All Points East festival closes large sections of Victoria Park, east London during the schools Summer break (Picture: David Jones)
Desperate councils and profiteering event moguls are stealing one of the last havens from privatisation from under our noses. This summer, they’re going to close off large swathes of parks and charge access at often extortionate prices for those who can stump up the cash.
Increasingly, the stench of capitalism can be felt throughout these parks. From the paid-for splash pools to the Sunday morning farmers’ markets where people grab their expensive chutneys and artisan breads.
But the central problem isn’t that Birkenstock-clad, beanie-hatted gentrifiers are taking over our parks with their admittedly delicious food. It’s that this space is up for grabs at all.
It’s happening across Britain, but the day-festival land grab is particularly rampant in London. Victoria Park, otherwise known as the “The People’s Park,” in east London’s borough of Tower Hamlets is a good example.
All Points East, a festival that’s operated in the council‑owned park since 2015, charges £90 for each day of the event. That includes “Access to an extensive range of food and drink, plus toilets in the main arena”. Wow.
And then there is a range of VIP tickets that will set you back up to £165. Don’t rush, they’re sold out.
It’s not just Victoria Park or music. In April, hundreds of people churned up large parts of Finsbury Park in the north of the city when taking part in the “Tough Mudder” obstacle course run.
Tom Graham, co-chair of the Friends of Finsbury Park, blasted owner Haringey council’s attitude to the green space. He said last year the group counted 37 industrial-sized generators, hundreds of vehicles and a “moat” guarding a “military-style fence” on the park.
It had the effect of “reducing public space and creating an oppressive feel”. Why are local authorities allowing such an important part of city infrastructure to get hived off to private firms? It all comes down to cold, hard, cash.
Tower Hamlets council has suffered some £200 million cuts from central government in the last decade. So it’s not exactly surprising it’s desperately trying to monetise every asset it has. Nationally, just under a quarter of councils plan to axe arts and culture services, and a fifth will slash parks and leisure services such as swimming pools.
Local authorities across Britain are facing a £3.2 billion budget shortfall for the year 2022-3. It creates an absurd situation where supposedly public spaces become private, gated, playgrounds for those who can afford it.
And Tower Hamlets is already a borough of extremes. The skyline is dominated by skyscrapers with flats for the super‑rich and the looming profile of the Canary Wharf financial district. Meanwhile, on the ground, ordinary people are crammed into smaller and more overcrowded living spaces.
In England there are an average of three people per one football pitch-sized area of land. But in Tower Hamlets, that goes up to 112 people. The borough has the highest level of child poverty in the country, and some 56 percent of the borough’s children live in poverty—some 25 percentage points above the national rate.
These events aren’t happening evenly throughout the capital. It’s no accident that Hampstead Heath in more affluent areas of north London, or Richmond Park in leafy Kingston-Upon-Thames remain undisturbed.
For everyone, but especially for those living in congested urban areas, these green spaces are a welcome respite from the chaos, noise and pollution of the congested streets.
Parks aren’t just a break from the chaos of city life. They are supposed to be one of the few places left where people are freed from the expectation of spending money. They should be protected from the claws of the profiteers.
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