Could Newcastle be one of the first places in the world to become a National Park City?

Newcastle is officially bidding to become one of the first places in the world to earn National Park City status.

London became the first city to gain the accolade earlier this week, and Newcastle is now campaigning to follow in the capital’s footsteps.

To become a National Park City, local leaders will have to prove that they are committed to improving Newcastle’s green credentials.

Control of the city’s 33 parks was handed over to a new charity earlier this year amid drastic budget cuts at Newcastle City Council.

The city was also revealed in 2018 as the UK’s tree-felling hotspot - cutting down almost twice as many as any other council in the country.

But the new Newcastle Parks and Allotments Trust has since promised major improvements - including infrastructure repairs, better bin and litter collections, and new community events.

Its chief executive, James Cross, said: “Becoming a National Park City signals our commitment to make life better for people and nature.

“I want our campaign to be a beacon that inspires communities in Newcastle and the wider region to value, cherish and celebrate our amazing parks, allotments and green spaces.

"That in doing so we feel happier, healthier and more fulfilled; that the places people care about are more vibrant and beautiful; and that people, nature and the local economy thrive.

“Over the summer we’ll be asking members of the public, businesses and community groups for their thoughts on what our shared ambition should be.

"How do we express our commitment to preserve our natural environment and how can we collectively make Newcastle a greener and healthier city.”

While there are not specific criteria that Newcastle will have to meet in order to obtain the status, the National Park City Foundation’s global charter describes it as “a place, a vision and a city-wide community that is acting together to make life better for people, wildlife and nature”.

It is hoped that 25 cities worldwide will have become park cities by 2025, with Glasgow, Galway, and Adelaide are campaigning to join the movement.

Tony Durcan, assistant director of transformation at Newcastle City Council, said: "Everyone can play a role in helping Newcastle become a National Park City, from gardening and planting at home to volunteering their time to help maintain our parks and allotments.

"It’s about communities across the city working together to embrace nature, making Newcastle greener and healthier.”

Daniel Raven-Ellison, who started the campaign to make London a National Park City six years ago, said it would be “an incredible opportunity to bring people together to reimagine what life in Newcastle could be like”.

Two of Newcastle’s Parks, Walker Park and Jesmond Dene, were recently awarded Green Flag status.

However, the city’s Lib Dem opposition has raised fears that the National Park City campaign “looks more like a PR gimmick than a genuine commitment to a more sustainable city”.

Coun Greg Stone said that while they “very much support efforts” to improve green spaces, the city’s recent record needed questioning.

He added: “Under the previous Lib Dem administration ten of the city's parks had Green Flag status, but that has fallen to just two.

"Newcastle has also received the dubious distinction of being the city which has lost the most trees in recent years, and we doubt that the National Park City scheme's sponsors, Keep Britain Tidy, will be hugely impressed that the council has cut the number of neighbourhood and park litter bins by a third.”

Government cuts forced the city council to slash its parks budget by 91% from £2.58m in 2010/11 to just £87,000 in 2017/18.