When it comes to local parks who's in the best position to judge how funds should be spent? The local people who use the site regularly and go to the trouble of setting up a friends group to promote it? Or a Sheffield City Council director who may, by a generous estimate, have visited the park once or twice?
The thought comes from hearing the words of Sheffield's Director of Culture and Environment responsible for parks and green spaces one of the city's 'Place Management Team'. He was speaking at a meeting of "Friends of" groups last week. He made the comment that local people are "not always right". Interpreting this suggests an implication that council officers, while not claiming infallibility, usually are. His words were in response to a comment to the effect that local people's priorities can get ignored. It has been raised before that local park users may have their own list of priorities raised with the department over several years which somehow manage to get bypassed when funds eventually become available only to be spent on a 'pet project', the latest fad, or some scheme that will look good in a glossy brochure or on an officer's CV.
I actually agree with him that local people can get things wrong in their demands and that a good parks department should be able to make balanced decisions on behalf of the whole city. Being totally focused on their own neighbourhood runs the risk of lack of perspective.
But equally working in a managerial cocoon and talking mainly to similar officers and managers at the town hall runs risks of losing the plot and lacking empathy with and understanding of those who are the consumers of management decisions. For us to accept the judgement of those who are often not prepared to open themselves to challenge and fully explain their actions is a big ask. It may lead us to believe they either don't know what they're talking about or have got something to hide.
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