the surrounding villages?

Roseberry Topping isn't actually very big, is it?

thebear1 · 22/04/2020 20:13

They should open Albert Park at least as it is nearest the town centre where people have yards rather than gardens or no outside space. I don't think the Mayor should be able to overrule central government.

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 22/04/2020 20:20

Yy Randommess.

Thing is, if vitamin d does turn out to be the important factor it currently looks like it might, making it even harder for poor people to access sunlight is just going to make things worse.

Orangeblossom78 · 24/04/2020 11:03

It is like punishing the worst hit areas. Just seen here our usual paid for gardens in the centre, have been opened by the council for health benefits. We have a low rate I know but this seems unfair to the other areas. They are not really gardens used for exercise either, but ornamental ones. I'm happy about this as they are lovely, but a bit surprised as usually the council is collecting cash from visitors to these gardens too.

Difficultcustomer · 24/04/2020 11:15

<a class="break-all" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-52354430?intlink_from_url=www.bbc.co.uk/news/localnews/2642607-middlesbrough/10&link_location=live-reporting-story" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">This BBC report gave reasoning - people not following lockdown rules in the park. Also very high death rate-

Last weekend the government told councils that all parks must remain open in order to "protect the health of the nation". But Mr Preston remains defiant.
"When it comes to Middlesbrough I know better than the government," he said.
"When the parks were open we saw people wrestling and messing about in them.

HomeForever · 24/04/2020 11:30

I rolled my eyes at that reasoning, if that was the truth then how come this isn't happening in the open green spaces.

Health outcomes in the area are awful, not having the green spaces open is a negative thing.

This is going to do much damage to his reputation, he is taking the town for fools, with his "I know better" no one likes being treated like naughty school children.

RandomMess · 24/04/2020 11:43

I wonder if it is actually a policing problem, they don't have enough police full stop.

Orangeblossom78 · 24/04/2020 14:05

It's not that, police had much less stuff to do for example policing events etc, here in the park there have been e.g. 2 on horses, one in a car and one on a bike. And no-one actually to break any rules. It has been way OOT. And now they have all vanished leaving the parks alone!

HomeForever · 06/05/2020 17:00

Well AP has done a massive U turn and has announced that the parks will open on Friday (he was slated in an article in the guardian yesterday). But half the townfolk are completely up in arms about it, I have no idea how they will react once BoJo announces any easing of a lockdown (whenever that may be). Honestly the comments on facebook (his page and on my personal page) makes MN look tame.

AP did absolutely back himself into a corner though, he went against government advice and annoyed a great deal of people whilst whipping the others into a frenzy about how everyone in the town will die if the parks were opened and now he is following government advice he is getting a backlash from those who have been whipped up.

HomeForever · 06/05/2020 17:05

This is perfectly fine. Rich people have gardens and don't need parks. Poor people don't matter.

Apparently it is just the rich labour supporters with nice houses and large gardens that are kicking up a fuss, the blue collar workers are quite happy to pound the streets.

KittenVsBox · 06/05/2020 17:12

Or, skeptically.
Open them for the bank holiday weekend, with decent weather predicted for the Fri (and Sun), show how incapable we all are at social distancing, and shut them all down again....
I think the vote was split 50:50 on reopening them a few weeks ago.

GoatyGoatyMingeMinge · 06/05/2020 17:19

Voted YANBU on the basis that your poll is unclear. But locking the parks is a very stupid idea!