Countryside parks in the Moorlands to be transferred
'Staffordshire Wildlife Trust have great plans in place for the parks'
All countryside parks managed by Staffordshire Moorlands District Council are to be transferred to Staffordshire Wildlife Trust during the Spring time.
The announcement comes following a question raised at last week’s meeting of the district council’s service delivery overview and scrutiny panel.
At the meeting a written question was put forward by Councillor Lyn Swindlehurst.
She said: “In September 2019 the transfer of 11 sites to Staffordshire Wildlife Trust with a promised saving of £54,000 per year to Staffordshire Moorlands District Council was announced.
“My colleague Councillor Lytton Page posed a question 365 days ago to the Portfolio Holder asking what progress had been made with the transfer of Wetley Moor Common which is jointly owned by SMDC and Stoke on Trent City Council. We were assured progress is being made towards a conclusion. I have asked on several occasions in the year since about progress to be told it is progressing.
“This transfer has implications related to the Green Infrastructure plan and is also a very costly exercise to SMDC). So my question is can members be updated about progress that has been made on the transfer of Wetley Moor Common to Staffordshire Wildlife and when will this transfer materialise?”
In response, Councillor Joe Porter, who has the responsibility for climate change, said: “I’m pleased to be able to advise that progress with this project has gained pace in recent months. The work programme for this committee includes a report for members of this panel at the meeting due to be held on the 16th March 2022.
“This report will detail the work that has been undertaken on this project to date and the outcomes of this work, this being; the transfer of all of the Moorlands countryside sites to the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust (SWT) in Spring 2022 and any related financial savings.
“The project had been delayed due to SMDC waiting on key information in relation to Wetley Moor from Stoke on Trent City Council. This information is still awaited, however, officers at SMDC and SWT have developed an alternative proposal which the report will detail.”
Speaking at the meting, Mr Porter said: “A lot of hard work has gone into this. We have been waiting for the city council, but we now have a back up option.
“Staffordshire Wildlife Trust have great plans in place for the parks.”
