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December 2025 Special Feature 30 Year Anniversary Feature
Fix the parks to prove you can fix the country, say voters A national mission to restore and improve the quality of Britain’s parks and green spaces could help restore trust in government at a moment when confidence in politics is disintegrating, according to new research by public opinion research agency and thinktank More in Common. The report finds the proportion of Britons who believe the Labour Government will improve their lives has halved from 54 per cent immediately after the General Election to just 27 per cent now. Only half (57 per cent) of 2024 Labour voters expect the government to improve their lives. Labour is retaining just 34 per cent of these disillusioned voters. This collapse in confidence in the government’s ability to change voters lives’ for the better is driving voters to alternatives including Reform. The report also finds that few Britons have faith in the Labour Government’s mission to restore
pride in place in Britain - only a quarter (26 per cent) of Britons expect the government to help improve their local communities.
The report finds that parks and green spaces are Britons’ largest source of pride in their local communities. This is true for voters from across the political spectrum including Reform UK voters. The research finds that Britons, across the political spectrum, think the mental health boost they bring is the most important benefit of having access to green spaces. The report finds overwhelming support for a full suite of potential policies to improve Britons’ access to green spaces.
change that and restoring pride in Britain’s communities will be crucial to achieving this. “Demonstrating tangible improvements to Britons’ lives and communities in the next three and a half years will be tough, particularly on the more structural challenges Britain faces around the NHS, cost of living and immigration.
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“Parks and green spaces represent low-hanging political fruit - meaningful improvements which Britons will notice and appreciate, and can be delivered with minimal resources.
Report author Chris Annous, Associate at More in Common, said: “Britons voted for change at the last election, but do not feel the Labour Government is delivering this.
“Delivering these upgrades won’t just be good in their own right improving parks and green spaces holds more potential to restore confidence in the government’s ability to make Britons’ lives better and win votes at the ballot box than politicians seem to realise.”
“If they are to retain power at the next General Election, Labour must
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Report warns of widespread drought in 2026 England will experience worse levels of drought next year if this winter is drier than normal, the Environment Agency has warned. The environmental regulator has released its Drought Prospects Report, examining the wet weather needed through the winter to ensure the country’s current low water levels recover by spring 2026. Despite recent rainfall, the drought situation across the country is still precarious following a record dry spring and a continued run of heatwaves and dry weather throughout the summer. The new report analyses three different rainfall scenarios over winter and what each one
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would mean for water security across England’s regions ahead of next year’s traditionally drier months. Without average rainfall, most of England will experience a drought with widespread impacts felt by consumers, farmers, businesses, and nature. Director of Water at the Environment Agency, Helen Wakeham, said: “There will be a drought next year, unless we get sustained rainfall through the winter. “The severity of that drought will depend both on the weather and the actions we take over winter following this very dry year.” Water Minister Emma Hardy welcome the recent rainfall but
Hedge & Verge added the prolonged dry weather throughout this year continues to pose risks water supplies. “We continue to work with the National Drought Group and water companies to maintain supplies for communities
across the country,” minister added.
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“Climate change means we will face more frequent, severe droughts and flooding in the years ahead. That’s why this government is taking decisive
action to secure our longterm water resilience, which includes building nine new reservoirs and investing in new pipes to reduce leakage.”
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