Paying for the upkeep of popular parks could be handed over to parish councils.

As part of a mass review, Lewes District Council is asking locals to give their views on the “fairest” way to pay for playgrounds and playing fields.

At the moment, the local authority claims residents could be paying twice for the upkeep of parks.

This is because some areas are looked after by town and parish councils and some by the district council.

 

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Councillor James Page, leader of Lewes District Council, said: “This is about a fairer system so people don’t pay twice for the same open space, which, we estimate, 75% are doing at the moment. “

"It is not about the ownership or maintenance of the facilities, or charging town councils extra.

“We want to see whether there is a simpler and fairer way of distributing the costs, so please take part in the consultation – an online survey, which is open until October 31.”

The open spaces owned and maintained by Lewes District Council are not evenly spread throughout the whole district.

This means the residents of some towns and villages are paying for both their locally owned open spaces, as well as those owned by the council which are not in their town or village.

For more details visit www.lewes.gov.uk.

The closing date is October 31 and the results will be consid- ered by the council’s cabinet on November 18 at 2pm.