How to pronounce worthwhile in English (1 out of 8 results in 0.004 seconds)

Good afternoon everyone. I'm speaking. to the Council on behalf of all campaign

groups across Liverpool through the. umbrella group Save Our Green Spaces

Liverpool. We're working to save. green spaces from being sold and to show

how much communities value their. local green spaces. Firstly, we want

to ask the Council and the Mayor once again. to respect the views of local people and

communities and. not just listen to their

preferred developers. whose objectives seem to be

for short-term economic gain at Liverpool's. long-term expense. Secondly we would like

to thank the Chair of. the Green and Open

Spaces Review Board. for taking the initiative

to hold public. consultation meetings even

though they did not always. achieve the standards

for consultation that we have a right to. expect from the Council. They were even so

review board is that it appears to have too. much emphasis on the costs of maintaining

green spaces and too little emphasis. on the protection of green spaces as

assets. The many and well evidenced. benefits of our parks and green spaces

are as highly valued for people's. health and wellbeing, recreation,

tourism and inward investment,. quality of life and environmental services

such as providing clean air as. well as a whole host of economic and

social factors. As has been said in. many green space group meetings,

open spaces and parks are an. asset to our city, not a problem. You

invest in your assets, you don't. eliminate them. This Umbrella Group

Save Our Green Spaces Liverpool. has been set up to clearly spell out these

assets and to protect our green. spaces. We intend not only to campaign

for them, but also to put financially. viable options for their future development

and for the development of brownfield. sites of the Council rather than accept

the current preference of selling. off green spaces to preferred

developers and losing our prime. green space assets. Thirdly, this city

seeks to be smart, attractive to. skills and investment, a great place

to live and work and forward. looking. This approach has to include

being green too if we are to compete. with modern cities of the future.

We expect the Council and our Mayor. to understand, be well informed and

intelligent about our city's assets. and we want them to understand and

respond to the values of local. communities again not just listening to

the selected few for short term. economic gain. We expect the Council

to utilise new initiatives to. build on brownfield sites including

for example the recent ???? report to. government which has been accepted

and that means that they are no able. to build Council houses using private

finance. This was indicated. in January this year by the

government and will be carried. forward we understand by any

subsequent government as best practice.. Finally, I think a lesson could be learnt

from the experience so far in how the. Council engages with community groups and

friends organisations over green. spaces. The Green Review Board is

one thing, but what we need is a. long-term mechanism from this Council

that allows community voices. to both be heard, responded

to, allowed to criticise and. oppose policy and also be

supportive in cases like this. when viable alternatives to building

development on green spaces are proposed.. There is a vast amount of passion,

skill, commitment and knowledge within. our communities that could be harnessed by

the Council to reach creative solutions. that are best for the city and its people

in the long-term. It's not a healthy. situation when communities have to

resort to a position of opposition as. a first step because lack of proactive

consultation and positive engagement. at an early stage. Perhaps the

green and open spaces review. approach can be improved going forward to

involve green space groups and. we would be more than happy as an

overarching umbrella group to. assist in setting up a model for this.

As Save Our Green Spaces Liverpool,. we are not opposed to building homes in our

city. We are opposed to building on. protected green spaces and selling them off

forever when suitable and viable. brownfield sites are available. We also

believe our Council's priority. should be to consider building using a

new government initiative. as we mentioned to

build houses, affordable. housing as they are

the most cost effective. housing for local people

but with the proviso. that instead of using

private funding, the Mayor and Council. should try and use available lending at low

percentage rates from. government coffers and

not recreate a situation. of PFI for housing.

We also need rented accommodation. in Liverpool for our homeless, poor

and working poor and Save Our. Green Spaces Liverpool want that too

but it can be done on brown field and. not on green spaces and definitely not

to line the pockets of developers or. finance companies. As a Labour run Council

it is your duty to look to the benefit. of your constituents and listen to

their views and to keep the lungs of. the city in our parks and open spaces.

We would also ask, sorry we would also. hope finally that in the Mayor's final year

he would want his legacy to be the. introduction of building thousands of homes

by the Council, affordable homes. for its people on brownfield sites

rather than be remembered for. building homes for the elite on places like

Sefton Park Meadows,. or to take on costly woods

in exchange for valued. grassland in Walton

Woods, taking away. Olive Mount Playing Fields

or to be involved in. moving a stadium of a local

football club onto Walton Hall Park that. is loved by all its residents. We want to

be heard and we. want to work with the

Council. We are not. saying don't build at all

we are saying build for the future,. for the people of Liverpool, not

for the developers and not on our. green spaces. Thank you for your time.