FEARS for the future of Radcliffe’s parks are growing after the council’s two remaining park ranger roles were axed.

The Radcliffe Times understands both rangers took voluntary redundancy, with one leaving his post last week and the second due to finish before the end of the month.

Park groups and volunteers say they were told by Bury Council officials that the rangers “made the decision to leave of their own accord” and will not be replaced.

This means the on-site presence of rangers in parks will cease, with public toilets closed unless community groups volunteer to open them.

Environmental Health officers will now enforce litter and dog fouling, and health and safety inspections will be carried out by Bury Council’s remaining parks and countryside staff.

It is believed there is one remaining ranger who is currently on secondment from Bury Council to a post in Manchester but is not likely to return in the near future.

Colette Jones, from Friends of Close Park, said: “We are distraught all the good work from over the years has been lost, and feel like we are going back to square one.

“Our biggest problem now is we are concerned the public will blame the friends groups if anything goes wrong in the parks.

“The other disappointment is that now we will not have a contact from the council who will come to our meetings, so we cannot feed back any issues and problems.”

In 2013, Bury Council reduced ranger posts from eight to three as part of an £8.7 million savings package – on top of a budget reduction of £9.8 million.

Last year, the authority announced it needed to make £15.8 million of cuts in 2015-16 – meaning by the end of this year it will have made cuts of £53.7 million since 2010.

A spokesman said: “The ranger service has, of late, benefited from the support of volunteers.

“That will continue, along with friends groups, by retaining a support infrastructure and a resource to provide help, advice and guidance with events, activities and external funding bids within our parks and countryside areas.

“Tool talks and volunteer development will also continue on a reduced basis and the toilets in parks will be available at events when they can be opened up by volunteers.”

Raffaele Tuccillo, chairman of the Bury Voluntary Rangers Service, said the news was “disappointing” but not a surprise and the group had been preparing to stand alone.

Last year, volunteer rangers carried out 640 jobs– assistance worth £34,000 to Bury Council – and are expecting to exceed that figure in 2015.

Despite 95 per cent of the work they do being on council land, they have now been told they must hold their own insurance as the authority will not fund this.

The rangers now also have to move their equipment out of council storage and into their own container at Burrs Country Park, at a cost of around £3,000.

Mr Tuccillo said: “We have been pushing towards self-sufficiency by compiling our own work programmes, having task and patrol leaders in place and drawing up action plans for the sites we work in – so we are in a strong position.

“The next couple of months will be hairy, but I have every confidence we will meet this particular challenge.”

The group, which is non-profit making, is applying for grants to pay for the storage container but is currently looking for a sponsor to help it fund this.

Mr Tuccillo added: “Our aim is to make sure the borough’s parks, public open spaces and footpaths are kept in good condition for the benefit of users.

“We are reassuring friends groups and other community organisations that we can work together and help each other by determining projects of mutually beneficial work.”

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