FIELDS IN TRUST: Senior Parliamentarian Clive Betts MP joins Trustee Board
Sheffield South East MP, Clive Betts, has joined the Fields in Trust Council and will take on the voluntary Trustee role with immediate effect.
Over many years Clive has made regular use of public parks and green spaces as a keen cricketer, a former captain of the Parliamentary Football Team and training runs for his participation in the Sheffield Marathon.
He has served his hometown of Sheffield as an elected representative since 1976, first as a City Councillor and, since 1992, as a Member of Parliament. Clive's longstanding Chairmanship of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, in particular the oversight of the 2016 Parliamentary Inquiry into public parks, puts him in a unique position to contribute to our work protecting parks and green spaces for future generations. He was one of the first incumbent MPs to sign the Parks Protector Pledge during the 2019 UK General Election campaign.
Following the landmark decision of Liverpool City Council to legally protect their whole portfolio of parks and green space with Fields in Trust, Clive will play a key role in encouraging other local authorities across the country to replicate Liverpool's civic leadership, ensuring the benefits of green space access can be extended to more communities.
Fields in Trust Chair of Trustees, Jo Barnett, said: "Parks were one of the unsung heroes of the pandemic and they should be an important part of the green recovery plans. We believe this is a pivotal moment for the UK's parks and green spaces and Clive Betts joining the team will help us achieve a better outcome for our communities, now and for generations to come."
As he joins as a Trustee, Clive Betts MP said: "I'm really looking forward to working with Fields in Trust. Over the past year our parks have been valued more than ever, particularly by those people without access to private gardens, and yet the future funding and long-term access to these spaces is at risk. I look forward to working with Fields in Trust to champion, support and protect green spaces and secure the health and wellbeing benefits they provide."
Clive joins Fields in Trust's 13-member Council who meet quarterly to guide the work of the charity.
