Tax rebates for volunteers proposed

Council tax rebates of up to £1,500 should be introduced for volunteers who help maintain parks, allotments and cemeteries, a report has recommended.

Swingeing cuts to local authority budgets mean there is a risk that the UK's green spaces will deteriorate or become the preserve of the wealthy, according to the Policy Exchange think tank.

It calls for a raft of reforms to secure the future of British parks, including introducing GP referrals to outdoor fitness classes for patients with mental and physical health problems.

Patients would pay the cost of a standard prescription charge for the "ecotherapy" and clinical commissioning groups would pick up the rest of the tab, with course organisers paying the local authority a fee for holding the classes.

Residents should be able to vote on whether compulsory levies are introduced on properties near parks and new housing developments with green space should include a long-term funding plan with developer contributions.

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The report calls for perks to be introduced to encourage "green guardians" to improve local facilities with rebates worth as much as the average council tax bill on offer.

Discounts should be set locally and based on the number of hours volunteered, it suggests.

Katherine Drayson, author of the report, said: "Britain's parks are the lungs of our great cities. They are an oasis of calm and tranquillity in an increasingly fast moving world. However, as local authority budgets have been squeezed, public funding on parks, cemeteries and allotments has declined sharply.

"The time has come for radical new thinking to safeguard our parks and make them more accessible to everyone in society. With people's disposable income still under pressure a 'green guardian' scheme that rewards local volunteers to help maintain their local parks with council tax rebates is just one way of protecting and enhancing our public green spaces."

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