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We were delighted to learn that the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, enjoys walking. Consequently, we have called on him to expedite the promised green paper on access to nature.
Wes Streeting told The Observer (21 December) that he enjoys ‘the occasional solitary walk’ which allows him to ‘“decompress” from the stresses of politics’. Hainault Forest, in his Ilford North constituency, is his ‘happy place’, and the society has pointed out that it was instrumental in saving the Forest for the nation.
Explains Kate Ashbrook, the society’s general secretary: ‘Shortly after the society’s foundation as the Commons Preservation Society in 1865, it was alerted to the continuing inclosure of Hainault Forest. The society called a conference of influential people, raised the money to buy the Forest and vested it in London County Council, thereby securing it for all to enjoy.’
The London Loop in Hainault Forest. © Copyright Des Blenkinsopp and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Kate continues: ‘Wes Streeting will know better than anyone the benefits of walking for our mental and physical health and well-being with countless studies demonstrating this. However, disappointingly, 18 months after the election, we are still waiting for the government to increase our inadequate ration of public access to green spaces and countryside.
‘Every other postwar Labour government has enlarged our countryside freedom, and we anxiously await similar progressive action by current ministers. The Environmental Improvement Plan (commitment no 86) promises to ensure that everyone has access to green or blue spaces within a 15-minute walk from home—but offers no timetable.
‘Commitment no 91, which is aimed in part at the Department of Health and Social Care, is to: “Increase people’s time spent in nature for physical activity and nature-based activities to support both physical and mental health.” Clearly, to encourage people to spend time in nature, we need the places and spaces where they can go, which means good-quality, safe and accessible green spaces, and decent public paths, as a priority.
‘The proposed Access to Nature green paper, a crucial precursor to achieving these through legislation, is offered merely “before the end of this parliament” without allowing time for legislation before the election. We have no confidence that we shall see any change during this parliament; that is deeply worrying,’ Kate comments.
‘So we have called on Wes Streeting to do all he can to expedite the green paper, to enable these targets to be achieved in a timely fashion, for the health and well-being of our population.’