# New charitable body to run Royal Parks

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2016/02/24/new-charitable-body-to-run-royal-parks/
- Published: 2016-02-24T08:02:25+00:00
- Author: Melanie May

**The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has given the green light to
plans by [The Royal Parks Agency](https://www.royalparks.org.uk/) and the [Royal Parks Foundation](http://www.supporttheroyalparks.org/)
to create a new public corporation. **

The new charitable body will take over the role of managing the parks from The Royal
Parks Agency (TRP), which last year spent £36.6m maintaining the 5,000 acre estate.
It will also build on the role of fundraising currently undertaken by the Royal 
Parks Foundation (RPF).

According to The Royal Parks, maintaining standards is becoming increasingly challenging
as a result of high visitor numbers and decreasing government funding.

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It has said that the new charitable public corporation will be increasingly self-
sustaining, and will be able to manage the parks even more efficiently, with better
services provided at a lower cost while maintaining excellent visitor satisfaction.

It also believes that one single charitable body at arm’s length from government
can also present a more compelling case for support to corporate sponsors, private
donors and charitable trusts, as well as attracting new volunteers.

Andrew Scattergood, chief executive of The Royal Parks, said:

> “Bringing TRP and the Foundation together means our parks benefit from the best
> of both worlds, ensuring they remain among the most popular and best managed parks.
> “We will remain accountable for maintaining and conserving the parks for public
> enjoyment, and will have more freedom around how we raise and spend money. These
> include being able to plan and invest for the longer-term rather than on a year-
> by-year basis and operate more efficiently.”

Both organisations are now working together to create the new body, with the aim
of launching it by the end of this year.

The creation of the new body will also see a new board of trustees appointed. Recruitment
for its Chair has already been advertised publicly on the [Cabinet Office’s public appointments website](https://publicappointments.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/appointment/royal-parks-chair-vacancy/).

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