COUNCIL chiefs will hand over responsibility for public parks to community groups to save money.

Worthing Borough Council wants local sports clubs and groups to take over management of open spaces and parks in the town in a bid to save £768,000 over the next decade.

The ‘Rethinking Parks’ scheme came in response to a government award fund that gives cash to innovative, community-focused projects across the UK.

Clive Roberts, executive member for the environment at Worthing Borough Council, said: “Winning this bid allows us to go ahead to transform the work with our communities and deliver a different and creative approach to parks management.

“We could be looking at, for example, a community sports club taking over management of a park or a voluntary group taking on a management aspect of their local green space.

“Our public parks are expensive to maintain so we have to work smarter in the future to keep up the high standards.”

The council has been given £100,000 from the Government’s Transformation Challenge Awards to push through its parks scheme.

With the cash it will create a brand-new and fully-funded post at the authority to work closely with voluntary groups, in particular The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) – a group that works to tidy up green spaces.

The council will share its experiences with its partner authority, Adur.

Julie Hopes, chief executive of TCV, said: “We are incredibly proud and excited to be working on this innovative approach to community-managed green open spaces in the area.

“By working in partnership with such forward thinking organisations as Adur and Worthing councils, we have a fantastic opportunity to give people a say in the development of their parks and spaces, and inspire community-led action for generations to come.

“Together, we hope to realise vibrant, sustainable communities, where the people living in them feel a sense of ownership and of being better connected to each other and their spaces.”