Concerns about 'over-reliance' on green volunteers

'BURNOUT' COULD BE AN ISSUE SAY COUNCILLORS

- By JOE LOCKER Local democracy reporter

CONCERNS about an “over-reliance” on volunteers to help manage Nottingham’s parks and green spaces have been raised as the council looks to address the threat of burnout in the future.

More than 440 volunteers - known as Green Guardians - have been helping to look after the city’s green spaces, including the planting of 50,000 new trees in the last five years.

Nottingham City Council now says volunteer engagement is “a core part of operational delivery’ with the 400-strong army assisting with conservation priorities and community stewardship. They form part of the authority's efforts to make the city “greener, healthier, happier” under its green space strategy, which was adopted in October 2024.

However a new council paper says one threat to this aim is volunteer fatigue, and that sustaining such high levels of engagement may be difficult in the long-term.

Councillor Kirsty Jones, the leader of the Nottingham People’s Alliance opposition group, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service an “over-reliance on volunteers” was a concern.

Similar worries have been highlighted before, including with the management of the new Green Heart city park.