London Assembly: Parks under Pressure and Funding

The London Assembly Environment Committee has published the report “Parks: Under pressure” (published 26 September 2025) following an investigation into funding challenges for London’s parks, climate adaptation needs, and inclusion.

• Main announcement/action: The Committee calls on the Greater London Authority (GLA) to fund the creation of new parks, support sustainable drainage systems and climate-adaptive planting in existing parks, and to fund Parks for London to develop resources (including case studies on innovative funding such as habitat banks for biodiversity net gain) and to create stronger links between parks and NHS health provision. The report notes London’s population has grown by over two million since 2000, cites a target of 88,000 new homes a year, and says local authority parks budgets have fallen by approximately 8% since 2008 while the capital’s population has risen by over 15%.

• Background and implementation details: The report recommends the new London Plan include minimum standards for green space per person and reaffirm access to high-quality green space within 800m (ten-minute walk). It also recommends the GLA fund a biennial (every two years) London-wide survey of parks users and volunteers to track diversity and barriers to volunteering, and highlights examples and resources to address strategic challenges facing parks. (Leonie Cooper AM, Chair of the Environment Committee, is noted as available for interview.)