More than 440 volunteers – known as Green Guardians – have been helping to look after the city’s green spaces
Volunteer worries have been highlighted before, including with the management of the new Green Heart city park(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)
Concerns about an ‘over-reliance’ on volunteers to help manage Nottingham’s parks and green spaces have been raised as the council looks to address the threat of burnout in the future.
More than 440 volunteers – known as Green Guardians – have been helping to look after the city’s green spaces, including the planting of 50,000 new trees in the last five years.
Nottingham City Council now says volunteer engagement is “a core part of operational delivery”, with the 400-strong army assisting with conservation priorities and community stewardship.
They form part of the authority’s efforts to make the city “greener, healthier, happier” under its green space strategy, which was adopted in October 2024.
However, a new council paper says one threat to this aim is volunteer fatigue, and that sustaining such high levels of engagement may be difficult in the long term.
Cllr Kirsty Jones, the leader of the new Nottingham People’s Alliance opposition group, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service an “over-reliance on volunteers” was a concern.
Similar worries have been highlighted before, including with the management of the new Green Heart city park.
“The paper also shows that the small number of people actually employed are from grant funding, so likely to be fixed-term contracts which is not a great condition to work under,” she said.
“When putting through councillor casework about trees we get instructed to allow 60 to 90 days for a tree officer to respond.
“Overall, it seems like full-time, permanent and qualified professionals are being replaced by insecure fixed-term contracts and volunteers. It could be a similar case with Clean Champions too.
“I think it’s all reminiscent of the ‘Big Society’ idea from [David] Cameron et al. Starve public services through austerity and expect there to be volunteers to pick up the pieces.”
The council says the strategy was developed to enhance the quality, accessibility, and sustainability of the city’s green spaces, recognising their vital role in improving public health, fostering community wellbeing, and supporting biodiversity
Under the strategy the authority has been aiming to create greener, more connected neighbourhoods that offer nature-rich, beautiful spaces.
The council says two positive examples of this work include the Green Heart and the investment in the Victoria Embankment paddling pool.
Cllr Andrew Rule, of the Nottingham Independents and Independent group, emphasised the need for “balance”.
“My reading of the paper is that we don’t currently have volunteers with burnout, but it is a risk in the future,” he said.
“I would compliment that they have identified that, but what are they going to do to manage this?
“With volunteers there is always a balance to be had, and I think this is what they may be finding with some of the Clean Champions; some people just want to go out incognito to help, and not be part of the council.
“I think volunteers have their place as long as they are not ultimately managed in a way by the council that they end up filling a gap as free labour.
“We should encourage volunteers to take pride and contribute to their areas in which they live if they have the time to do so. I would never be saying the council knows better, these volunteers have much more visibility of what is going on. With the best will in the world the council cannot be everywhere all at once, and neither should it be.
“But the council should not be seeking to stifle or control the volunteers.”
A review of the strategy will be discussed at a meeting on Wednesday (January 7).
The strategy further ties into the council’s aim to become carbon neutral by 2028.
The paper says the strategy has many strengths, with notable achievements including the shortlisting of the Broadmarsh for the National Architecture & Landscape Awards, as well as numerous parks being awarded Green Flag status.
A recent service redesign has also helped create ten job posts, with some of these now being used to “scale delivery and strengthen both strategic planning and operational capacity”.
