Natural England

In 2006, The Countryside Agency merged with others to form Natural England, who retain the minimal national responsibility for Millennium Greens they inherited from the CA.

A search of this website in early 2012 showed no real section about Millennium Greens and little reference to them. The single page which refered to them, did so in the following negative way:

{after the mistakes of Pocket Parks} Millennium Greens, the initiative which most closely resembled Doorstep Greens, was launched in 1996 by the Countryside Agency with support from the Millennium Commission. Its aim was to create 250 new areas of open public space by the year 2000. Inspired by Pocket Parks, it demanded an even greater commitment from communities, requiring them to purchase or lease their land and take complete responsibility for its future management. Although this initiative had evolved significantly from the Pocket Parks model,it had its own shortcomings, which included: for 999 year leases - rather than involving the whole community be a problem and lead to abandonment.''
 * • Over-strict rules, such as the requirement
 * • Legal and land-ownership complexities
 * • Too few volunteers - as with Pocket Parks
 * • Long-term unsustainability which may

The website changed during 2012 and this revealing information was removed.

Function of Natural England
Natural England describes itself on its website thus:

"Natural England is the government’s independent adviser on the natural environment. Established in 2006 our work is focused on enhancing England’s wildlife and landscapes and maximising the benefits they bring to the public. - We establish and care for England’s main wildlife and geological sites, ensuring that over 4,000 National Nature Reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest are looked after and improved."

Its function regarding Millennium Greens
As of 2012, Natural England have not continued with the Countryside Commission's original commitment to visit 10% of the Millennium Greens per year. N.E. is now mainly involved in administering the transfer of trusts in to the control of the local authority.

However, despite having no real funding allocated for Millennium Greens, Natural England do acknowledge that they have inherited what they call "oversight" of Millennium Greens and should be consulted immediately if any serious problems or planning issues arise on a Green. They maintain that transfering a trust into the hands of a local authority should be a last-ditch option.

From 2014,. they now have a section on their website with links to |legal team which trusts should contact if they are making legal changes etc.