2021-03-31-accounts

Annual Report & Accounts

Company Number: 10016100 ~~during the year of the pandemic~~ royalparks.org.uk

1

The Year at a Glance

45,000 blue and white flowers in the NHS beds outside Buckingham Palace

£110k

raised through 20 bench and tree dedications

----- Start of picture text -----
35.5%
lower carbon footprint
than in 2019/20
----- End of picture text -----

35,000 views – Great Exhibition virtual reality tour

10-year biodiversity framework developed

11,078 300

hours (15 months) to pick deer born up litter in one month every year (June 2020)

11 ponds restored or created

65% reduction in reported instances of dogs chasing deer during birthing season

Company Number: 10016100

royalparks.org.uk

2

Contents

	Page
Chairman’s Statement	4
Message from the Chief Executive	5
Strategic Report (including Directors’ Report)	6
How The Royal Parks Responded to Covid	8
Key Strategic Projects Achieved	10
How the Individual Parks Coped with Covid	21
Key Performance Indicators and Targets	25
Energy and Carbon Reporting	27
Looking Forward	30
Structure, Governance and Management	31
Financial Review	39
Statement of Trustees‘ Responsibilities	43
Independent Auditor’s Report	44
Patron, Trustees, Senior Management and Advisors	47
Statement of Financial Activities	48
Balance Sheet	49
Statement of Cash Flows	50
Notes to the Accounts	51

3

Chairman’s Statement

I am pleased to introduce this year’s annual report and accounts, which sets out some of The Royal Parks’ achievements over the past extraordinary 12 months.

Quite clearly this has been an exceptional year for everyone including our organisation. The pandemic has presented enormous challenges and affected almost every element of the way we operate. As the country went into lockdown in March 2020 and everything stopped, parks became one of the few leisure activities city-dwellers could enjoy as a family. Green spaces offered vital refuges, providing a place to walk, jog, run, play and engage with nature - or quite simply enjoy the peaceful surroundings and make time for quiet reflection.

Loyd Grossman, Chairman

As the coronavirus restrictions tightened, the public appreciation of nature and green space grew. Those who might have taken the parks for granted before Covid, started to value them more. People realised how much better they felt when they spent time outside, breathing fresh air, listening to birdsong and appreciating the flowers and trees around them. As the strain of lockdown intensified and the effects of social isolation started to have an impact on people’s mental health, the parks became a safety valve for so many.

As a result, it’s clear that the number of visitors to The Royal Parks has grown enormously this year; this has been wonderful to see but has also brought increased costs, such as more litter collection, and greater wear and tear on paths and other infrastructure. At the same time, with most of our big events cancelled and cafés and other concessions closed, our income declined significantly through the year. This has forced us to reduce and defer expenditure on maintenance of the parks, which cannot be sustained otherwise the park environments will deteriorate. Despite this, I am immensely proud of the fact that we have managed to maintain the exceptionally high standards that people expect of us.

As we now begin to emerge from the pandemic, the focus is very much on looking forward and thinking about the long term. Whilst we are still grappling with the short-term impact of Covid, the key challenge we face in the coming years is how to balance the management of the parks’ natural and historic landscapes with the increase in visitors and the changing use of the parks. As the parks continue to become more and more crowded - while at the same time being under huge pressure from the impact of climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, and animal and plant disease - we must think differently about managing them so that these precious spaces are protected for future generations.

Sustainability must be at the heart of everything we do, and the parks must be made more resilient to all the pressures they face at a time when they have never been more important to people. We also need to better understand what people want from the parks when they come to visit in order to be able to plan and respond appropriately. This includes building a strong brand presence so that people are aware of what we stand for and that we are a charity. It is important to be welcoming in everything we do, and we will be working to improve our communication with visitors and the public. None of this is easy, and involves reviewing our entire business model and looking at how to operate more effectively in the future. This is still a work in progress and we don’t yet have all the answers, but we are hoping to be in a position shortly to launch a new long-term strategy for the charity which will focus on how to respond to these challenges in a post-Covid world.

Thank you to everyone who has supported The Royal Parks during this extraordinary year. As custodians of these special places, and together with our many partners, supporters and volunteers, we will do all we can to ensure the parks remain a jewel in the nation’s crown today and in the future

LOYD GROSSMAN CBE Chairman

Company Number: 10016100

royalparks.org.uk

4

Message from the Chief Executive

This year we have witnessed an incredible new-found appreciation for the parks, and our priority has been to keep them open for everyone who needs them. I am hugely appreciative and immensely proud that we have achieved so much under very challenging circumstances, not least because so many of us have had to work from home balancing work commitments with childcare and other caring responsibilities.

In March 2020, few of us would have predicted that many of the lockdown measures imposed then would still be in place over a year later.

Andrew Scattergood, Chief Executive

As the pandemic took hold in this country, with many businesses closed and travel restricted, it was incredible to see how everyone in the organisation came together so quickly and focused on doing whatever was needed to keep the parks open, while maintaining the safety of those who work in and visit the parks. This was a huge collective effort from all, including contractors, concessionaires and licence holders.

Our Board of Trustees met more frequently to provide leadership and make strategic decisions in times of huge uncertainty. We held daily senior management meetings to respond to evolving and changing guidance and new challenges. We needed to work quickly to put management systems, risk assessments and work policies in place, in order that the parks could remain open and were safe for staff, contractors, concessionaires and visitors.

We saw an enormous rise in the number of visitors to the parks as people sought ways to cope with stress and anxiety, to engage with nature, and to exercise and socialise safely. The parks became a vital lifeline for many Londoners – particularly for those with little or no outside space – and this has remained the case.

As with many other organisations, we have had to manage the consequences of the drop in income resulting from the pandemic. All our capital projects and much of our planned maintenance are on hold, and we have had to make other cuts to expenditure where we could. We were very grateful to receive a Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage grant of around £1m to support our recovery and, as we come out of the pandemic, we are now looking at new ways to generate income including through growing our fundraising and new commercial opportunities.

Being able to keep the parks open and maintained to a high standard at the height of Covid – providing a ‘natural health service’ for millions of people when they needed it most – was our single biggest success of the year, and one which staff, contractors and volunteers should be extremely proud of.

Whilst the long-term impact of Covid on the charity and its income is not yet clear, it is likely to be significant. But I am confident that with a new strategy and a strong team of staff, contractors, volunteers and partners in place, we will be able to navigate the challenges we face.

ANDREW SCATTERGOOD Chief Executive

Company Number: 10016100

royalparks.org.uk

5

Strategic Report (including Directors’ Report)

Who we are and what we do

The Royal Parks is the charity responsible for managing some of the world’s most famous parks in one of the world’s greatest capital cities. The parks comprise 5,000 acres of beautiful, natural and historic royal parkland across London. Our role is to protect and enhance this parkland for the permanent benefit of the nation, so that visitors can enjoy access to exceptional public green spaces in the heart of a world-leading city.

The eight Royal Parks, and the other remarkable green spaces we look after, have been part of the fabric of London for centuries, and some of them are among the most visited attractions in the UK. They contain listed landscapes, biodiverse environments and rare habitats. This includes 170,000 trees, 21 lakes and ponds, 15 miles of river, wildflower meadows, formal flowerbeds, Sites of Special Scientific Interest and a diverse variety of wildlife, including around 1,000 wild deer.

The parks are uniquely placed to play a significant role in improving the health and wellbeing of millions of Londoners, as well as providing beautiful green spaces for national and international visitors to enjoy. In a normal year they provide the stage for state visits, ceremonial events and popular entertainment, as well as day-to-day beauty, rest and recreation for all who live in, work in or visit London.

It is our responsibility to consider the needs of all park users and to encourage new people to discover what the parks have to offer, balancing activity and relaxation with conserving the parks’ environment and heritage. Research has shown that spending time in green space makes people feel better, and that has never been more apparent than this year. The parks have been a salvation for millions of Londoners during the pandemic, staying open throughout to provide access to nature and beauty when people needed it most.

The parks and green spaces we manage

The eight Royal Parks we look after are: Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, St James’s Park, The Green Park, The Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill, Greenwich Park, Richmond Park and Bushy Park. The majority were originally royal hunting chases before much of the land was seized during the Reformation, and in the succeeding centuries the parks were gradually opened to the public.

The parks are owned by the Crown and primary responsibility for them rests with The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). In March 2017, The Royal Parks was established as a charity to manage the parks under a contract for services with DCMS.

In addition to managing the green space, the charity is responsible for: all the roads within the parks, including The Mall and Horse Guards Parade; some 800 structures, including national monuments such as the Albert Memorial; residential lodges; ceremonial gates; and other buildings.

The charity also looks after other exceptional public spaces in the city, including Grade I listed Brompton Cemetery in West London and Victoria Tower Gardens in the heart of Westminster. Additionally, we care for the gardens of 10 and 11 Downing Street.

How we run the parks

Each park has a core team led by a Park Manager. Most of the activities to maintain and run the parks – including landscape maintenance, litter collection, facilities management, gate locking and unlocking, and toilet provision – are carried out by teams of contractors.

The Royal Parks’ own arboriculturists, wildlife officers and ecologists work closely with the Park Managers, caring for the trees and wildlife, advising on species protection and habitat management, preparing impact assessment reports and overseeing ecological surveys.

The parks contain a large number of buildings and monuments, as well as bridges, roads, footpaths, 15 miles of boundary walls, fences, gates, rivers, reservoirs and dams, all of which have to be maintained. The buildings include park offices, art galleries, an open-air theatre, a wedding venue, education facilities, stables, police stations and cafés. The work to manage all these buildings is carried out by a small core staff team. The team also oversees new developments in the parks including major refurbishments.

The charity employs landscape architects, who manage landscape improvements in the parks, undertake surveys and research, and produce long-term park management plans. Visitor facilities including catering, organised sports, cycle facilities for people with disabilities, boating and deckchairs are provided by third party companies. The exception to this is The Hub at The Regent’s Park, which is operated by The Royal Parks and offers a wide range of sporting and recreational activities.

Company Number: 10016100

royalparks.org.uk

6

Our aims and objectives

The Royal Parks’ charitable objects are:

• to protect, conserve, maintain and care for the Royal Parks, including their natural and designed landscapes and built environment, to a high standard consistent with their historic, horticultural, environmental and architectural importance;

• to promote the use and enjoyment of the Royal Parks for public recreation, health and wellbeing, including through the provision of sporting and cultural activities and events which effectively advance the objects;

• to maintain and develop the biodiversity of the Royal Parks, including the protection of their wildlife and natural environment, together with promoting sustainability in the management and use of the Royal Parks;

• to support the advancement of education by promoting public understanding of the history, culture, heritage and natural environment of the Royal Parks and (by way of comparison) elsewhere; and,

• to promote national heritage including by hosting and facilitating ceremonies of state or of national importance within and in the vicinity of the Royal Parks.

In our current three-year strategy (2018-2021), we have four overarching objectives which guide us in everything we do.

Whilst these objectives have continued to steer us in the right direction, our progress against them has been impacted by the pandemic in different ways and to varying degrees.

Our strategic priorities are:

Protecting & Conserving

This reflects our commitment to protecting the parks’ historic landscapes and natural environment. We also preserve the biodiversity of the parks at a time when they are under ever-increasing pressure from environmental challenges, including climate changes, pests and diseases, and increasing visitor numbers.

Building a People & Welcoming & Improving Secure Future Partnerships This focuses on This underlines This acknowledges improving visitors’ the need to futurethe value of our experience by making proof our financial team and the wide sure we add value to model by developing range of partners every visit. This will help sustainable and and supporters visitors to value the diverse income who work with us parks more and adopt streams and ensuring to make the parks behaviours that help us that we deliver our such special places. manage them. services efficiently.

Welcoming & Improving

Company Number: 10016100

royalparks.org.uk

7

How The Royal Parks Responded to Covid

Lockdown 1 – how we managed park operations

The year started a week into the first lockdown when we were all getting used to dramatically changed lives. The Royal Parks immediately shifted its focus to responding to the crisis and we concentrated all our efforts on three operational priorities: keeping the parks open; keeping the public, staff and contractors safe; and continuing to manage the parks to the highest possible standard. At the same time, we had to adapt to new ways of working with many staff working from home.

The parks became a lifeline for Londoners, providing fresh air, green space, closeness to nature and wildlife, a change of scene, and respite from the uncertainty of the new world in which we found ourselves. With very few places to go, people started coming regularly for their daily exercise. Gradually, many visitors realised just how important the parks were for mental as well as physical health. What we saw with our own eyes is backed up by research from VisitEngland which showed, in March 2021, a 68% increase on normal levels of people planning to take trips to outdoor areas and outdoor attractions, and to take part in outdoor activities. We have been overwhelmed by messages from visitors thanking us for keeping the parks open, and sharing their photos and special memories of their daily visits.

“I wanted to thank everyone who works so hard to keep our local park so beautiful. We have lived in Hampton Hill for 27 years and have been regular visitors to the park, but never more so than in the past 3 months when we have got to know the park in a new way as the seasons have changed. It has been such a blessing to us in these difficult times; friends and neighbours have said the same. All your hard work is so appreciated!” (Bushy Park visitor)

We responded quickly to Government requirements, as did contractors and concessionaires; facilities in the parks such as cafés, playgrounds, sports provision and public toilets were forced to close. We closed areas of the parks where people would be unable to stay 2m apart, including the Isabella Plantation in Richmond Park; for a while, Richmond Park was closed to both cars and cyclists to help manage the number of visitors.

“I love the royal parks! They’ve honestly saved the mental health of Londoners.” (Instagram message)

“Thank you so very much for the hard work which you and your colleagues are all putting in on our behalf to keep the Park looking so wonderful. I take my dog there at 5.30am and there are already members of your staff working there. I hope you all know what it means at this time to have such a beautiful space to go to; it’s a lifesaver. So thank you and your team so very very much. It is not taken for granted.” (Vsitor to The Regent’s Park)

All learning sessions in the parks for schools, families, adults and community groups were cancelled. Instead, the team created digital learning resources that people could access from home.

Events were cancelled and filming in the parks was halted for some months. This, combined with the closure of catering outlets, impacted income. Expenditure was reduced by postponing capital projects and all but urgent maintenance work to help alleviate the pressure on finances. However, as we inherited a substantial maintenance backlog requiring investment, the impact of Covid on our income will be felt for many years to come. See Financial Review on page 39.

Meanwhile, most of our everyday work carried on as usual, albeit with strict new Covid policies in place. The Park Managers and Assistant Park Managers helped staff and contractors navigate their way through the rapidly changing situation, while ensuring the presentation of the parks remained of a high standard. The wildlife officers continued to look after the pelicans, waterfowl, deer and other animals that call the parks home. The arboriculture team carried out essential tree maintenance work. Our contractors, including gardeners and litter-pickers, were a constant presence throughout lockdown.

We re-deployed staff members from teams where activities could not take place due to lockdown to those that were busiest and, between May and August 2020 we furloughed up to 50 staff who could not be redeployed.

“As a resident of Blackheath, may I thank your gardeners for the fantastic displays they put together in the flower garden (quite the best ever) this year and the rose garden. Also your cleaning staff sorting out the disgraceful litter so promptly. Without Greenwich Park lockdown would have been far harder. Thanks again.” (Greenwich Park visitor)

Company Number: 10016100

royalparks.org.uk

8

April 2020 saw glorious sunny weather and, as lockdown continued, people started meeting and picnicking in groups against Government guidance. As some London parks made the difficult decision to close due to overcrowding, our messaging became stronger: people needed to adhere to the guidelines or the parks would have to close. We worked with other parks across London, including Hampstead Heath, Epping Forest, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and Lee Valley Regional Authority, to write a joint ‘Letter to Londoners’, urging people to stay at home at the weekends and use the parks safely and responsibly. This was covered widely in the media and on social media. New park signage was also created to reinforce social distancing.

The easing of lockdown restrictions

The easing of restrictions after the first lockdown, combined with the good weather, saw visitor numbers increase. After being forced to spend so much time at home, people flocked to the parks with friends and family to enjoy all that they had to offer. With catering and toilet facilities still closed, however, this presented a number of challenges for the park management team and contractors, as well as visitors. These included fouling, vandalism, graffiti and dangerous cycling. There was also 35%-50% more litter in June 2020 compared to 2019. A high proportion was just left on the ground, taking 11,078 hours to collect, and resulting in more opportunities for wildlife to ingest inappropriate food.

In response to this behaviour, we changed our communications in the parks and online. The message was simple: behaving thoughtlessly has a direct impact on other park visitors and on the natural environment, so please take responsibility for your own actions. We launched a campaign called ‘Summer of Kindness’, encouraging everyone to work together to keep the parks beautiful and pleasant by taking litter home and looking out for each other (see page 14).

Further UK lockdowns and restrictions

When we went into the second and third lockdowns, the charity was well-placed to make all the necessary operational changes quickly, methodically and pragmatically with the support of contractors, concessionaires and other partners.

In January, we supported the new ‘stay local’ message from Government, engaging with the media, revising signage in the parks and responding to public enquiries to help people understand the new guidance.

Pre-pandemic, winter was the time when the parks were normally at their quietest, but this year we were delighted that so many people continued to visit and enjoy the parks. It does mean, however, that some of the maintenance we would normally carry out in the winter will be deferred until autumn 2021.

Whether it was stacked by the bins or just left around, litter proved both unsightly and a danger to wildlife.

Company Number: 10016100

royalparks.org.uk

9

Key Strategic Projects Achieved During 2020-2021

Protecting & Conserving

This objective is at the very heart of everything we do. We are committed to protecting the parks’ historic landscapes and natural environment, improving the resilience of the landscape and enhancing its biodiversity to deal with pressures of growing visitor numbers, climate change and new diseases.

Sustainability in the parks

Improving biosecurity and biodiversity

The biggest challenge now and in the future is how we respond to the climate emergency and make the parks more resilient for future generations. In recent years, we have seen the arrival of several new pests and diseases, and protecting the health of the parks’ plants, trees, woodlands and aquatic resources has never been more important. We have produced our first Biosecurity Policy, which sets out the steps we need to take to address this ever-increasing threat and to protect the native biodiversity of the parks.

As well as the spread of animal and plant diseases, the parks and their wildlife are subject to numerous and increasing pressures, including climate change, pollution and the impact of ever-rising visitor numbers. We are seeing certain species in decline, a loss of grassland habitats, an increase in invasive species living in the parks – some of which cause harm to native wildlife – and pollution in water bodies that affects the waterfowl, fish, amphibian and invertebrate populations. To help address these challenges, we have developed our first 10-year Biodiversity Framework, which aims to increase resilience to climate change, protect and conserve key habitats and species, and provide sustainable access to nature.

Managing waste

This year, our focus has been on improving the waste management systems across the parks. Using a grant from the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage, we have installed larger enclosed bins in several parks so that more visitors can bin their rubbish, particularly when the parks are busy. The new bins also make the collection and disposal of waste more efficient, provide more protection for wildlife, and prevent rubbish from blowing across the parks. In Hyde Park, The Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill, the new high-capacity bins have been covered with vinyl panels that communicate useful messages to visitors about the charity, the parks and how much it costs to maintain them. We have placed the bins in accessible, high footfall areas, avoiding the formal landscapes of the parks, but we are aware that we still need to do some work to ensure the bins are easily accessed by everyone and blend into the landscape appropriately.

Dual bins have been placed in Bushy Park to make it easier for visitors to recycle their waste. We are expecting that recycling rates, which have been low here, will rise steadily as we fine-tune the new process and communicate it to visitors.

Behind the scenes, the open skips that were previously used in the contractors’ yards in The Regent’s Park, Greenwich Park and Bushy Park have been replaced with enclosed waste compactors. These reduce the volume of waste through compaction, which then reduces the frequency of waste collections and lowers the cost of waste disposal; they also stop litter from scattering.

Carbon Footprint

Our carbon emissions are reported in accordance with the requirements of the 2018 SECR Regulations, and are detailed on pages 27 - 29.

Wheelie good: One of the new bins that replaces the open wheelie bins in Hyde Park

Company Number: 10016100

royalparks.org.uk

10

Working with contractors and concessionaires

Maintaining the parks

The majority of The Royal Parks’ activities are outsourced to contractors and concessionaires. These partner organisations grow the plants, mow the grass, collect the litter, operate the toilets, run the cafés, organise the events and so on. The contracts to carry out these activities are tendered periodically. Every time The Royal Parks re-tenders a contract, we include requirements for sustainability that are relevant to the service being delivered. An example is the landscape maintenance contract for The Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill: it specifies switching to electric vehicles, tools and equipment where available; sustainably sourcing products and materials; and carefully planning and optimising the consumption of water and energy.

Restoring Greenwich Park’s historic landscape

Greenwich Park Revealed is The Royal Parks’ flagship restoration project. An investment of £8m into this historic World Heritage site over the next four years will restore, protect and future-proof Greenwich Park’s unique landscape and heritage now and for future generations.

For many years the park has been eroding. Greenwich Park Revealed will restore the park’s historic landscape to its 17th century glory. It will provide new visitor facilities, enhance biodiversity, and develop learning, leisure and volunteering opportunities for a growing and diverse local community.

In Richmond Park, our catering partner Colicci has started using Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) biodiesel instead of red diesel in the generators that power the Pen Ponds and Broomfield Hill Car Park kiosks. This will reduce their direct carbon emissions by approximately 49 tonnes of CO2e per year. HVO is a 2nd generation biodiesel, typically made from used cooking oil.

After a successful trial, landscape maintenance contractors OCS replaced their petrol push mowers and handheld tools such as strimmers, hedge cutters and leaf blowers with battery powered equipment at Kensington Gardens and Brompton Cemetery. Battery powered equipment brings multiple advantages, from zero direct carbon and air emissions to much lower noise levels and hand-arm vibration for the operators.

Work expected to last around four years was due to start in early 2020 but was delayed due to the pandemic. All our plans were put on hold, and pressure on resources forced us to revise our original designs for a new learning centre.

Work is now beginning on the four-year delivery stage of the project, to complete in 2025. In our revised plans we have repurposed existing buildings and will construct a purpose-built classroom. The aim is to create sustainable facilities for volunteers and learners, with an emphasis on discovering the outdoors.

Our plans for the restoration of the historic landscape, a new café, biodiversity enhancements, cultural events and wellbeing activities are all going ahead as originally planned.

This project would not be possible without a £4.5m grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and The National Lottery Community Fund, for which we are extremely grateful. We are also grateful to the Garfield Weston Foundation, The Wolfson Foundation and The Foyle Foundation, who have all generously pledged grant funding towards this transformational project.

Before and after: Tree work undertaken in January 2021 reveals the lost view of Flamsteed House – the original Royal Observatory building in Greenwich Park. This is the first time since the 1970s that this wonderful view has been visible

Company Number: 10016100

royalparks.org.uk

11

Looking after bugs in the parks

In January 2021 we received grant funding of £750,000 for a fifth year of our conservation project, Mission: Invertebrate, from People’s Postcode Lottery. The project carries out research, develops habitats, and creates opportunities for people of all ages to learn about invertebrates’ vital roles as pollinators, recyclers, pest controllers and food sources.

This year we delivered a record number of habitat enhancement projects, as well as creating new opportunities for visitors to experience wildlife. Eight ponds in Richmond Park were restored, two new ponds were established in The Regent’s Park, and a large project got underway to desilt ponds and streams in Bushy Park. Hedgerows have been planted and restored, more trees planted, new meadows sown, and flower beds enriched with pollinator-friendly planting.

We launched a series of self-guided trails, which showcased urban habitat projects in Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. Beautiful chainsaw sculptures of rare and important invertebrates were created for the trails. We also expanded our digital reach across Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, and created fun multimedia content such as online talks, storytelling events, blogs and ‘How to….’ videos.

Protecting the deer during Covi d

Around 300 deer are born in the parks every year. We run an annual campaign in Richmond and Bushy Parks to remind visitors to keep dogs under control during deer birthing season (May-July), and to highlight the main areas where females give birth and hide their young. Park management reported a sharp increase in dogs chasing deer in Lockdown 1, and there was growing concern this would lead to more deer fatalities. So, for the first time, in 2020 we made it mandatory to keep dogs on leads for the six weeks of the deer birthing season. The team kept a log of deer-chasing incidents, which was crucial in enabling the police to serve community protection warnings and notices to people who flouted the rules. We created maps of deer birthing areas so that dog walkers could plan in advance to avoid these hotspots.

The result was a 65% reduction in reported instances of dogs chasing deer; 60 people were reported, and the police handed out 450 warnings. Given the success of this trial, we are considering making this rule permanent for deer birthing season in future.

In October, we launched a communications campaign around the deer rut, with a focus on safety and staying 50m away from the deer at all times. This generated national coverage, including on BBC Breakfast and The One Show. We published a blog explaining the physiological and behavioural changes in the deer; it has been viewed over 7,000 times, making it The Royal Parks’ most-viewed blog of 2020.

Dragonfly - one of the chainsaw sculptures created by Tom Harvey for the Mission: Invertebrate self guided walks.

Managing trees in the parks

The Royal Parks are home to 170,000 trees, of which around 1,500 are ‘veteran’ - meaning they have reached full maturity and their ageing creates supportive habitats for wildlife. The arboriculture team and our contractors have continued to care for the trees and ensure public safety during the pandemic, carrying out their work in a Covid-compliant manner. This year has been very challenging, with the impact of Covid affecting the way the team could deal with certain pests and diseases. For example, they were not able to carry out controlled spraying to get rid of oak processionary moths due to the high volumes of visitors in the parks. This then required more nest removals, which was difficult due to hot weather and working restrictions.

The weather caused other problems. The very hot summer and an extended drought caused stress to the parks’ trees, resulting in extensive losses to both newly-planted and mature trees. Another effect of severe drought is the phenomenon of summer branch drop, which is the unexpected and sudden shedding of large branches caused by the desiccation of wood fibres. This meant that the team had to remove benches from under trees and section off areas considered at high risk of summer branch drop to prevent injury. See health and safety and environmental risks on page 36.

The accelerated decay and decline in affected trees resulting from the last few years of hot dry summers has been noticeable this year – in particular, horse chestnut bleeding canker, which affects the trees’ water transport system. Consequently, we have been forced to remove and replace an increasing number of trees. We have been factoring these losses into our tree strategies, which help us make decisions on which trees to replant over the coming years.

Company Number: 10016100

royalparks.org.uk

12

Welcoming and Improving

The Royal Parks are open every day of the year and are free for everyone to visit and enjoy. In order to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all visitors, we will invest in research to better understand what people value in the parks, what could be improved and what barriers stop some local residents from visiting.

Improving the visitor experience

This year we have done a lot of work on identifying how we can improve visitors’ understanding and enjoyment of the parks through the messages and information we deliver, both in the parks themselves and via our digital channels. The Royal Parks’ first Interpretation and Wayfinding Plan was produced to formalise ways of enhancing the visitor experience.

We know there is inconsistency in park signage and we need to provide simple, consistent signs, maps and information displays which will help people navigate the parks better. As a first step, we have completed a signage audit, mapping the type, location, condition and messaging of all signage in the parks. This will help determine our priorities for repairing and replacing signs.

In Autumn 2020, we conducted an online Visitor Experience Survey to better understand what people like to do when they visit the parks, what they are interested in and how they prefer to absorb information. We received over 7,000 responses, which will help us to establish bespoke ways of delivering information tailored to each park and type of visitor. We have also undertaken new research into the history of each park, with a view to sharing richer heritage stories in physical and digital formats.

Bringing the parks to people’s homes

This year, our on-site learning activities in the parks had to be put on hold and the team switched from face-toface delivery to trialling new ways to inspire audiences. Online and self-led experiences were developed to provide opportunities for people to learn about the parks from the safety of their own homes.

This shift was not without its challenges, as our digital production know-how was limited and many other organisations were following the same path. We focused on offering interactive, original and engaging experiences that covered the full breadth of The Royal Parks’ core themes: nature, heritage and wellbeing. In the process, we learned new skills to produce and deliver digital events and materials, as well as adapting educational content to suit different audiences and platforms. The online learning activities have resulted in more than 4,000 new sign-ups to our supporter newsletter.

Activities included online school sessions, and a ‘Learn Online’ website page with 60 self-led resources for people to both explore the parks and their local green space. We hosted ‘Virtual Discovery Weeks’, with a mixture of live broadcasts, pre-recorded videos and storytelling. Online talks led by staff and volunteers were also popular; our most successful one about Hyde Park’s pet cemetery was attended live by over 500 people.

We have also successfully experimented with innovative technology, such as the Crystal Palace Virtual Reality recreation that showcases the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park. This has now been enjoyed digitally by over 35,000 people. We also launched our first podcast series, ‘Hidden Stories of The Royal Parks’, with contributions from staff and partners. To date, we have published twelve episodes covering topics as diverse as the Dawn Chorus and Trooping the Colour.

We want everyone to feel welcome in the parks. To do this, over time we will improve our understanding of barriers for the public who do not currently come to the parks, and consider how we can address those barriers.

Welcome to the Great Exhibition: So far 35,000 people have virtually visited, not quite up to the six million that visted it in Hyde Park in 1851.

Company Number: 10016100

royalparks.org.uk

13

Summer of Kindness

Welcome Winter

During the summer, as lockdown restrictions eased and groups of six could once again meet socially, we started to see gatherings on a regular basis because leisure destinations such as bars, clubs and pubs were still closed.

Unfortunately, this brought increased anti-social behaviour. In response, we launched a communications campaign called ‘Summer of Kindness’, which encouraged a return to community spirit, care for the natural environment and kindness to others in the parks. We focused on communicating three simple messages:

• Enjoy the parks

• Respect the environment

• Be kind to others

To support the campaign, we developed new signage and new social media assets showcasing the three messages, along with our hashtag #BeKindtoYourParks. We issued a news story around the volume of litter the park teams had to deal with, which was picked up across national and London media. We published a series of blogs, shared videos, and engaged with many partners and third-party organisations such as Historic Royal Palaces and Keep Britain Tidy, who helped spread the word.

At the end of November, we launched a ‘Welcome Winter’ campaign, aimed at boosting city-dwellers’ mental health through a daily 20-minute walk in the park, whatever the weather. The campaign was backed by Public Health England and Thrive LDN, which supports the mental wellbeing of Londoners; both organisations helped us reach more diverse audiences.

The campaign was covered on national TV and included a dedicated web page, social media posts, videos, drone photography, a blog and a quiz. The response was extremely positive, with a 50% spike in social media engagement compared to the October average, suggesting that many people took up the challenge. We also received great support from local councils, the Mayor of London’s office, and the parks’ Friends groups who advocate for each Royal Park and devise initiatives to help improve them. Over Christmas we partnered with the Army, who produced a video in support of the campaign.

Enjoying the parks, whatever the weather.

Company Number: 10016100

royalparks.org.uk

14

Reducing the amount of cut-through traffic

In early 2020, we launched the organisation’s first Movement Strategy. This is our long-term vision for how visitors travel to and through the parks, with the ultimate aim of protecting the park environments, reducing cutthrough traffic and improving the visitor experience. The parks are first and foremost places that people visit for relaxation, recreation and to escape the busy city. Of the millions of visitors who enjoy the parks every year, the vast majority experience them on foot. With this in mind, we will always prioritise walking within the parks, and pedestrian needs will come first when we make changes to the park environments.

When Covid hit, we were forced to immediately or partially close some of the parks to vehicles in order to manage the volume of people coming in at any one time, and to support social distancing in busy areas like car parks – particularly in Richmond, Bushy and Greenwich Parks. We had been considering certain road closures and these circumstances accelerated our plans. We received many messages of support telling us how wonderful the parks were without cars. People commented on the flourishing wildlife, the greater safety for young families, and the health benefits of spending time in a natural environment without traffic noise and pollution.

In August, when some of the Covid restrictions had eased, we began five six-month trials to reduce cutthrough traffic on park roads. This included making The Mall car-free on weekends during daylight hours, creating a traffic-free space in the heart of Bushy Park, and restricting traffic on significant parts of the Richmond Park road network. As a result of Covid, many of the trial measures had already been in place since March, so most people had become used to them.

“I have really enjoyed coming to a renewed quieter park. I park outside, [there is] always space and I love not having cars on the roads. Please don’t rush to let drivers use the park as a fast cut through again.” (Richmond Park visitor)

Four months into the trials, we ran a public consultation to seek people’s views on the individual projects and to help determine whether the trials should be made permanent. We received almost 18,000 responses to the consultation and, overall, there was strong public support to see car-free spaces retained in the parks.

In February this year, we decided to keep all measures in place until March 2022 so that additional data can be collected to ascertain the impact of the schemes, particularly once all Covid restrictions have eased. At that point, further consideration will be given to determine whether the measures should be made permanent.

“Dear Manager and staff of Richmond Park, I just wanted to drop you a quick line to say a massive thanks on behalf of my family for keeping Richmond Park open and for making it pedestrian only for the last few weeks. We have been able to walk our poorly, elderly, neighbour’s dog every day and I have managed to get my 2 teenagers to leave their rooms! It has been our absolute life saver. So thank you all very much.” (Richmond Park visitor)

We intend to introduce parking charges in Richmond and Bushy Parks to bring them in line with the other Royal Parks. A public consultation was held on this in late 2020, which received more than 12,000 responses. Although most people were opposed, which is what we would expect with the introduction of any charge, we did listen to feedback and have amended the original proposals as a result. Whilst no-one likes to pay for parking, the parks continue to experience increasingly high demand for the limited supply of visitor parking. We hope the scheme will encourage those who can, to travel to the parks by sustainable means. We believe strongly that this is the right step to take to manage the issue, and it will also bring revenue for maintenance into the charity. The introduction of parking charges requires the approval of Parliament and the charges are unlikely to be implemented until late 2021 at the earliest.

A car-free Richmond Park

Company Number: 10016100

royalparks.org.uk

15

Building a Secure Future

In addition to £10 million from Government, the charity’s income comes from events, catering, filming and photography, rents, licences, donations, grant funding and, in a normal year, the Royal Parks Half Marathon. Whilst income has fallen substantially this year, we have been successful in reducing costs to manage our finances through this difficult year. However, those cost reductions are not sustainable without serious deterioration in the parks’ environments and assets, and we are aiming to rebuild income streams for a post-Covid world, including further diversifying commercial income and developing fundraising.

We were pleased to be one of the organisations granted funds from the first round of the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage, which was intended to help institutions affected by the pandemic. We were awarded £975,000 for specific projects, of which we spent £850,000 in the year to 31 March 2021. The funding has been used for sustainable waste management, improvements to public toilet facilities, and trialling new income-generating opportunities to aid our recovery from the pandemic.

Events in the parks

2020 was a year like no other. There were no Royal Parks Half Marathon runners punching the air in jubilation, having completed the final metres of London’s greenest half marathon route. There were no gourmands enjoying London’s best food and drink in The Regent’s Park as part of the Taste of London festival. Hundreds of thousands of music fans were absent from Hyde Park and the Winter was without its Wonderland for the first time in 13 years. We are grateful to our event partners for the incredible effort that went into planning Covidsafe events that ultimately were not able to take place this year.

However, in October we hosted the elite-only 40th edition of the London Marathon, with runners racing 19 laps of a route around St James’s Park within a secure biosphere before finishing, as ever, on The Mall. We were also pleased to host Frieze Sculpture in The Regent’s Park, featuring 12 ambitious works by leading international artists that visitors could enjoy whilst still social distancing.

There is still a high level of uncertainty for the events industry as we move through 2021 and some events have already been cancelled, but we are continuing a meticulous level of planning for others.

Filming in the parks

There has been strong growth in filming income in recent years, with record income levels in 2019/20. Due to the pandemic, there was a suspension of filming and TV production between mid-March and mid-June 2020.

Cafés and takeaway kiosks

This year has also been very challenging for the catering outlets, with all cafés and kiosks in the parks forced to close for the first part of the year. Catering began to re-open for takeaway service in mid-May, with strict compliance around new hygiene measures, social distancing, furniture removal, different working practices, and PPE. New signage and queue markers were required, and menus had to be restricted due to changed operating practices, a significant drop in sales and increased operational costs.

Providing a safe and enjoyable visitor experience, while also ensuring a secure working environment for the staff, remained central to the catering operations. Careful planning, the ability to adapt quickly yet safely, and great teamwork across the parks were essential during the pandemic. Our catering concessions have reported some positive changes to practices that they will continue, including the use of apps to order food and drink more conveniently. We are adapting to changing trading patterns with increased visitors in outer London parks and fewer visitors in some central London parks. It is not clear whether this change in consumer behaviour will prevail; much depends on the re-opening of London to domestic and international tourists, and to what degree organisations accept home-working in the longer term. Caterers may find it harder to recruit staff in future as a result of Brexit and this could impact their future operations.

Virtual Royal Parks Half Marathon

Although the Royal Parks Half Marathon did not go ahead in 2020, a huge amount of preparation and planning took place to ensure that it could take place in some form in 2021. The team spent the last few months of this financial year looking at different options and eventually made the decision to create a virtual race for April 2021. This would allow runners to complete the race in their local area, celebrating green spaces the length and breadth of the country whilst simultaneously raising millions of pounds for the charity of their choice. We created a state-of-the-art app designed specifically for the event, combining ground-breaking augmented reality technology with an unparalleled digital experience that was designed to mirror as much of the in-person race as possible. Over 6,000 runners in total took part in the virtual event in April 2021 in hundreds of communities throughout the UK and in 42 countries around the world.

Company Number: 10016100

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16

Tree and bench dedications

Tree and bench dedications in the Royal Parks have always been in high demand, reflecting the connections that people have with their local park as individuals, groups of friends and families throughout their lives. This year, 20 donors have dedicated trees and benches in memory of loved ones, generating £110,000 in Tribute fundraising. We are looking to build our Legacy and InMemory strategy and activities over the next three years to better accommodate our supporters’ requests for remembering a loved one.

The next steps will be to strengthen communications with recent donors and make sure that we are providing them with the information and content they wish to receive, so that we can inspire them to support us. It needs to be easier for people to donate online, as the current process is convoluted and probably deters a significant number of potential donors. Refining this model will enable us to experiment with more digital fundraising campaigns in future.

Tap to donate

Trialling new income streams

Christmas fundraising trial

In December we launched our first fundraising campaign, comprising a two-pronged approach: we targeted existing contacts via email and direct mail, and reached out to new prospects via social media and Google advertising. We created three videos to showcase the beauty of the parks and the variety of facilities they provide. The campaign raised nearly £12,000 from 225 donors, and our charity messaging was seen by over 200,000 people.

There has been a recent decline in people donating their loose change so we have removed donation boxes. We used funds from the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage to invest in Tap to Donate technology, making it quicker and easier for people to donate to the charity via card payments. Five Tap to Donate terminals were installed in Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, St James’s Park and The Regent’s Park this year. Whilst it is early days, the pilot is proving successful, and we will look at installing further terminals across the parks in high-footfall areas.

Above: One of the fundraising campaign creatives Below:Tap to donate terminals in situ

Company Number: 10016100

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17

People and Partnerships

The Royal Parks employs a small team of dedicated staff. We work with contractors and concessionaires who maintain the fabric of the parks, run the cafés and toilets, and provide visitor services such as cycle hire, boating and sports facilities. We are supported by many volunteers who help to enhance the landscapes and provide information for visitors on the nature and heritage of the parks. We also rely on excellent partnerships with other organisations that support our work, in particular the Metropolitan Police Service who enforce park regulations.

Our own staff

This has been an incredibly challenging year for our staff, whether they have continued to work on site throughout the pandemic, have been required to work from home or were furloughed. Overcoming these challenges has been a joint effort between many teams, combined with the commitment and flexibility of staff.

For staff who were able to work from home, we had to ensure that they were set up with the right technology and home office equipment as quickly as possible. We provided relevant IT training and made sure that everyone completed all necessary health and safety checks, so that they had a safe home-working environment.

An emphasis on communications has been crucial in keeping staff engaged with the organisation and with their colleagues, with on-line meetings becoming a daily feature of our working lives. This has included monthly virtual staff conferences, catch-ups with senior colleagues on specific topics of interest, one-to-one meetings, news stories on the intranet and informal social catch-ups. All of these have been key to the successful sharing of information, staying connected and helping to keep staff motivated.

Throughout this year, we have made it a priority to support staff wellbeing. This has been achieved through a number of measures including the introduction of Mental Health First Aiders and weekly webinars on a range of wellbeing topics. We issued regular “stay in touch” bulletins to furloughed staff, provided training on how to manage teams remotely, published wellbeing tips and provided managers with guidance on supporting staff returning from furlough. A resilience and wellbeing expert also shared her expertise during a staff conference with more in-depth wellbeing sessions planned for the near future.

In line with many organisations, we are considering how to increase the diversity of our workforce, and have set up a working group of employees to consider how we can improve our performance in relation to diversity and inclusion.

Working with contractors, concessionaires and other partners

Much of the work undertaken in the parks, from landscape maintenance and horticulture to managing the cafés and toilets, is delivered by third-party contractors. We are incredibly grateful to all these teams who, despite their own challenging circumstances, have worked hard to help keep the parks open and beautiful throughout the pandemic. At weekends when the parks were particularly busy, contractors started work at 5.30am to ensure the parks were clean and tidy for visitors. The rubbish collectors worked tirelessly emptying the bins all day, which would often be filled up as quickly as they were emptied. The toilet attendants ensured all surfaces were rigorously cleaned and sanitised, that a queuing system was adhered to, and that social distancing measures were in place to keep visitors and staff safe. Everyone showed huge commitment and flexibility in their roles and did all they could to keep the parks operating safely – whether that was collecting staff who were unable to use public transport, keeping the greenery sufficiently watered during the heatwave, or providing food and drink – all while responding to rapidly-changing regulations.

Special mention must be given to the local Metropolitan Police teams, who have contributed a vast amount of time to enforcing park regulations and dealing with anti-social behaviour, helping to make the parks more enjoyable for all visitors.

We could not operate without the many supporters and partner organisations who help us to carry out our work, and this year more than ever we have seen how powerful it can be when everyone pulls together. We are grateful to our funders, education delivery partners, the Friends of the Parks, The Royal Parks Guild, amenity societies, local authorities, and the many charities that operate within the parks. All have worked with us in this extraordinary year to look after these precious green spaces and keep them open throughout.

Last but not least, thank you to the visitors who continued to act responsibly in the parks, even when some were busier than usual. Simple actions like putting litter in the bins or taking it home, keeping to pathways and keeping dogs under control around wildlife makes managing the parks that much easier.

Caring for the flower beds in St James’s Park

Company Number: 10016100

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18

Volunteering in the parks

We are lucky to have around 2,500 volunteers who give their time and talent to support our work, and thousands more who volunteer through our partners, including the parks’ Friends groups. We thank them all for the considerable contribution they make to our charity. This year has been particularly challenging as we halted volunteering during each lockdown and the stop-start has been disruptive for everyone. The increase in visitor numbers, putting constant pressure on the parks, has also meant that the need for volunteers has never been greater.

We have stayed in contact with all our volunteers and increased the frequency of communication through fortnightly newsletters, online training and video talks. Throughout the pandemic, the volunteers have been kept updated on the latest information from the charity, and we have done all we can to make sure they feel recognised as an essential part of The Royal Parks’ family.

Recruitment and training of new volunteer community rangers in Bushy and Richmond Parks has continued this year, though face-to-face meetings have been paused. We now have a total of 121 volunteer rangers, who give up their free time to provide support and information to visitors about the nature, wildlife and heritage of these two parks. They help visitors to get the most out of their park experience, showing them where best to go for walks, explaining the importance of staying away from the deer, and sharing facts about the parks’ rich history and natural surroundings.

Looking ahead, we have drafted a new five-year Volunteer Strategy which focuses on supporting and increasing the opportunities and the number of people volunteering for The Royal Parks. Our aim is to double the number of volunteer rangers in Bushy and Richmond Parks, establish a similar service in Greenwich Park, and trial rangers in one of the central parks. We will develop further opportunities for volunteers to help manage the landscape of the park. A key focus is the conservation and enhancement of biodiversity in the face of the global climate emergency.

A volunteer working in the LookOut garden in Hyde Park

The Friends of The Royal Parks

An integral part of the charity’s identity is the relationship we have with Friends groups. The Friends are charitable organisations dedicated to supporting their local Royal Park, with a presence in Richmond, Bushy, Greenwich, The Regent’s Park & Primrose Hill, and Hyde Park & Kensington Gardens. In St James’s Park and The Green Park support is provided by The Thorney Island Society.

The Friends are passionate advocates for The Royal Parks and its work, asserting the value of these sites’ natural and cultural heritage, explaining how we maintain them, and helping to make them welcoming places for all. Yet the Friends also provide a strong voice for local communities in monitoring how the parks are run, offering useful perspectives on everything from biodiversity to regulations to amenities. They create a healthy forum for debating how we can best achieve our shared aim of preserving these much-loved green spaces.

The Friends also provide a great deal of practical help in caring for the parks. Volunteer activities such as planting, clearing, surveying, and delivering talks and tours are invaluable all year round. We also greatly appreciate their fundraising efforts, which often support the creation or improvement of recreational facilities and features that contribute to each park’s character.

Although the Friends’ activities have been stymied in the past year due to Covid, there are still highlights to celebrate. The Friends of Regent’s Park & Primrose Hill launched a new website to help people get the most out of their visits, as did the Friends of Bushy Park and Greenwich Park. Richmond Park’s Friends produced a series of self-guided nature walks, in addition to educational films about skylarks and trees presented by patron Clare Balding. Meanwhile, the Friends of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens recorded their highestever membership, at over 700 people.

Company Number: 10016100

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19

The Royal Parks Guild

The Royal Parks Guild is one of our closest partner organisations, comprised of former and current staff, volunteers, apprentices and others who have served the parks. The Guild is an enthusiastic champion of our work and supporter of the apprenticeship scheme, which provides valuable training for budding gardeners. Guild members contribute to the horticulture and heritage of the parks, whether planting bulbs or undertaking research on the history of these sites and their workers. Despite feeling the effects of Covid like everyone else this year, Guild members have still found ways to share their extensive knowledge of The Royal Parks – including an episode of our podcast focusing on the World Wars, and an online talk given to the Friends of the Landscape Archive at Reading.

Recruiting the next generation of gardeners

This year, we recruited eight horticultural apprentices – from 264 applications – for our three-year apprenticeship programme. Successful applicants work for one of our landscape maintenance contractors and learn how to help care for these valuable green spaces while studying for a qualification that will pave the way for a career in horticulture.

Apprentices play a key role in managing all horticultural aspects of The Royal Parks, from caring for Sites of Special Scientific Interest through conservation and habitat management to planting the formal flowerbed displays. The scheme has been run since the 1960s and former students have gone on to work at The Royal Parks in managerial positions or to find employment at other prestigious locations such as Kew Gardens or Buckingham Palace.

Apprentice case study

Selina Tan (pictured below) is in her second year of a horticulture apprenticeship, based at Richmond Park.

“I had fallen out of love with my office job. I wanted to spend more time outdoors, which led me to volunteering in a community garden. I kept thinking about how much I wanted to do more of this and had a lightbulb moment – I applied to the scheme.

“The course involves theory and practical lessons, covering everything from pests to lawn mowing to business management.

“Having three years to learn and explore is a great opportunity and gives you the time to try new things and embrace the unique environment you get to work in. Each park has so much to offer so always stay curious and inquisitive and you will get a lot out of it.”

Company Number: 10016100

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20

How the Individual Parks Coped with Covid

London without the Royal Parks is unimaginable. They have been part of the city’s DNA for centuries and are enjoyed by millions of visitors every year. This year has been like no other and, for some people, it is the first time they have discovered the joy, comfort and solace that green space and nature can provide.

Each of the parks has its own personality and landscape, and they have all been impacted by the pandemic in different ways. In central London, St James’s Park, The Green Park and to a lesser extent Hyde Park have experienced a lack of tourists and office workers, as well as the cancellation of all ceremonial and most major events. By contrast, Richmond, Bushy and Greenwich Parks in outer London, and The Regent’s Park and Kensington Gardens in central London, have been overwhelmed by the volume of local visitors coming through their gates every day. A survey conducted in Greenwich Park, for example, showed a third visiting more frequently than before the pandemic and 9% of people visiting for the first time.

Phil Edwards Park Manager

Graham Dear Park Manager

Bushy Park

At over 1,000 acres, Bushy Park in South West London is the second largest of London’s eight Royal Parks. Linked to Hampton Court Palace by the Longford River, Bushy Park’s distinctive landscape has been shaped by its many ponds and streams, and is a mix of waterways, gardens and grassland. It is also home to captivating wildlife, including rare ground-nesting birds and roaming herds of deer.

A highlight this year was the introduction of Shire horses to the park in November. They were brought in to harrow the soil in an environmentally-friendly way and were received with great enthusiasm by the public – many people came specifically to watch the magnificent horses at work. The team returned to offer rides for visitors in December, which were eagerly taken up before new Covid restrictions sadly put a stop to them.

This year, we ran two ecology projects to improve water features in the park. The first was lining Hampton Hill Pond with clay to ensure the water table is more consistent and invertebrates are better supported. The second was de-silting Fisher’s Pond in the Waterhouse Woodland Gardens, along with enhancing water flow in the vicinity. Improved water quality here will increase biodiversity. 20 new hawthorn bushes were planted south of Lime Avenue and more will continue to be planted throughout the park in the coming years.

Greenwich Park

Overlooking the River Thames and boasting an iconic view of London, Greenwich Park is one of the largest green spaces in South East London. In 1433 it became the first Royal Park to be enclosed; it is part of the Greenwich World Heritage Site and is host to the Prime Meridian Line and the old Royal Observatory. It is an intriguing mix of 17th century landscape, stunning gardens, a small deer park and a rich history that dates back to Roman times.

Over the past 12 months we have seen an increase and greater diversity of visitors to the park; an in-park survey we conducted of more than 2,000 people showed a rise in younger and Black, Asian and minority ethnic visitors. Many younger people discovered the park during the first lockdown and spent time there with friends in the absence of anywhere else to go.

Despite Covid-related setbacks, we have kept up momentum with our flagship project, Greenwich Park Revealed. The first landscape work as part of the project was undertaken in January to restore the magnificent view of Flamsteed House from the south of the park. We also began public consultation on the new Learning Centre, which will be a centrepiece of the finished project. We have devised a creative way of repurposing buildings and constructing a classroom from sustainable materials to ensure the local community benefits from this exciting new facility.

We have also made strides with deer safety messaging, including an appearance on the BBC’s One Show, reiterating the dangers of rutting deer and the need for people to keep their distance.

Company Number: 10016100

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21

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Nick Biddle
Park Manager
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The Regent’s Park & Primrose Hill

The Regent’s Park was designed in the 17th century by celebrated architect John Nash. It combines large open spaces with tree-lined pathways, elegant formal gardens, a lake, and four children’s playgrounds, all surrounded by the palatial terraces of Regency London. It is home to The Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, ZSL London Zoo and central London’s largest open-air sports facility. Primrose Hill, which is separated from The Regent’s Park by Prince Albert Road, offers one of the most spectacular views across central London.

In September 2020, we were delighted to open Gloucester Gate Playground. After many years of planning, we started work on site in July 2019; but the wettest autumn and winter we’d ever known, followed by Covid, hampered progress. We have not opened the zip wire or the waterplay yet and have had to isolate every second swing to support social distancing, but the facility has none-the-less proved extremely popular.

On Primrose Hill, there has unfortunately been an increase in anti-social behaviour, including groups gathering, playing music, leaving litter and fouling the park. Consequently, we have had complaints from local residents whose lives have been disrupted by the activities. While such gatherings have been seen across the capital, we have been keeping the situation at Primrose Hill under close review, in regular consultation with the police who are responsible for enforcing park regulations.

Despite the pandemic, we have continued to survey the small breeding population of around 35 hedgehogs in The Regent’s Park. These hedgehogs are particularly special as they are the last confirmed breeding population in central London. Surveys take place in May and September, with much of the data gathered by volunteers and processed by experts. The data informs the way we manage the park to benefit the hedgehogs – for example, we now maintain long grass margins along many hedgerows. We also run training sessions for gardeners from The Royal Parks and other organisations highlighting best practice, including how to minimise the risk of injuring these creatures.

Gloucester Gate Playground open for action

Simon Richards Park Manager

Richmond Park

Richmond Park is the largest of London’s Royal Parks, covering an area of 2,500 acres. From its heights, there is an uninterrupted view of St Paul’s Cathedral 12 miles away. The park has protected status as an important habitat for wildlife and is known for its wild deer herds, rare grasslands and wide open spaces. It is a national nature reserve, London’s largest Site of Special Scientific Interest and a European Special Area of Conservation. We have delivered several beneficial projects over the last year in the face of mounting Covid-related challenges. Sheen car park was resurfaced during the first lockdown, and much-needed refurbishment of four toilet blocks began.

Funding from Mission: Invertebrate enabled us to erect new metal fences around Adam’s Pond in the north of the park, which will keep deer and dogs away. Pond renovations in several other areas of the park were completed, as well as a comprehensive fungi survey.

The Friends have continued to generously fund various conservation initiatives, including fencing to stop soil compaction and damage to veteran trees, planting of fruit trees to get a greater variety of species and food for the deer, and sallow/goat willow trees to support butterfly species.

We have hosted a lot of filming over the year to support internal and external projects. We have enjoyed seeing how often Holly Lodge features in the background of pretty much every programme that Sir David Attenborough appears in!

Company Number: 10016100

royalparks.org.uk

22

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45,000 blue and white flowers
paying a floral tribute to the NHS
outside Buckingham Palace
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Mark Wasilewski MVO
Park Manager
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St James’s Park and The Green Park

With an enviable position right in the heart of Westminster and flanked by the Houses of Parliament, St James’s Palace and Buckingham Palace, St James’s Park attracts thousands of tourists every year. The park is well-known for its resident pelicans and for its worldfamous flowerbeds at the front of Buckingham Palace – a familiar backdrop to royal events, ceremonial occasions and state visits. Next door, The Green Park is a peaceful triangle of mature trees and grasslands, offering a quiet retreat from city life.

In July, to celebrate the NHS’s role during the pandemic, we were thrilled to be able to install a tribute to NHS workers by creating two special flowerbeds in front of Buckingham Palace; they contained 45,000 white and blue flowers spelling out ‘NHS’ in giant letters. Normally these flowerbeds include scarlet geraniums, selected to match the tunics of The Queen’s Guard at Buckingham Palace, and this year marked the first variation of the design in decades.

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Jason Taylor
Park Manager
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Hyde Park

Set in the heart of central London, Hyde Park is widely recognised as one of the greatest urban parks in the world. Covering 350 acres, it contains 4,000 trees, the Serpentine lake, wildflower meadows and ornamental flower gardens. There are pitches for team games, tennis courts, bridle paths for horse riding, London’s oldest outdoor swimming club and an enchanting children’s playground.

This year 43 trees have been planted across the park, including cherry, hawthorn, malus and Hungarian oak. Meadows and grass areas have been seeded with native species to increase biodiversity, and Royal Parks apprentices have produced flowerbeds that challenge traditional bedding designs and focus on increased sustainability.

Despite the pandemic, we worked closely with The Household Cavalry, based at Hyde Park Barracks, and The Ministry of Defence to make improvements to 1km of the Rotten Row Horse Ride. This involved stripping back the sand, levelling the sub-base, installing wooden edging, and reapplying fresh sand. This has greatly improved the facilities used by the military and other local stables, whilst looking much tidier and with less sand washed away in times of heavy rain.

75% of respondents to a recent survey have been visiting the park more often as a result of the pandemic. This has included a huge increase in the number of cyclists coming to the park. We welcome considerate cyclists; however we have unfortunately seen a dramatic rise in anti-social cycling – for example, people ignoring the signs and cycling on pedestrian footpaths – which has been challenging for other visitors. We have responded by improving signage to make it clearer where cyclists are not permitted to go, communicating more widely on social media, and working with the police to enforce park regulations.

For much of the year we sadly had to keep the famous pelicans indoors and out of public sight, due to a highly pathogenic strain of Avian Flu. However, in March 2021 the restrictions were lifted and the pelicans could be released onto the lake once more, much to the delight of park visitors.

Company Number: 10016100

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23

Andrew Williams Park Manager

Kensington Gardens and Brompton Cemetery

Once part of Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens covers 265 acres of parkland and includes formal gardens and tree avenues, water features, ornamental bedding and a wonderful playground inspired by the adventures of Peter Pan. Home to Kensington Palace, where some of the Royal Family still live, and to the Serpentine Galleries showcasing contemporary art, Kensington Gardens offers something for everyone.

At the height of the pandemic, Kensington Gardens was very busy, welcoming record numbers of people to enjoy the beauty of the gardens for peace and quiet reflection as well as for daily exercise.

Once again, this year we have used Shire horses in an area of Kensington Gardens to help manage the wildflower meadows. The horses are used for harrowing, sowing seeds and cutting meadows in spring and summer; they help us manage the land in a sustainable way, with less disturbance to wildlife and flora than is caused by heavier machinery. Their use also helps us to reduce the carbon footprint of the organisation.

The allotment has continued to produce fruit and vegetables, with much of its produce donated to a local food bank in Paddington. Volunteers returned from midJuly to look after the crops and brought their energy back to this much-loved corner of the park. We have expanded our composting system and made new plans for the orchard, which will include a wildflower bed. We are also beginning to renovate an ornamental bed that will be full of life, colour and scents when the warm weather returns in the spring.

The Grade I listed Brompton Cemetery is one of London’s ‘Magnificent Seven’ garden cemeteries opened between 1833 and 1841 to meet the demands of a rapidly-growing population. It is the resting place of over 200,000 people, a haven for wildlife, and a well-loved destination for locals and tourists alike. Nestled among the spectacular trees are over 35,000 gravestones and monuments commemorating some well-known names like suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst.

The team’s biggest achievement was reopening the Cemetery’s funerary business in the midst of the first lockdown. Throughout the year we had to keep pace with constantly-shifting Government guidance on funeral services. Challenges included limitations on numbers of mourners, social distancing and requests for live streaming of ceremonies. Despite these complexities, we were still able to carry out interments, a testament to Brompton Cemetery’s strong reputation and relationships with funeral directors.

We are proud of our public engagement work, adapting to online formats for a variety of talks such as ‘Queerly Departed’ and ‘The Women Who Saved the Birds’, about Eliza Phillips – the forgotten founder of the RSPB.

A series of eight films highlighting some of those buried in Brompton Cemetery who would identify today as members of the LGBTQ+ community was made for LGBT History Month

Meadow in Kensington Gardens

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Key Performance Indicators and Targets

The Royal Parks uses key performance indicators to monitor its progress against its charitable objects and strategic plan. When the charity was set up, the key performance targets below were agreed with DCMS. Despite the exceptional circumstances of this year, all targets have been met, although some numbers around visitor satisfaction metrics are less than last year and only two major events were able to take place.

1. Key Performance Indicator

2. Outcome

Landscape asset condition

1. Maintain a minimum average Green Flag score for all of the eight Royal Parks of 75%

2. Maintain the designation of Bushy Park and Richmond Park as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

3. Maintain the existing Grade II* designation of The Green Park and the Grade I designations of Brompton Cemetery and the remaining Royal Parks in the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England.

All Royal Parks have maintained a Green Flag score in excess of 75% (2019/20: met).

SSSI designations have been retained by Richmond and Bushy Parks (2019/20: met).

The Grade 1 and Grade II* designations have been maintained (2019/20: met).

Condition of buildings and structures

1. Increase the number of listed buildings/structures assessed as being in Good or Fair condition to 179 by the end of March 2018 and increase further by at least one per annum, achieving a minimum of 183 by the end of March 2022.

Seven statues in Parliament Square have been transferred to Westminster City Council since this target was set, and the target pro-rated down accordingly, resulting in 181 listed assets assessed as Good or Fair as at 31/3/21 (2019/20: 180) (175 required at 31/3/21).

1. Increase the number of unlisted buildings, memorials, statues, sculptures, structures and fountains assessed as being in Good or Fair condition to 362 by the end of March 2018 and increase further by at least three per annum, achieving a minimum of 380 by the end of March 2022.

The number of unlisted assets has been reduced by 29 since this target was set, primarily due to transfer to listed status or transfer of ownership. Revising the targets pro-rata gives 354 assessed as Good or Fair as at 31/3/21 (2019/20: 353) (345 required at 31/3/21).

Key Performance Indicators

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Visitor satisfaction

1. To engage with stakeholders in accordance with The Royal Parks Stakeholder Engagement Strategy (March 2014), and to report annually against the key principles of stakeholder engagement, including key metrics around numbers of stakeholders attending bi-annual meetings, numbers of donors engaged, and numbers of social media followers and website users.

We have continued to engage with stakeholders in accordance with the strategy.

As of 31 March 2021, we had the following social media metrics:

• Facebook followers: 411,755 (In 2019/20: 396,661)

• Twitter followers: 22,054 (In 2019/20: 17,459)

• Instagram followers: 29,091 (In 2019/20: 19,652)

• LinkedIn followers: 1,642 (no previous data)

• YouTube subscribers: 813 (no previous data)

• As of 31 March 2021, we had the following website metrics:

• Website users: 2,778,152 (In 2019/20: 3,118,719)

• • Page views: 7,174,235 (In 2019/20: 7,966,958)

• Maintain above 90% the number of visitors to the Royal Parks who assess the quality of the parks overall as being Excellent or Good.

We carry out visitor research every 4 years. Ipsos MORI research from 2017/18 stated that 96% of visitors to the parks assessed the quality overall as being “excellent” or “good” (2013/14: 98%).

Commercial activities

1. To deliver all major events in line with the Hosting Major Events in The Royal Parks – May 2015 strategy document.

Only two major events were hosted this year and they took place in line with the strategy (2019/20: met).

Key Performance Indicators

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Energy and Carbon Reporting

In accordance with the requirements of Streamlined Energy & Carbon Reporting (SECR), imposed by the 2018 SECR Regulations, we are required to disclose energy and carbon information including:

• UK energy use (as a minimum gas, electricity and transport)

• The associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions

• At least one emissions intensity ratio

• Previous year’s figures for energy use and GHG emissions

• Methodologies used in calculation of disclosures

• Information about energy efficiency action taken in the financial year

Within this report is a summary of energy and transport consumption emissions, together with requirements of intensity ratio, methodologies and a narrative on energy improvements.

Energy improvements

In April 2020, we switched to a renewable electricity tariff. This means that all the electricity we buy is now sourced from renewable generation. Our market-based carbon emissions from electricity production have therefore been reported as zero.

Whilst a significant proportion of the carbon savings achieved has been a result of the reduced activity due to COVID-19, some initiatives such as switching The Royal Parks’ vehicles to electric/hybrid or closely managing water consumption bring more long-lasting impact. The effect of improvements introduced at the end of the financial year (e.g. switching to battery powered landscape maintenance tools) will be more visible next year.

Energy consumption used to calculate emissions

----- Start of picture text -----
Emissions Source Amount (2020/21) in kWh Amount (2019/20) in kWh % reduction
Natural Gas (heating + street lighting) 4,116,052 4,301,314 4.3%
Electricity 2,559,571 3,360,686 23.8%
Transport (TRP & contractors) 1,525,317 1,894,801 19.5%
----- End of picture text -----

Carbon footprint

Our carbon footprint in 2020/21 was 35.5% lower than in 2019/20, after a reduction of 1,239 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e[1] ). The highest source of carbon emissions was the gas lighting in central parks (as in 2019/20), followed by fuel used to heat up the Hyde Park Nursery boiler and our contractor vehicles. The natural gas used for heating buildings and the fuel used to power machinery used by our contractors were also significant contributors to the carbon footprint.

Carbon footprint summary table

----- Start of picture text -----
Calculated emissions (tCO 2 e)
Total emission scope summary % Reduction
2020/21 2019/20
Scope 1 (direct emissions) 1,662 1,903 12.7%
Scope 2 (indirect greenhouse gas emissions - electricity) 0 857 100%
Scope 3 (other indirect greenhouse gas emissions) 586 727 19.4%
TOTAL 2,248 3,488 35.5%
----- End of picture text -----

----- Start of picture text -----
tCO2e
3500
3000
2500
2000
0
1500
1000
500
0
2020/21 2019/20
----- End of picture text -----

----- Start of picture text -----
Scope 3 (other indirect emissions)
Scope 2 (indirect emissions from electricity production)
Scope 1 (direct emissions)
Carbon footprint
annual comparison
----- End of picture text -----

¹ tCO2e is an indicator used worldwide in carbon footprints, which stands for tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. Carbon dioxide equivalent accounts for the greenhouse gas emissions of not only carbon dioxide, but also other gases (e.g. methane and nitrogen dioxide) that contribute to the climate emergency.

Energy and Carbon Reporting

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Emissions sources

While emissions are reported under three different scopes, the chart below represents all emissions measured, regardless of which reporting scope they are included in. This is useful in identifying where the most emissions come from.

----- Start of picture text -----
Green waste
Waste
Water
Electricity (market-based)
2,248 Contractor fuels non-transport
tCO2e Contractor vehicles
Own vehicles
Fuel for nursery
Gas for street lighting
Gas for heating
Emissions by source (all scopes)
----- End of picture text -----

Scope 1 emissions (direct)

These are emissions from activities controlled by The Royal Parks or our contractors that emit directly to the atmosphere.

----- Start of picture text -----
tCO2e tCO2e %
Definition Source 2020/21 2019/20 reduction
Natural gas (heating) 267 316 15.4%
Emissions from combustion of gas
Natural gas (street lighting) 490 490 -0.01%
Emissions from combustion of fuel for heating Red diesel (Hyde Park nursery) 290 331 12.5%
Emissions from combustion of fuel for transport The Royal Parks’ own vehicles 15 21 29.5%
(petrol and diesel) Contractor vehicles 354 440 19.8%
Emissions from combustion of fuel for non-
Contractors (other fuels) 201 243 17.3%
transport purposes (red diesel and petrol)
Emissions from other activities which we own or Red diesel (small scale incinerators
46 61 25.6%
control including operation of facilities and generators)
----- End of picture text -----

Contractor vehicle fuels include Facilities Maintenance, Toilet Cleaning, Landscape Maintenance, Tree Management, Gate Opening and Hyde Park Nursery. Emissions from fuel for non-transport purposes includes the fuel used in tools & machinery by Glendale Golf, Landscape Maintenance and Tree Management contractors. 2019/20 figures have been adjusted to add the contribution from Glendale Golf in Richmond Park.

Scope 2 emissions (indirect)

These are emissions from purchased electricity. We are required to report the average emissions of UK grid electricity (location-based), regardless of the tariff that we choose to purchase (market-based) as shown in the table below. The Royal Parks buys all its electricity on green tariffs*. The estimated emissions for this electricity from renewable sources (market-based) is zero. If we take into account the location-based emissions, we have still achieved a 30.4% reduction, because we have effectively used less electricity.

*Backed by Renewable Energy Guaranteed Origin (REGO) certificates, which verify that the electricity has been generated from renewable sources.

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tCO2e tCO2e %
Definition Source 2020/21 2019/20 reduction
Purchased electricity (location-based) UK electricity (all parks, including street lighting) 597 857 30.4%
Purchased electricity (market-based) UK electricity (all parks, including street lighting) 0 857 100%
----- End of picture text -----

Energy and Carbon Reporting

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Scope 3 emissions (indirect)

These are other indirect emissions not included in scope 2.

----- Start of picture text -----
tCO2e tCO2e %
Definition Source 2020/21 2019/20 reduction
Emissions from the supply & treatment of mains water Water supply 61 82 25.6%
Emissions from extraction, refining and transportation Natural gas, transport and other fuels 311 363 14.3%
of the raw fuel sources
Emissions from electricity related to extraction,
Well to Tank - generation and
refining, and transportation of fuels consumed in the transmission & distribution 89 130 31%
generation of electricity
Emissions from generation of electricity that is
Transmission & distribution of
consumed in a transmission and distribution system 51 73 29.5%
electricity (all parks)
which we do not own or control
Waste collected from public park bins
& generated by facilities management 44 55 19%
Emissions from disposal of waste activities
Green waste composted in the parks 29 25 -15.5%
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Outside of scopes emissions

Biofuels (including the statutory proportion blended with diesel and petrol fuels) are reported as outside of scopes – they do not count towards total emissions (as the carbon released was previously offset / absorbed during growth of the crops rather than being from fossil fuels) but are reported for completeness.

----- Start of picture text -----
tCO2e tCO2e %
Source
2020/21 2019/20 reduction
Diesel and petrol with biofuel blend (including The Royal Parks’ and contractors’ vehicles
18 17 -4.7%
and machinery)
Intensity ratio
Under SECR rules, we are required to report emissions against an intensity of output measure (or normalising factor), so
that decreases or increases in output in future years do not disguise changes in energy efficiency/emissions reductions
and valid comparisons can be made over time. We have chosen to report tonnes of CO 2 equivalent per £1 million turnover.
Intensity ratio Turnover £m 2020/21 2019/20 % reduction
tCO2e/ £1m turnover (using location-based scope 2) 48,275 59 51 -15.5%
tCO2e/ £1m turnover (using market-based scope 2) 48,275 47 51 10%
----- End of picture text -----

Under SECR rules, we are required to report emissions against an intensity of output measure (or normalising factor), so that decreases or increases in output in future years do not disguise changes in energy efficiency/emissions reductions and valid comparisons can be made over time. We have chosen to report tonnes of CO 2 equivalent per £1 million turnover.

Reporting methodology

The organisation has taken guidance from the UK Government Environmental Reporting Guidelines (March 2019), the 2020 Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG) Reporting Protocol – Corporate Standard, and from the UK Government GHG Conversion Factors for Company Reporting document for calculating carbon emissions.

Energy and Carbon Reporting

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Looking Forward

Looking forward to 2021/22, England is still subject to Covid restrictions and the parks continue to be extremely valuable to large numbers of people as places to exercise and meet outdoors. Recent data shows that over 40% of people feel that nature, wildlife and visiting local green spaces has been even more important to their wellbeing since the Covid restrictions began (Source: ONS, February 2021). We expect higher visitor numbers to persist once the country has recovered from the pandemic, as many more people have got to know and love the Royal Parks during this difficult time.

We have been working on a strategy which sets a platform for the next ten years and beyond. The Royal Parks’ business model depends on its ability to generate income from the parks. In response to a substantial reduction in income this year, cuts were made to expenditure which cannot be sustained in the long term without serious deterioration in the parks’ environments and assets. Income needs to be restored and diversified further, including through fundraising, and we need to think about the structure and the culture of the charity.

Climate change and improving biodiversity will be crucial to how the parks are managed over the coming decades. Developing and strengthening sustainable, resilient and biodiverse landscapes is a matter of urgency and represents the best chance to conserve and enhance the parks for future generations. To do this, we must both reduce the impact of how we operate and maximise the delivery of the environmental and societal benefits which the parks provide for London.

Traditional park management practices may need to change as each year becomes hotter, wetter, drier and colder. The processes of clearing leaves and then adding fertilisers, mowing the grass short and then irrigating it, will result in both financial and environmental costs. We need to consider how to balance both horticulture and biodiversity in the way the parks are managed, maximising opportunities to maintain and strengthen their historic character and restore their rich natural ecosystems.

For everyone to feel welcome in the parks and have a positive experience of these special green spaces, there needs to be a better understanding of what people value about the parks and where improvements can be made. Work on visitor information and wayfinding will include a modest investment to start improving signage in the parks. A new website is being developed to make it easier for visitors and stakeholders to find the information they need about the charity, visiting the parks and the activities on offer.

A new strategy for Learning programmes will focus on reaching wider audiences through a blended approach of digital, self-led and guided experiences, a refreshed adult learning offer, and a more collaborative and inclusive approach to enhance community work with underrepresented groups. Volunteer support and partnerships and new funding opportunities will help to strengthen the capacity to do this.

We are also continuing to improve communications linked to the charity’s priorities, including a nature campaign designed to educate visitors about the impact of interactions with the parks’ wildlife and natural landscapes.

All of this requires income levels to grow back from the current reduced levels over the next few years. The impact of Covid, particularly on national and international tourism, events and hospitality, will continue to affect income in 2021/22 and into subsequent years. To ensure a broad range of income streams in the future, new income-generating ideas and a fundraising programme will be developed while commercial opportunities in the parks will continue to be tendered.

Looking Forward

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Structure, Governance and Management

Board of Trustees

Loyd Grossman CBE (Chairman)

Loyd is a broadcaster and entrepreneur who brings significant experience of the arts and heritage sectors. He is president of The Arts Society, a vice president of the Churches Conservation Trust, a trustee of The Warburg Charitable Trust, Chairman of Gresham College, and a patron of the Association for Heritage Interpretation and Heritage Open Days.

In 2015 he was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to heritage.

Ruth served on the advisory board of The Royal Parks from 2008 to 2016. She is a chartered accountant and a non-executive director and chairman of the audit committee at Shaftesbury plc, a listed real estate investment trust which invests in London’s West End. Her prior experience includes serving as a non-executive director of Ocado Group plc, Travis Perkins plc and Coats Group plc, chairing the audit committee at each company.

Prior to her non-executive career, she worked for 33 years at the professional services firm KPMG, where she was a member of the UK board for six years, retiring in 2009 as a partner and vice-chairman.

Ruth Anderson CVO

Heather is an experienced Chief Executive Officer within the retail sector, latterly at the lifestyle clothing brand Finisterre. She has worked in retail at board level for 15 years across a number of premium brands including Hotel Chocolat and Fat Face.

Heather started her career in buying and merchandising, then moved into multi-channel retailing. She brings vast experience of brand, strategy and commercial planning centred around the customer to The Royal Parks.

Heather Blackman

Georgia is leader of Camden Council. She previously held cabinet positions as portfolio holder both for young people and adult social care. She is a director and vice chair of the Local Government Association, and co-chair of the Skills for London Board at London Councils.

Georgia beings a focus on young people to The Royal Parks and spent two years interviewing young people about why they were not engaged in politics, resulting in her book Wasted: How Misunderstanding Young Britain Threatens Our Future . During the year she became the chair of London Councils.

Cllr. Georgia Gould

Richard brings over 20 years’ experience in strategy across business, Government and civil society to The Royal Parks. He began his career with Barclays, where he spent ten years, followed by eight years at KPMG. He has worked variously with Clarence House, the British Council, Ordnance Survey, ENO, Business in the Community and the Department for Business.

Richard has been a local authority member, a non-executive director of an NHS Trust, and for over a decade has been on the advisory board of the Queen Elizabeth II Garden in New York.

Richard Hamilton

Company Number: 10016100

Board of Trustees

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Bronwyn is chair of the University of Greenwich, a director of the Trafalgar Trust 2001 Ltd and a committee member of Globe Rowing Club. She is a Friend of Greenwich Park.

Bronwyn was previously a non-executive director of the Office for Nuclear Regulation, and the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. She brings significant experience of transport strategy and programmes from her time at the Department for Transport.

Bronwyn Hill CBE

Jeff Jacobs CB

Jeff is a trustee of Catch 22 and of Film London. He was Chief Officer of the Greater London Authority until his retirement in 2018. Before this, he was Chief Executive of the Government Olympic Executive at DCMS, where he led the team which helped win London’s 2012 Olympic bid, with some of the events hosted in The Royal Parks.

Jeff has held a wide variety of previous public service roles including as director general (Children, Young People and Communities) at DCMS and executive director of policy and partnerships at the Greater London Authority. He is The Royal Parks’ safeguarding lead.

Wesley served on the advisory board of the Royal Parks from 2013 to 2016 when it was a DCMS executive agency, and was closely involved in the project to restore Brompton Cemetery. He was a founding Trustee at the inception of the charity in 2017. He is a vice-president of the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association and was elected a Trustee and Council Member of the Royal Horticultural Society in 2021, having previously served on the RHS Flower Shows Panel. He chaired the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Committee for London from 2007-2014 and was awarded the OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2015 for services to heritage.

Following a long career at the BBC, he has for many years been a freelance journalist and broadcaster, nationally and internationally, specialising in heritage, history and horticulture.

Wesley Kerr OBE

Cllr. Rachael Robathan

Rachael is leader of Westminster City Council. Before becoming leader, she held the cabinet member portfolios for Finance, Property and Regeneration, Housing and Adults, and Public Health; she was deputy cabinet member for the Adult Services and Customer Services portfolios. She also served on the Finance and Children’s Policy and Scrutiny Committees and Planning Committees.

Rachael spent 20 years working in investment management, specialising in emerging markets. She is a trustee of The Westminster Almhouses Foundation and a director for The National Lottery Community Fund.

Danny is leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, responsible for the overall political leadership, direction and vision of the council, alongside holding the portfolio of community and corporate services. He has been a councillor since July 2004 and represents the Shooters Hill ward.

Whilst his career has spanned various sectors, Danny is a former teacher whose every role has been about providing opportunities for others and has focused on community and youth work. Danny grew up in the borough of Greenwich.

Cllr. Danny Thorpe

Lt Col Michael Vernon

Michael is the Comptroller in the Lord Chamberlain’s Office, and head of one of the five departments in the Royal Household. The Lord Chamberlain’s Office is responsible for all ceremonial events attended by The Queen - many of which, including State Visits and the State Opening of Parliament, use parts of The Royal Parks’ - and for investitures and garden parties.

Michael joined the Royal Household on 1 October 2014, assuming the appointment of Secretary of the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood. Prior to this, he served for over 35 years in the Coldstream Guards.

Board of Trustees

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How we manage the Charity

The Royal Parks is led by a Board of Trustees which sets the strategy, approves the budget and determines how the organisation is run in order to meet its charitable objects. Up to seven trustees are appointed by The Secretary of State for DCMS, up to six by the Mayor of London, and there is one ex-officio appointee representing The Royal Household. As at 31 March 2021 there were 11 trustees. The trustees are unpaid, nonexecutive directors. An induction programme is prepared for each new trustee; this includes briefing sessions with the chairman and chief executive, topic specific discussions with senior management and orienteering visits across the parks’ estate. External training specifically for charity trustees is available, and DCMS holds inductions for new public appointees.

Trustees have delegated day-to-day management of The Royal Parks to the senior management team, which can make decisions within set financial parameters, above which decisions are escalated to the trustees. The board met formally 12 times in the year, with six of the twelve meetings scheduled at short notice. This is a considerable increase on the number of times it has met in previous years as a result of the impact of Covid on the charity. Trustees also met with members of the senior management team on a number of occasions to develop the new strategy. Trustee attendance at formal board meetings was as follows:

----- Start of picture text -----
Scheduled
Trustee attendance All meetings meetings
Loyd Grossman CBE (Chair) 12/12 6/6
Ruth Anderson 12/12 6/6
Heather Blackman 12/12 6/6
Cllr. Georgia Gould 8/12 3/6
Richard Hamilton 12/12 6/6
Bronwyn Hill 11/12 6/6
Jeff Jacobs CB 12/12 6/6
Wesley Kerr OBE 12/12 6/6
Cllr. Rachael Robathan 10/12 5/6
Cllr. Danny Thorpe 11/12 6/6
Lt. Col. Michael Vernon 12/12 6/6
----- End of picture text -----

The board has established four sub-committees.

The Audit and Risk Committee oversees: financial accounting and reporting; statutory audit; the effectiveness of risk management, control systems and internal audit; and the effectiveness of anti-fraud and whistle blowing arrangements. Since its inception, the charity has been operating on financial systems inherited from the Royal Parks Agency and in the year under review the committee has been overseeing the drive to modernise these, which began with an independent review commissioned from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Work to implement the PwC recommendations is continuing. Members of the committee during the year were Ruth Anderson (Chairman), Richard Hamilton, Bronwyn Hill (to July 2020) and Heather Blackman (from July 2020). Jane Hurst joined the committee in October 2020 as a co-opted member before joining the board in August 2021, when Ruth Anderson retired and Jane Hurst became the Chair of the Committee.

The Nominations and Remuneration Committee determines pay and performance bonuses, senior management appointments, and board committee nominations. When determining pay awards and performance related bonuses for senior managers, the Committee takes into account: the budget for pay awards; pay awards agreed for staff generally; comparator posts in the charity sector; and individual performance through a review of performance against objectives. Bonuses are normally paid after the year end, however no bonuses were paid to senior managers for 2020/21 (2019/20: £nil) in light of the circumstances. In the year under review, the committee also looked at the skills and expertise needed by the board and made proposals to DCMS and the Mayor of London in relation to vacant positions accordingly. The committee also reviewed the arrangements for committee membership. Members during the year were Loyd Grossman (Chairman), Bronwyn Hill and Heather Blackman. Following the year end, separate Nominations and Remuneration committees were established.

The Investment Committee was set up during the year to oversee the charity’s investments. Following a tender exercise, the charity appointed Goldman Sachs to manage its investments and, in March 2021, placed funds of £28m with them for investment. £19.7m of these funds are designated – see page 42. Members are Richard Hamilton (Chairman), Jeff Jacobs and Rachel Robathan.

The Greenwich Park Revealed Programme Board oversees the Greenwich Park Revealed project. The main work of the committee this year was to review the learning and volunteers centre. The committee recommended a proposal that enables a lower capital commitment from the charity whilst still achieving the purposes of the project agreed with the National Heritage Lottery Fund. This revised proposal was approved by the trustee Board in December 2020. Trustee members during the year were Bronwyn Hill and Wesley Kerr. Committee members from the senior management are the Chief Executive, who chairs the committee, and the Director of Finance.

How We Manage the Charity

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Licence to manage the parks

The Royal Parks are owned by the Sovereign in right of the Crown. The Secretary of State for DCMS has management powers for the parks under the Crown Lands Act 1851. The Royal Parks was established as a Charity on 16 March 2017, underpinned by a Contract for Provision of Services between The Royal Parks and DCMS. Under this Contract, The Royal Parks was given a licence for 10 years to manage the parks, with the freedom to pursue its own strategy as an independent body. The operational risk of running the parks and of maintaining the parks’ assets transferred to The Royal Parks, whilst the risk for major asset failure remained with DCMS. The Contract with the Secretary of State provides The Royal Parks with a Fee for Service and the ability to generate income using the parks and their operational assets.

Trading subsidiaries

During the year The Royal Parks had two wholly owned trading subsidiaries, TRP Trading Company Limited and Royal Parks Foundation Trading Company Limited. The latter transferred its undertaking to other group companies in October 2020 and was dissolved on 30 March 2021. TRP Trading Company Limited is primarily used for commercial trading activities. All available profits are distributed to the Charity under a Deed of Covenant.

Public benefit

The charity was created to manage the Royal Parks for the long-term benefit of the public. Through our activities we deliver public benefit by advancing environmental protection and supporting biodiversity; providing opportunities for education, recreation, health and wellbeing; and promoting national heritage. The trustees confirm that they have considered the Charity Commission’s public benefit guidance when exercising their powers and carrying out their duties during the year.

Fundraising practices

The Royal Parks is registered with the Fundraising Regulator and, in accordance with the Fundraising Regulator’s Code of Fundraising Practice, abides by the key principles of fundraising in a legal, honest and respectful way. The Royal Parks is committed to building strong, lasting relationships with funders and partners. We do not use professional fundraisers or third parties to fundraise on our behalf and do not exchange or sell our data to any third parties. We did not receive any complaints about fundraising activities during the year.

We conducted a review of our fundraising activities and started developing a fundraising strategy. We installed tap-to-donate terminals in a number of high footfall areas in the parks.

We raise funds from trusts and foundations, corporate partnerships and major donors and, in a normal year, through fundraising events such as the Royal Parks Half Marathon.

During the year we trialled a digital campaign to gather data and insight. Across the social media campaign we had some success, receiving over eleven thousand clicks and raising £2,435 from individuals.

How We Manage the Charity

Company Number: 10016100

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34

Section 172 statement

As directors of a large company and registered charity limited by guarantee, the trustees are required to report on how they have performed their duty under section 172 of the Companies Act 2006. The Royal Parks is governed by its charitable objects (see page 7) which set out the purpose of the charity. The consequences of decisions and actions are assessed by how they contribute towards achieving that purpose.

Section 172 provides that, for charitable companies where the purposes of the company are something other than the benefit of its member(s), the trustees must act in the way they consider, in good faith, would be most likely to achieve its charitable purposes. Specifically, they must have regard (amongst other matters) to the following factors contained in Section 172 a) to f):

----- Start of picture text -----
The likely consequences In their decision-making trustees consider different options, and take into account the risks
a of any decision in the associated with their decisions, as described on page 36. The parks are managed for the long-
long term term with a ten-year management plan for each park.
The charity has formal consultation and negotiation arrangements with two trade unions.
The interests of the Employees who are not trade union members can participate through employee representatives.
b
charity’s employees Staff conferences and informal catch-up meetings with members of the senior management
team took place throughout the year.
The need to foster Most of The Royal Parks’ activities, including landscape maintenance, horticulture, maintenance
business relationships of assets, gate locking, public toilets provision, and most income generation, are outsourced to
c
with suppliers, customers contractors and concessionaires. We aim to work collaboratively and constructively with these
and others providers and are in regular contact with them.
To ensure that the board’s decisions are informed by the views of stakeholders, we hold
meetings with Friends’ groups, the police, concessionaires and local authorities. This year we
carried out a visitor experience survey to inform our interpretation strategy and received over
7,000 responses.
Volunteering had to be suspended during periods of Covid restrictions this year, and we are
grateful to volunteers for their flexibility.
The impact of operations We continue to make changes to operations to respond to the climate emergency (see page 10).
d on the community and
the environment We consult on major policy and operational issues where practical. This year we received
over 18,000 responses to a consultation on trial road closures. Whilst the responses were
overwhelmingly supportive, the trials are continuing so that the impact of the closures can be
assessed when traffic returns to normal following the pandemic. We consulted for eight weeks
on the introduction of car parking charges to Richmond Park and Bushy Park and received over
12,000 responses, most of which opposed the charges. Taking into account responses to the
consultation, we have amended our proposals. The introduction of parking charges requires
ministerial and parliamentary approval for an amendment to the Park Regulations, a process
which is underway.
The desirability of
During the year, the board updated the charity’s whistleblowing policy and modern slavery
maintaining a reputation
e statement. The investment committee has ensured that its funds are invested ethically through its
for high standards of
investment manager’s Environmental, Social and Governance policies.
business conduct
The need to act fairly as
This is not directly relevant to The Royal Parks, as DCMS is the sole member. Our arrangements
f between members of the
with DCMS are detailed on page 39.
charity
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Section 172 Statement

Company Number: 10016100

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35

Managing risk

Our risk management process is designed to improve the likelihood of delivering our strategy through identification of the risks that could most impact the business and consequent management of them. It supports decision-making and assists in protecting our assets including finances, landscapes, built environment, reputation and people.

The board of trustees is responsible for risk management. It considers the risks inherent in issues discussed at board meetings and carries out an annual review of significant and emerging risks facing the charity.

The board has delegated the oversight and review of risk management processes and systems of internal controls to the audit and risk committee. The committee reports to the board on key matters following each of its meetings. Each year the Government Internal Audit Agency (GIAA) completes a programme of internal audits into operations and risk management processes and reports on these to the committee. GIAA provides an annual opinion and report to the audit and risk committee summarising their findings, the work that has been done and recommended improvements. A specialist annual sustainability audit each year as part of our ISO 14001 certification, helps us protect the environment, and ad hoc audits take place as appropriate on health and safety and other specialist areas.

As part of its annual audit, The National Audit Office reports to the committee on the control environment, compliance and financial reporting procedures. The day-to-day management of risks is delegated to senior management. Risks are considered in decision making and significant risks are reviewed at least quarterly by the Chief Executive and senior management team to ensure that emerging risks are identified, changes recognised, and mitigation reconsidered.

The board and management have reviewed the risks facing the organisation, including new and emerging risks, and those considered of most significance are listed below as The Royal Parks’ principal risks.

----- Start of picture text -----
Risk Strategic priority at risk How we manage the risk Status
Health and safety
There is a risk that people in the parks can come to harm We have inspection regimes in place for all
because of: assets, including a tree management and
inspection process, and we shut the parks as
More severe weather incidents and increased pests and necessary during severe weather. We focus our
diseases due to the impact of climate change; maintenance expenditure on health and safety
matters.
Failure of park infrastructure (including buildings and
equipment); and incidents such as criminal activity; Health and safety policies and procedures are in
major security incidents; and traffic conflicts place and supported by a reporting system. We
investigate trends and learn from incidents.
We work closely with the police who are
responsible for dealing with crime and
enforcement of the law.
Park environments
We welcome visitors to the parks, but they can have an We continue to invest in the park landscapes,
unintentional impact on the park environments including including water management, flood risk and tree
erosion of paths, compacting soil and leaving litter. management, supported by our biodiversity,
sustainability, landscape and arboriculture teams.
We are noting changing and more extreme weather
patterns with drought and flash floods affecting the We are improving footpaths where they have
landscapes. become eroded, and have instigated more
efficient means of litter collection such as rubbish
In recent years we have seen many new pests and compactors.
diseases which damage trees within the parks.
We have increased investment in managing
tree stock and countering related environmental
threats. We take specialist advice on the treatment
of pests and take mitigating and remedial action.
We work with other organisations facing similar
challenges and with volunteers, for example, on
annual oak processionary moth surveys.
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Managing Risk

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Strategic priority at risk

Status

Risk

How we manage the risk

Financial sustainability

Covid-19 and related restrictions have led to reductions in the charity’s income. A high proportion of income is generated from events and catering and there is a risk that these income streams may continue to be affected for some time.

There is an ongoing risk of unplanned significant expenditure for large-scale emergency repairs due to the number, type and age of the assets we manage, such as bridges, dams and walls.

Resilience and agility

There is a risk that the organisation does not recognise the changes that need to be made to deliver its objectives and/or it is not able to adapt quickly enough to do so.

Some systems, processes and controls are not efficient or fit for purpose and require updating.

The Board and senior management may need new skills to ensure effective delivery of the organisation’s different strategic ambitions.

To mitigate the impact of Covid-19, we are exploring ways to diversify our income streams further, including new commercial opportunities and fundraising. Prior to the pandemic we were able to build our reserves and had planned an expanded programme of investment in the parks from 2020/21 onwards. In response to the drop in income, we deferred capital projects and maintenance this year, but continuing to do so is likely to mean higher eventual maintenance costs and will lead to an increase in our maintenance backlog.

We draw up plans and budgets each year and monitor progress against budgets through monthly management accounts. These include a reforecast of expected outturn and a rolling 12-month cashflow. We also draw up longer term projections and cashflows, modelling different scenarios. The charity is working on an ambitious new strategy. An operations plan is being developed that will prioritise activities and new workstreams. Investment in new skills and an organisational review is anticipated to support the new strategy.

We are modernising and developing new ways of working in response to the challenges we face. In line with many organisations, we are considering the diversity of our workforce and have set up a working group of employees to consider how we can improve our performance in relation to diversity and inclusion.

The charity’s board and executive team bring a broad range of experience, including from the commercial sector. The skills and experience required on the board are considered by the Chairman and Nomination Committee in consultation with the appointing authorities. Clear objectives are set for the senior management team in light of changing priorities and new expertise is brought in where skills gaps are identified.

Reputation

There is a risk of reputational damage from a range of issues including: policy measures which some stakeholders or members of the public may not support, issues with park services, and activities that are contracted out to third parties.

There is also a risk to the charity’s reputation from matters outside our direct control such as criminal activity taking place in the parks.

We listen to stakeholder views and take them into account in decision-making and when considering activities hosted in the parks. We hold regular stakeholder meetings, and we consult on major changes to the parks.

We have an experienced communications team and crisis management plans in place. We work closely with the police on matters of security and enforcement.

Company Number: 10016100

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Managing Risk

37

----- Start of picture text -----
Risk Strategic priority at risk How we manage the risk Status
Visitor enjoyment
There is a risk to visitor enjoyment from the behaviour Visitor satisfaction is measured every fours years,
of other park users, such as crime, anti-social and we have always scored very highly in this
behaviour and breaches of park regulations. in-park survey. We are currently scoping out how
we improve our visitor research to enhance our
understanding of visitors and what drives their
enjoyment of the parks.
Volunteer park rangers support visitor education
and enjoyment. We use our communications to
encourage appropriate visitor behaviour.
The parks benefit from a designated operational
command unit of the metropolitan police who
patrol daily, and target crime prevention measures
at problem areas. Close working relationships
between the charity, stakeholders and the police
help ensure that problems are quickly brought to
the attention of the police.
Operating model
Running the Royal Parks is a statutory service funded Significant resource is allocated to procurement
in part through generating commercial income from the and contract management, including financial due
assets to fund activities. We expect income to recover diligence, monitoring contract KPIs, contingency
from the impact of Covid, however there is a risk to plans, best practice sharing, training and external
the business model should long-term societal changes legal support to mitigate the potential for legal
result from the pandemic. challenge.
Most park services and activities are contracted out When considering whether to bring services
to third parties. The Royal Parks is required to tender in-house, the charity takes into account the risks of
its contracts through public procurement processes, doing so including the impact on cost, staffing and
central functions.
which carries the possibility of legal challenge. Different
delivery models are considered as contracts are
retendered, including bringing services in-house, and The Royal Parks declared a climate emergency in
any such insourcing could bring additional risk. January 2020 and we continue to work to reduce
the environmental impact of the organisation in line
There is a risk that the charity’s operating model needs with our sustainability strategy.
to change to become more sustainable.
Governance and compliance
The Royal Parks has been a charity for four years and Relevant training is available to all trustees covering
there is a risk that its governance and corporate culture their statutory responsibilities. The Board is
are not yet fully developed. supported by an experienced Company Secretary.
Any non-compliance with laws and regulations could We have a core team of professional staff with
result in harm to third parties, fines and reputational appropriate qualifications, and additional expert legal
damage. advice is taken where necessary to ensure that the
Board and organisation is compliant with company
and charity law.
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Key

Key
Priorities at risk(seepage 7)	Status of risk
Protecting& Conserving	High
Welcoming& Improving	Medium
Building a Secure Future	Increase/decrease
People & Partnerships	Static

Managing Risk

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Financial Review

Overview

The Royal Parks’ business model depends on its ability to generate income from the parks. Income was significantly reduced this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The charity responded with considerable cuts to expenditure which cannot be sustained in the long term without serious deterioration in the parks’ environments and assets. Despite its reduced expenditure, The Royal Parks incurred a deficit this year for the first time since becoming a charity in 2017. The overall deficit of £4.1m (2020: £4.6m surplus) comprised £0.2m unrestricted surplus and £4.3m restricted deficit.

Arrangements with DCMS

The Royal Parks’ land and property are owned by the Crown, so may not be disposed of. Legal ownership of the other spaces managed by the charity, including Brompton Cemetery and Victoria Tower Gardens, is vested in DCMS.

The detailed exchange of obligations between the charity and DCMS is set out in a contract between them. DCMS granted the charity a ten-year licence, commencing March 2017, which permits the charity to retain income generated from activities carried out in the parks.

The barter fee income is due to the charity in exchange for the charity running the parks for DCMS; this is a statutory service which DCMS is required to provide. The barter fee income due from DCMS to the charity is matched in an equal amount by a barter fee charge made from DCMS to the charity. The barter fee charge is made in relation to the charity’s ability to exploit the parks and their assets and is calculated from the commercial income the charity generates from them each year.

The two barter amounts are non-cash transactions which net off against each other. The two amounts are shown as restricted in the Statement of Financial Activities. The sizeable decrease in barter fee income and charge from £26.0m last year to £14.8m this year corresponds to a decrease in the commercial income the charity generated in the year.

Going concern

Having considered The Royal Parks’ future cashflows, the trustees continue to believe it appropriate to adopt the going concern basis of accounting for the preparation of these accounts. Please see note 1d on page 51 for more details.

DCMS pays the charity both a cash Fee for Service and a non-cash Barter fee to manage and maintain the parks. These are explained in note 1f.

The Fee for Service this year was £10.1m (2020: £10.0m). The initial Fee for Service was based on forecast costs of managing the parks at the time the charity was formed, combined with the charity’s potential to raise revenue from alternative sources. The Fee for Service was increased by inflation for 2020/21 and 2021/22; Fees for Service from April 2022 are yet to be confirmed.

Financial Review

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Income

Total income reduced by £24.9m (34%) to £48.3m (2020: £73.2m).

Excluding the barter fee, income reduced by £13.8m (29%) to £33.4m (2020: £47.2m). Within that, income from trading activities fell by £9.7m to £19.6m (2020: £29.3m), and income from charitable activities fell by £4.2m to £0.9m (2020: £5.1m). The DCMS Fee for Service increased with inflation from £10m to £10.1m, and represented a third of unrestricted income this year.

Income from trading activities

Catering income fell by £4.0m to £1.6m (2020: £5.6m). Catering outlets were closed or had restricted operations for most of the year due to lockdowns which, combined with the lack of tourists in the central parks, led to the reduced income. Although almost all events were cancelled due to Covid, the charity’s commercial contracts meant it was still able to generate £10.0m (2020: £13.6m) from events as an element of the projected income is guaranteed whether the event proceeds or not.

The reluctance of visitors to use public transport during the pandemic led to an increase in car-parking income from £1.8m to £1.9m, despite closures for some periods. Other trading income, which includes filming and boating, fell from £3.9m to £1.8m due to the lockdowns and other restrictions.

----- Start of picture text -----
£m
80
£0.9m
£2m
70 £5.1m
60 £10m
Income
50 £0.4m
£2.4m
£0.9m Other income
Donations
40 £10.1m and Grants
Charitable
30 £19.6m £29.3m Activities
DCMS Fee
for Service
20 Trading
Activities
DCMS
10 £14.9m £25.9m Barter Fee
0 2021 2020
----- End of picture text -----

Income from charitable activities

The reduction in income was largely due to cancellation of the 2020 Royal Parks Half Marathon. Places have been transferred to 2021, and income already generated deferred into next year.

The Hub in Regents Park was also forced to closed for part of the year, and social distancing measures when it was able to open led to a reduction in sportsrelated income.

----- Start of picture text -----
££ Donations and grants
Other £
Charitable activites
£2.4m
£2.1m £0.9m
£10.1m Income
£10m
£33.4m
DCMS Fee for Service
£1.9m Events
£4.3m £1.6m
Car Parking
Catering
Estates Excluding DCMS barter fee
----- End of picture text -----

Financial Review

Company Number: 10016100

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40

Expenditure

In response to reductions in income, total expenditure was reduced by £16.2m to £52.4m (2020: £68.6m). Excluding the barter fee, the reduction was £5.1m (12%) to £37.5m (2020: £42.6m).

Expenditure on charitable activities was cut by £6.3m (16%) to £33.1m (2020: £39.4m). Within this, Heritage, Protection and Conservation expenditure was reduced by £3.5m. £2.7m of this reduction related to landscape and works. Due to the cancellation of the majority of large events this year, post-event reinstatement work was not required and accounts for some of the cost reduction.

Recreation, Sports and Culture expenditure was reduced by £2.8m, principally due to the cancellation of the Half Marathon. Expenditure on raising funds, which includes all costs in relation to trading income, increased by £1.3m, principally due to costs resulting from legal challenges. Staff costs increased by £0.4m, but with £0.3m received from the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

We were awarded £975,000 from the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage, of which we spent £850,000 in the year. This grant funding allowed us make improvements to waste management and public toilet facilities, to investigate and trial new income-generating opportunities, and to review the efficiency of some of our operations.

----- Start of picture text -----
£m Expenditure
80
Raising
10.8Funds
70 Charitable £3.2m
Activities
DCMS
60
Barter Fee
£4.5m
50
40
£33.1m £39.4m
30
20
£14.9m £25.9m
10
0 2021 2020
----- End of picture text -----

----- Start of picture text -----
Support costs
and depreciation
£9.3m £23.1m
Heritage, protection
and conservation
Expenditure
Education £1.1m £37.5m
£0.7m
Recreation, £3m
sports and culture
£
Excluding DCMS barter fee
Fundraising
Trading costs costs £0.3m
----- End of picture text -----

Financial Review

Company Number: 10016100

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41

Capital, maintenance and landscape

The Royal Parks is responsible for a considerable number of buildings, monuments, roads, paths, walls, bridges and dams. Every four years, we calculate our assets maintenance backlog and an estimate of maintenance costs for the next ten years. At 31 March 2019 this totalled £53.5m (2015: £56m).

Prior to the pandemic we had planned for significant investment in the parks in 2020/21, with a sizeable increase in budget for maintenance and new capital projects. However, a revised budget put in place due to the pandemic meant maintenance was stripped back to essential works and capital projects were put on hold. Expenditure on asset maintenance was reduced to £4.8m (2020: £7.4m). Projects to improve the parks’ landscapes and habitats were postponed, and landscape maintenance cut by £0.8m to £10.8m (2020: £11.6m).

Due to reduced budgets, we only invested £0.5m (2020: £4.6m) in capital projects this year. Capital projects included the completion of Gloucester Gate playground in The Regents Park, installing rubbish compactors in The Regents Park, Bushy Park and Greenwich Park, and enabling works for a learning centre as part of our Greenwich Park Revealed project. These investments were all supported by grant funding.

Whilst achievable for one year, landscape and maintenance spend cannot be sustained at this low level without having a detrimental impact on the parks and visitors’ enjoyment of them in the longer term.

----- Start of picture text -----
£m
25
Landscape
10.8Projects
Assets
£4.6m
Maintenance
20
Capital
Projects
£0.5m
15
£4.8m £7.4m
10
£10.8m £11.6m
5
0 2021 2020
Reserves policy
----- End of picture text -----

The financial strategy of The Royal Parks is to provide a secure, diverse and increasing income to fund the maintenance, repair and enhancement of the Royal Parks and to maintain a strong and sufficiently liquid balance sheet.

The Royal Parks needs to hold reserves to ensure that it can maintain its operational stability and meet its commitments when they fall due. The charity regularly

reviews its longer-term business strategy and holds a level of general reserves that will provide sufficient resilience against the financial impact from operational risks and to provide a financial cushion should exceptional events affect the charity’s ability to operate.

The charity reviewed its reserves policy during the year. Its income has been significantly impacted by Covid-19 and, in response, the reserve held against falls in income was increased to £6m. The charity previously held funds in reserve for future income generation projects but has now designated these funds with the intention of progressing income generation projects following the impact of Covid-19 on existing commercial income streams.

The charity aims to hold £13m of general fund reserves, comprising:

• £5m to manage its working capital requirements and ensure that it can meet its operational costs

• • £6m to provide a level of mitigation against the effects of external operational and financial risk should the levels of income reduce significantly

• • £2m to finance unplanned expenditure where the need arises and to provide a financial cushion should an exceptional event occur

Due to the current high levels of uncertainty over income, the reserves policy will be reviewed again during 2021/22.

General fund (£13m)

General funds are funds that can be spent as deemed fit by the trustees. As at 31/3/21, the charity held £13m of general fund reserves, in line with policy.

Designated fund (£19.7m)

Designated funds are those unrestricted funds which have been set aside by trustees for an essential spend or future purpose. The trustees have designated the following amounts:

• Capital and maintenance projects : £15.4m has been designated to capital and maintenance projects. The Royal Parks manages significant heritage assets and inherited a large maintenance backlog when it became a charity.

• Greenwich Park Revealed : £2.2m has been designated to the Greenwich Park Revealed Project, which commenced its delivery phase during the year.

• Income generation: £2m has been designated to support investment in new projects to generate income.

Restricted charity funds (£4.5m)

These are funds subject to specific restrictions imposed by donors that are within the objects of the charity

Restricted fixed assets fund (£93.4m)

The majority of the charity’s fixed assets cannot be disposed of, and so a restricted fund is matched to the value of these assets. These assets are restricted because they are ultimately owned by the Crown, and The Royal Parks does not have the power to dispose of them.

Financial Review

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42

Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities

The Trustees (who are also directors of The Royal Parks for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report (including the Strategic Report) and the accounts in accordance with applicable law and regulations. Company law requires the Trustees to prepare accounts for each financial year. Under that law, the Trustees have prepared the accounts in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law). Under company law, the Trustees must not approve the accounts unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of the affairs of the charitable company and the group, and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable group for that period.

As far as the Board of Trustees are aware:

(a) there is no relevant audit information of which the company’s auditors are unaware; and

(b) they have taken all the steps that they ought to have taken in order to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the company’s auditors are aware of that information.

The Trustees’ Annual Report, including the Strategic Report, was adopted by the Trustees (in their capacity as company directors) and signed on their behalf by:

In preparing these accounts, the Trustees are required to:

• select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

• observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;

Loyd Grossman CBE Chairman

20 October 2021

• make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

• state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the accounts; and,

• prepare the accounts on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in business.

The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the charitable company’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and the group, and which enable them to ensure that accounts comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and the group, and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of accounts may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Statement of Trustees Responsibilities

Company Number: 10016100

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INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL PARKS LIMITED

Opinion on financial statements

I have audited the financial statements of The Royal Parks Limited for the year ended 31 March 2021 which comprise the group Statement of Financial Activities, the group and parent charity Balance Sheet, the group and parent charity Statement of Cash Flows and the related notes, including the significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and the United Kingdom Accounting Standards (UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice) and as regards the parent company financial statements, as applied in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act 2006.

In my opinion the financial statements:

• give a true and fair view of the state of the group’s and of The Royal Parks’ affairs as at 31st March 2021 and of its incoming resources and application of resources for the year then ended;

• have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice;

• have been prepared in accordance with requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

Opinion on regularity

In my opinion, in all material respects the income and expenditure recorded in the financial statements have been applied to the purposes intended by Parliament and the financial transactions recorded in the financial statements conform to the authorities which govern them.

Basis for opinion(s)

I conducted my audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (ISAs) (UK), applicable law and Practice Note 10 ‘Audit of Financial Statements of Public Sector Entities in the United Kingdom’. My responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of my report.

Those standards require me and my staff to comply with the Financial Reporting Council’s Revised Ethical Standard 2019. I have also elected to apply the ethical standards relevant to listed entities. I am independent of the Royal Parks in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to my audit of the financial statements in the UK. My staff and I have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements.

I believe that the audit evidence I have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for my opinion

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, I have concluded that the Royal Parks’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work I have performed, I have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the Royal Parks’ ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

My responsibilities and the responsibilities of the Trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other Information

The other information comprises information included in the annual report, other than the financial statements and my auditor’s report thereon. The Trustees are responsible for the other information. My opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in my report, I do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. In connection with my audit of the financial statements, my responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or my knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If I identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, I am required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work I have performed, I conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, I am required to report that fact.

I have nothing to report in this regard.

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Opinion on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In my opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:

• the information given in the Strategic and Directors’ Report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements and those reports have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

Matters on which I report by exception

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the Royal Parks and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, I have not identified material misstatements in the strategic report or the directors’ report.

I have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires me to report to you if, in our opinion:

• adequate accounting records have not been kept or returns adequate for my audit have not been received from branches not visited by my staff; or

• the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or

• certain disclosures of trustees’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or

• I have not received all of the information and explanations I require for my audit.

Responsibilities of the trustees for the financial statements

As explained more fully in the Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities, the Trustees are responsible for:

• the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view;

• such internal controls as management determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statement to be free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error;

• assessing the Royal Parks’ ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the directors either intends to liquidate the entity or to cease operations, or has no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

My responsibility is to audit and report on the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and section 151 of the Charities Act 2011.

My objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue a report that includes my opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

I design procedures in line with my responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of noncompliance with laws and regulation, including fraud.

My procedures included the following:

• Inquiring of management, the head of internal audit and those charged with governance, including obtaining and Inquiring of management, the head of internal audit and those charged with governance, including obtaining and reviewing supporting documentation relating to the Royal Parks’ policies and procedures relating to:

• identifying, evaluating and complying with laws and regulations and whether they were aware of any instances of non-compliance;

• detecting and responding to the risks of fraud and whether they have knowledge of any actual, suspected or alleged fraud; and

• the internal controls established to mitigate risks related to fraud or non-compliance with laws and regulations including the Group’s controls relating to charities law, the Companies Act 2006, The Royal Parks and Other Open Spaces Regulations 1997, The Hyde Park and The Regent’s Park (Vehicle Parking) Regulations 1995 and The Greenwich Park (Vehicle Parking) Regulations 2000.

• discussing among the engagement team including significant component audit teams and involving relevant internal and external specialists, including on legal cases and the property impairment review, regarding how and where fraud might occur in the financial statements and any potential indicators of fraud. As part of this discussion, I identified potential for fraud in the following areas: revenue recognition, posting of unusual journals and the manipulation of the management charge to the trading subsidiary;

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• obtaining an understanding of the Royal Parks’ framework of authority as well as other legal and regulatory frameworks that the Group operates in, focusing on those laws and regulations that had a direct effect on the financial statements or that had a fundamental effect on the operations of the Group. The key laws and regulations I considered in this context included the Companies Act 2006, The Royal Parks and Other Open Spaces Regulations 1997, The Hyde Park and The Regent’s Park (Vehicle Parking) Regulations 1995 and The Greenwich Park (Vehicle Parking) Regulations 2000, employment law and relevant tax legislation; and

In addition to the above, my procedures to respond to identified risks included the following:

• reviewing the financial statement disclosures and testing to supporting documentation to assess compliance with relevant laws and regulations discussed above;

• enquiring of management, the Audit Committee and in-house legal counsel concerning actual and potential litigation and claims;

• reading minutes of meetings of those charged with governance and the Board;

• in addressing the risk of fraud through management override of controls, testing the appropriateness of journal entries and other adjustments; assessing whether the judgements made in making accounting estimates are indicative of a potential bias; and evaluating the business rationale of any significant transactions that are unusual or outside the normal course of business; and

I also communicated relevant identified laws and regulations and potential fraud risks to all engagement team members including internal specialists and significant component audit teams and remained alert to any indications of fraud or non-compliance with laws and regulations throughout the audit.

A further description of my responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of my report.

In addition, I am required to obtain evidence sufficient to give reasonable assurance that the income and expenditure reported in the financial statements have been applied to the purposes intended by Parliament and the financial transactions conform to the authorities which govern them.

I communicate with those charged with governance regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that I identify during my audit.

Greg Wilson (Senior Statutory Auditor)

2021

For and on behalf of the

Comptroller and Auditor General (Statutory Auditor) National Audit Office 157-197 Buckingham Palace Road Victoria London SW1W 9SP

Independent Auditor’s Report

Company Number: 10016100

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Patron, Trustees, Senior Management and Advisors

Patron

Company Secretary of The Royal Parks

HRH The Prince of Wales

Alan Buchanan

Board of Trustees

The Royal Parks Limited

Loyd Grossman CBE (Chairman) Ruth Anderson CVO (to August 2021) Heather Blackman Councillor Georgia Gould Richard Hamilton Bronwyn Hill CBE Jeff Jacobs CB Wesley Kerr OBE Councillor Rachael Robathan Councillor Danny Thorpe Lt. Col. Michael Vernon Aurora Antrim (from August 2021) Jane Hurst (from August 2021)

Charity Number: 1172042 Company Number: 10016100

Auditors

National Audit Office, 157 – 197 Buckingham Palace Road, London, SW1W 9SP.

Bankers

Royal Bank of Scotland plc, 36 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, EH2 2YB.

Solicitors

Senior Management Team

Andrew Scattergood, Chief Executive Alan Buchanan, General Counsel Tom Jarvis, Director of Parks Ali Jeremy, Director of Communications and Engagement Liz Mullins, Commercial Director Clare Wadd, Director of Finance Darren Woodward, Director of Estates & Projects

Bates Wells 10 Queen Street Place London EC4R 1BE

Davitt Jones Bould LLP, Level 24 The Shard, 32 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9SG

Gowling WLS Two Snowhill Birmingham B4 6WR

Audit and Risk Committee

Investment Managers

Ruth Anderson CVO (Chairman) (to August 2021) Richard Hamilton Bronwyn Hill (to July 2020) Heather Blackman Jane Hurst (from October 2020)

Goldman Sachs International Plumtree Court 25 Shoe Lane London EC4A 4AU

Nominations and Remuneration Committee

Loyd Grossman CBE (Chairman) Heather Blackman Bronwyn Hill CBE

Greenwich Park Revealed Committee

Andrew Scattergood (Chairman) Bronwyn Hill CBE Wesley Kerr OBE Clare Wadd (to September 2021)

Investment Committee

Richard Hamilton (Chairman) Jeff Jacobs Rachel Robathan

Company Number: 10016100

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Consolidated Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA) (including consolidated income and expenditure account) for the year ending 31 March 2021

----- Start of picture text -----
2021 2021 2021 2021 2020
Note Unrestricted Restricted Restricted Total Total
DCMS
Barter Fee
£’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000
Income from:
DCMS Fee for Service 2 10,142 - - 10,142 9,994
Donations and grants 2 224 2,202 - 2,426 1,964
Charitable activities 2
Heritage, Protection and Conservation 200 - - 200 49
Recreation, Sports and Culture 719 - - 719 5,047
Education 5 - - 5 36
Trading income 2 19,583 - - 19,583 29,303
DCMS Barter Fee 2 – - 14,864 14,864 25,979
Investment income 2 11 - - 11 -
Other income 2 357 - - 357 789
Total income 31,241 2,202 14,864 48,307 73,161
Expenditure on:
Raising funds 3
Fundraising costs 355 75 - 430 355
Trading costs 3,527 500 - 4,027 2,885
Investment costs 6 - - 6 -
Charitable activities 3
-
Heritage, Protection and Conservation 25,857 4,897 30,754 34,264
Recreation, Sports and Culture 791 129 - 920 3,724
Education 282 1,120 - 1,402 1,402
DCMS Barter Fee 3 - - 14,864 14,864 25,979
Total expenditure 30,818 6,721 14,864 52,403 68,609
(Loss) / gain on investment 11 (39) - - (39) -
revaluation
Net income / (expenditure) 384 (4,519) - (4,135) 4,552
Transfers between funds 25 (179) 179 - - -
Net movement in funds 205 (4,340) - (4,135) 4,552
-
Total funds brought forward 32,474 98,239 130,713 126,161
Total funds carried forward 32,679 93,899 - 126,578 130,713
----- End of picture text -----

All of the above results are derived from continuing activities. There were no other recognised gains or losses apart from those stated above.

The notes on pages 51 - 74 form an integral part of these accounts.

Company Number: 10016100

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Group and Charity Balance Sheet Company no. 10016100 as at 31 March 2021

	Note	Group	Charity	Group	Charity
		2021	2021	2020	2020
		£’000	£’000	£’000	£’000
Fixed assets:
Tangible assets	9	45,482	45,482	47,505	46,460
Intangible assets	9	88	88	154	154
Heritage assets	10	43,813	43,813	45,724	45,724
Investments	11	27,968	27,968	-	-
Total Current assets: Debtors Cash at bank	13 14	117,351 13,516 13,232	117,351 15,552 10,773	93,383 13,787 45,752	92,338 13,004 45,377
Total		26,748	26,325	59,539	58,381
Liabilities:
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year	15	(17,405)	(16,982)	(22,087)	(20,946)
Net current assets		9,343	9,343	37,452	37,435
Total assets less current liabilities		126,694	126,694	130,835	129,773
Creditors: amounts falling due after one year	16	(116)	(116)	(122)	(122)
Total net assets / (liabilities) Statement of Funds Restricted Charity Funds Restricted Fixed Assets Fund¹ Unrestricted Funds Designated projects and maintenance fund Greenwich Park Revealed designated fund Income generating designated fund General Fund Total funds	25 25 25	126,578 4,516 89,383 15,436 2,243 2,000 13,000 126,578	126,578 4,516 89,383 15,436 2,243 2,000 13,000 126,578	130,713 4,856 93,383 10,000 - - 22,474 130,713	129,651 4,856 92,338 10,000 - - 22,457 129,651

¹The Royal Parks' fixed assets are ultimately owned by the Crown. The assets are managed and maintained by The Royal Parks on behalf of DCMS and are included in these accounts only because The Royal Parks is able to obtain an economic benefit from them, which it uses to manage the Parks. These assets are restricted as they cannot be disposed of, or leased, by The Royal Parks and they can only be used for the purpose of managing the Parks.

The notes of pages 51 - 74 form an integral part of these accounts.

Approved and authorised for issue by the Board of Trustees on 20 October 2021 and signed on their behalf by:

Loyd Grossman CBE Chairman

Company Number: 10016100

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Group and Charity Statement of Cash Flows for the year ending 31 March 2021

	Note	Group	Charity	Group	Charity
		2021	2021	2020	2020
		£’000	£’000	£’000	£’000
Net income for the reporting year		(4,135)	(3,073)	4,552	4,633
Adjustments for:
Depreciation charges	9	4,467	4,464	4,445	4,347
Purchase of fxed assets	9	(467)	(518)	(4,515)	(4,515)
Incoming fxed assets		-	(991)	-	-
Decrease or (increase) in debtors	13	271	(2,548)	592	997
(Decrease) or increase in creditors Losses or (gains) on investments Dividends and interest from investments	15,16 11	(4,688) 39 (11)	(3,970) 39 (11)	4,716 - -	4,545 - -
Net cash provided by operating activities		(4,524)	(6,608)	9,790	10,007
Adjustments for:
Purchase of investments	11	(20,485)	(20,485)	-	-
Movement in cash held by investment	11	(7,539)	(7,539)	-	-
managers
Proceeds from sale of investments	11	17	17	-	-
Dividends and interest from investments		11	11	-	-
Net cash provided by investing activities		(27,996)	(27,996)	-	-
Change in cash and cash equivalents in		(32,520)	(34,604)	9,790	10,007
the reporting year
Cash and cash equivalents at the	14	45,752	45,377	35,962	35,370
beginning of the reporting year
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the reporting year	14	13,232	10,773	45,752	45,377

The notes on pages 51 - 74 form an integral part of these accounts.

Company Number: 10016100

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Notes to the Accounts for the year ending 31 March 2021

1. Accounting Policies

a. Statutory information

The Royal Parks Limited is a charitable company limited by guarantee and is incorporated in England and Wales.

b. Basis of preparation

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective March 2018) – (Charities SORP FRS 102), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective January 2019) and the Companies Act 2006. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy or note.

These financial statements consolidate the results of the charitable company and its wholly owned subsidiaries – TRP Trading Company Limited and the Royal Parks Foundation Trading Company Limited - on a line by line basis. The trade of Royal Parks Foundation Trading Company and its assets and liabilities were transferred to other companies within the group on 20 October 2020. Transactions and balances between the Charity and its subsidiaries have been eliminated from the consolidated financial statements. Total balances between The Royal Parks and TRP Trading Company Limited are disclosed in the notes of the Charity’s balance sheet. A separate Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA), (or income and expenditure account), for the Charity itself is not presented because the Charity has taken advantage of the exemptions afforded by section 408 of the Companies Act 2006.

c. Public benefit entity

The charitable company meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102.

d. Going concern

The Royal Parks’ income, a considerable proportion of which is generated from large events and hospitality in the central parks, has been and continues to be adversely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, and is expected to remain significantly below pre-pandemic levels during 2021/22.

The board of trustees is keeping the group’s finances under close review, including considering the charity’s management accounts and forecasts in its meetings. Reserves are available to meet a budgeted deficit in 2021/22.

Financial forecasts have been drawn up under three scenarios for the five years to March 2026 based on different rates of recovery from the crisis. Trustees have reviewed these forecasts, and the associated cashflow forecasts, taking into account the group’s reserves. Trustees have also considered the activities of the group and the principal risks set out on pages 36 - 38 . Even under the worst of the three scenarios, in which income is significantly reduced in both 2021/22 and 2022/23, trustees consider that the group has sufficient resources and that it has taken reasonable steps to continue to operate for at least a year from the date of signature of these accounts. For this reason, the trustees continue to believe it appropriate to adopt the going concern basis of accounting for the preparation of these accounts.

TRP Trading Company is experiencing the same income uncertainty resulting from the pandemic, but a large proportion of its costs are directly related to its income. Accordingly, its directors also continue to adopt the going concern basis in the preparation of its accounts.

e. Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the objectives of the Charity.

Restricted funds are to be used for specific purposes in line with the wishes of the donor.

Designated funds are unrestricted funds that have set aside by the trustees for particular purposes.

Company Number: 10016100

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f. Income

Income is split into the below main categories in the Statement of Financial Activities

• Donations and grants

• Charitable activities

• Trading income

• DCMS Fee for Service

• DCMS Barter Fee

Donations and grants

Income from donations and grants is recognised when there is evidence of entitlement to the gift, receipt is probable, and its amount can be measured reliably. The nature of donations received by The Royal Parks means these are usually recognised upon receipt. Grants are usually recognised in the period they relate to; they are accrued if the income hasn’t been received yet, and deferred if they are received earlier than the period it relates to.

In accordance with Charities SORP (FRS 102), volunteer time is not recognised. This report contains more information about their contribution (see page 19).

Charitable activities

Income from charitable activities is primarily made up of income received from sporting and cultural activities within the parks. Activities normally include the Royal Parks Half Marathon and The Hub in The Regent’s Park, however it was not possible to run the Royal Parks Half Marathon this year and The Hub was closed for some periods due to the pandemic. Income is recognised in the period to which it relates. No income was recorded in 2020/21 for the Royal Parks Half Marathon, as no event took place within this period (see note 1q).

Trading income

The trading income of The Royal Parks comprises rental income from land and property licences issued in respect of access to The Royals Parks’ estate, and income generated in TRP Trading Company Limited which primarily comprises events, catering and car parking operations in the parks. Income is recognised in the period in which the activity takes place. Under the Contract with DCMS the Charity is permitted to retain this income to apply to expenditure on the parks.

DCMS fee for service and DCMS barter fee

The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has, through the Contracting Out (Functions relating to The Royal Parks) Order 2016, legislated the ability to delegate its responsibilities under the Crown Lands Act 1851 to maintain and manage the parks. DCMS entered into a Contract for the Provision of Services (the Contract) with The Royal Parks, which allows the parks to benefit from the Charity managing and maintaining them. Under the Contract, the Charity is able to apply its charitable funds for its own charitable purpose of managing and maintaining the parks, which accords with the responsibilities of government.

Under the Contract, DCMS provides the Charity with a cash fee for service and a barter fee in exchange for the Charity managing and maintaining the parks. The total Fee for Service gives a proxy value to the maintenance and management costs incurred by the Charity and does not compensate the Charity in full for undertaking its obligations under the contract. Income from DCMS is recognised in the period to which it relates.

The Fee for Service for the charity’s first three years was based on forecast costs of managing the parks at the time the charity was formed, combined with the Charity’s potential to raise revenue from alternative sources. The Fee for Service was increased by inflation for 2020/21 and 2021/22; Fees for Service from April 2022 are yet to be confirmed.

The Barter fee is a non-cash fee acknowledging that The Royal Parks is able to use the parks’ assets to generate income and should therefore pay a fee to DCMS for their use. At the same time, The Royal Parks provides DCMS with the service of running the parks and so, in return, it receives a fee in the same amount from DCMS.

Company Number: 10016100

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The Barter fee varies in line with the income the charity generates, and therefore fell substantially this year. It is tied to the restrictions placed on the Charity by DCMS through the contract and on success of commercial activities. Barter income and expenditure is restricted, with the gross figures shown in a separate column on the SoFA.

g. Expenditure and irrecoverable VAT

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that settlement will be required, and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is reported on a full cost basis, including both directly attributable costs and support costs. Expenditure is classified under the following activity headings:

• Raising funds relates to the costs incurred by the charitable company in inducing third parties to make voluntary contributions to it, as well as the cost of any activities with a fundraising purpose. It includes costs incurred to raise trading income.

• Charitable activities includes the costs incurred in order to further the purposes of the Charity. Irrecoverable VAT is charged as a cost against the activity for which the expenditure was incurred.

h. Pension costs

There are two main pension schemes:

• The Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (Defined Benefit) (PCSPS); and

• The Royal Parks Group Personal Pension (Defined Contribution) Scheme (TRPGPP).

Employees who transferred from The Royal Parks Agency on 16 March 2017 retained access to continued participation in the PCSPS, but this scheme is not open to new joiners. Employees who joined the Charity after 16 March 2017 are eligible to participate in the TRPGPP. Therefore, membership in PCSPS is declining, whilst membership in the TRPGPP scheme is increasing. The PCSPS is an unfunded multi-employer defined benefit scheme. The Charity is unable to identify its share of the underlying assets and liabilities of the scheme on a consistent and reasonable basis and therefore, as permitted by FRS 102, accounts for the scheme as if it were a defined contribution scheme. The TRPGPP is now managed on the Charity’s behalf by Aviva Ltd; it was managed by AEGON Ltd up until 31/8/2020. Under the PCSPS, and the TRPGPP, pension liabilities do not rest with the Charity. Under both schemes, employer pension contributions are recognised in the period to which they relate.

i. Allocation of support costs

Support costs are apportioned based on the amount of expenditure incurred against each of the activities during the period.

Governance costs are the costs associated with the governance arrangements of the Charity. These costs relate to constitutional and statutory requirements and include any costs associated with the strategic management of the Charity’s activities.

j. Fixed assets

Recognition

Buildings within the Royal Parks, the legal title of which remains with the Crown, are managed and maintained by The Royal Parks on behalf of DCMS and are included as fixed assets on The Royal Parks’ balance sheet. Whilst these assets cannot be legally transferred from DCMS, in accordance with accounting standards, DCMS de-recognised operational assets that, under the ‘Contract for the Provision of Services’, the Charity now manages and maintains on behalf of government. These assets were treated as donated assets, in accordance with the SORP and are shown as restricted.

The Royal Parks recognised these assets at their fair value, following a professional valuation by an independent valuer, as at their effective date of receipt (16 March 2017). This was their ‘deemed cost’ as at that date and the fair value is not reassessed each year. Assets were given values based on their full useful lives. These assets are reviewed for impairment each year with no change to their valuations considered necessary.

Company Number: 10016100

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Assets with a purchase price greater than £5,000 and with an economic life of more than one year are capitalised and depreciated over their estimated useful lives. All new fixed asset additions are recognised at cost.

Intangible assets are recognised when it is probable that the expected future economic benefits attributable to the asset will flow to the entity, and when the cost or value of the asset can be measured reliably.

All assets will continue to be held at cost over time and are subject to annual impairment review.

Classification

Fixed assets are classified under the SORP as one of:

• Tangible Assets;

• Intangible Assets; and

• Heritage Assets.

Tangible assets comprise: non-heritage buildings, IT equipment, plant & machinery, and fixtures & fittings.

Intangible assets comprise: IT software.

Heritage assets are those assets with cultural, environmental or historical associations, which we are required to preserve in trust for future generations. This includes listed buildings or buildings which trustees consider have special significance in the landscape and will be required to be kept substantially in their current form due to planning restrictions. Heritage assets include buildings which, though held for their cultural, environmental or historical associations, are also used to generate revenues in line with The Royal Parks’ overall objectives, through use by The Royal Parks, licensees, or concessionaires.

In following the principles of the Charities SORP FRS 102 in accounting for heritage assets, they are included as Non Current Assets in the Balance Sheet. For assets held as at 16 March 2017, a valuation was given by the VOA, but otherwise expenditure on creating new heritage assets is capitalised at cost. Expenditure on maintaining them is expensed. The Royal Parks has no disposal policy, its heritage assets being inalienable, nor has it disposed of any heritage assets since it was formed.

The Royal Parks undertakes a programme of maintenance works which is informed by the Quadrennial Conservation report of all listed buildings and structures, condition surveys and the Accumulated Works Maintenance Liability calculation for all assets. Priorities are assessed each year, and the cost is charged to expenditure. The work undertaken each year includes both repair and preventative maintenance.

Assets in the course of construction are included in the balance sheet at cost. On completion of works, assets are transferred to the appropriate category on the balance sheet and reflected at cost.

Subsequent to the year end it was determined in court that the Crown is the owner of the Hyde Park Boathouse. Accordingly, it could have been included in the charity’s balance sheet as a fixed asset with effect from the expiry of the previous concession agreement. A Director’s indicative valuation of the asset of £250,000 is not material to the accounts and a formal valuation will be prepared and incorporated into the next financial year.

Depreciation

Depreciation is provided on all fixed assets, at rates calculated to write-off the cost or valuation of each asset to nil on a straight-line basis over its estimated useful life. Lives are normally as follows:

• Buildings – up to 50 years

• Plant & machinery – up to 50 years

• Fixtures & fittings – up to 20 years

• IT – up to 5 years

• Intangible assets – up to 5 years

Company Number: 10016100

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k. Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due. A provision is usually made for doubtful debts; the impact of Covid-19 meant a more detailed analysis and line-by-line assessment of the largest outstanding debts with judgements had to be completed this year. This resulted in an increase in doubtful debts.

l. Cash at bank

Cash at bank includes cash and short-term deposits with a short maturity of three months or less from the date the deposit is placed.

m. Operating leases

Operating lease costs are charged to the SoFA as incurred. The Charity does not have any finance leases.

n. Financial instruments

The Charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Most basic financial instruments (debtors, creditors, cash, and cash equivalents) are initially recognised at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised costs, except listed investments.

o. Listed investments

Investments are a form of basic financial instrument which are initially recognised at their transaction value. They are subsequently measured at their fair value as at the balance sheet date using the closing quoted market price. Any change in fair value is recognised in the SoFA. Investment gains and losses, whether realised or unrealised, are combined and shown as “Net gains/(losses) on investments” in the SoFA. The charity currently does not acquire put options, derivatives or other complex financial instruments. Investments held are in equity and fixed-income funds, or in cash accounts held by the fund manager destined for one of those. There is a consideration for any impairment to investments held.

p. Creditors and provisions

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the Charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their expected settlement amount.

Deferred income mainly comprises income invoiced in advance for estates licences and for the Royal Parks Half Marathon (see below).

q. Significant accounting estimates and judgements

Income from the Royal Parks Half Marathon received in advance of the event was previously considered contractually non-refundable and was recognised as a percentage of the costs incurred to date compared to the estimated cost to host the event. However, all income received in 2019/20 was deferred to 2020/21 due to the uncertainty about whether the event could take place in October 2020 because of Covid-19. As the event was cancelled, this income has now been deferred into 2021/22, with it now next expected to take place in October 2021. The income recognition policy has now been changed to recognise the income when the event takes place. This allows for the potential for cancellations of the event and of refunds.

The Charity’s contract to manage and maintain the parks is possible under the Contracting Out (Functions relating to the Royal Parks) Order 2016; this order is required to be reauthorised by Parliament every 10 years. The Charity expects that the contract will be reauthorised in 2027 and, as such, assets are valued and depreciated on the basis of full useful economic life.

Company Number: 10016100

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2. Analysis of Income by Activity and Nature

	Note	Group	Group
		2021	2020
		£’000	£’000
Income from donations and grants
Donations	1f	250	619
Grants	1f	2,176	1,345
Income from charitable activities Heritage, Protection & Conservation Sports and Culture Education Income from trading activities Events Catering concessions Estates Car parking Other trading income Investments Other Income DCMS Fee for Service DCMS Barter Fee Total income	1f 1f 1f 1f 1f 1f 1f 1f 1o 1f 1f	2,426 200 719 5 924 9,995 1,615 4,301 1,898 1,774 19,583 11 357 10,142 14,864 48,307	1,964 49 5,047 36 5,132 13,636 5,635 4,312 1,801 3,919 29,303 - 789 9,994 25,979 73,161

Company Number: 10016100

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3. Analysis of Expenditure

Group 2021

----- Start of picture text -----
Cost of raising funds Charitable activities
Fundraising Trading Investment Heritage, Recreation, Education DCMS Support Total Total
costs costs costs protection sports and barter costs 2021 2020
and culture
conservation
£’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000
Staff costs 196 785 - 3,552 173 657 – 2,856 8,219 7,864
Landscape and works 15 10 - 15,227 282 32 – 6 15,572 18,930
Other direct costs 113 2,232 6 4,363 237 366 14,864 1,964 24,145 37,370
Depreciation – 3 – - - - - 4,464 4,467 4,445
324 3,030 6 23,142 692 1,055 14,864 9,290 52,403 68,609
Allocation of support costs 106 997 – 7,612 228 347 – (9,290) - -
Total 430 4,027 6 30,754 920 1,402 14,864 - 52,403 68,609
expenditure
----- End of picture text -----

s Support costs are apportioned based on the amount of expenditure incurred against each of the activities during the period. Therefore they have been re-allocated on the following basis: Fundraising costs 1% Trading costs 11% Heritage, protection and conservation 82% Recreation, sports and culture 2% Education 4%

Analysis of support costs

Analysis of support costs
	£'000
Staf costs Landscape and works	2,856 6
Utilities and maintenance	28
Marketing and communications Legal, professional and fnance	107 1,049
Premises, ofce and other costs	224
Vehicles, equipment and machinery	87
Training	26
Subscriptions and licences	14
Website, IT and data	429
Depreciation	4,464
Total	9,290

Included within support costs are £159,000 of governance related costs.

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Group 2020

----- Start of picture text -----
Cost of raising funds Charitable activities
Fundraising Trading Heritage, Recreation, Education DCMS Support Total
costs costs protection sports and barter costs 2020
and culture
conservation
£’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000
Staff costs 242 779 3,630 202 640 – 2,371 7,864
Landscape and works - 46 17,924 681 216 – 63 18,930
Other direct costs 38 1,354 5,490 2,056 251 25,979 2,202 37,370
Depreciation – 98 - - - - 4,347 4,445
280 2,277 27,044 2,939 1,107 25,979 8,983 68,609
Allocation of support costs 75 608 7,220 785 295 – (8,983) -
Total 355 2,885 34,264 3,724 1,402 25,979 - 68,609
expenditure
----- End of picture text -----

Support costs are apportioned based on the amount of expenditure incurred against each of the activities during the period. Therefore they have been re-allocated on the following basis: Fundraising costs 1% Trading costs 7% Heritage, protection and conservation 80% Recreation, sports and culture 9% Education 3%

Analysis of support costs
	£'000
Staf costs Landscape and works Utilities and maintenance	2,371 63 177
Marketing and communications Legal, professional and fnance	101 1,034
Premises, ofce & other costs	450
Vehicles, equipment and machinery	68
Training	57
Subscriptions and licences	7
Website, IT and data	308
Depreciation	4,347
Total	8,983

Included within support costs are £123,000 of governance related costs.

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4. Subsidiary Undertakings

The Charity owns the whole of the issued ordinary share capital of TRP Trading Company Limited (company number 10555909) registered in England & Wales. Royal Parks Foundation Trading Company Limited (company number 07657918) transferred its trade and assets at book value to other companies within the group on 20 October 2020 and was struck off on 30 March 2021. Subsidiaries are principally used for non-primary purpose trading activities. The activities of TRP Trading Company Limited and Royal Parks Foundation Trading Company Limited have been consolidated on a line by line basis in the SoFA. All available profits are distributed to the charity under deed of covenant. A summary of the results of both subsidiaries is shown below:

----- Start of picture text -----
TRP Trading Company Limited 2021 2020
Income and expenditure for the year £’000 £’000
Turnover 14,962 23,487
Expenditure (6,837) (8,385)
Operating profit 8,125 15,102
Profit on ordinary activities before and after taxation 8,125 15,102
2021 2020
Net assets as at 31 March £'000 £’000
Current and fixed assets 3,502 1,443
Creditors amounts falling due within one year (3,502) (1,443)
Net assets - -
- -
Share Capital
Profit and Loss Accounts 8,125 15,102
Gift aid donation to parent (8,125) (15,102)
Shareholders’ funds - -
Royal Parks Foundation Trading Company Limited 2021 2020
Income and Expenditure for the year £'000 £’000
Turnover 38 550
Expenditure (54) (466)
Operating Profit (16) 84
Taxation - (4)
(Loss) / profit on ordinary activities after taxation (16) 80
2021 2020
Net assets as at 31 March £'000 £’000
-
Current and fixed assets 1,233
-
Creditors amounts falling due within one year (269)
-
Creditors amounts falling due after more than one year (948)
Net assets - 16
- -
Share capital
- 80
Profit and loss accounts
-
Gift aid donation to parent (64)
Shareholders’ funds - 16
----- End of picture text -----

Company Number: 10016100

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5. Net income / (expenditure) for the year

Group and Charity

This is stated after charging / (crediting):

Group and Charity This is stated after charging / (crediting):
	2021	2020
	£’000	£’000
Depreciation – Group	4,467	4,445
Depreciation – Charity	4,464	4,347
Operating lease rentals – Group	92	93
Auditor’s remuneration (excluding VAT):
Audit – Charity	59	39
Audit – Trading subsidiary / subsidiaries	19	20

6. Analysis of Employment Costs

Group and Charity
Staf costs were as follows:
	2021	2020
	£’000	£’000
Salaries and wages	6,605	6,434
Social security costs	655	618
Pension costs	957	795
Other	2	17
Total	8,219	7,864

£301k was received from the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to contribute towards salaries in 2020/21.

The Royal Parks operates two pension schemes, the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS), for staff who transferred from the Royal Parks Agency in 2017 and a Group Personal Pension Scheme (TRPGPP). Membership in the PCSPS is declining, whilst membership in the TRPGPP scheme is increasing.

As the PCSPS is an unfunded multi-employer defined benefit scheme, The Royal Parks is unable to identify its share of the underlying assets and liabilities. Details about the PCSPS can be found at www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk. Employer contributions are defined and made at a percentage of salary, based on bands and, in a small number of cases, age. Expenses for 2020/21 amounted to £650k (2019/20: £559k). The Royal Parks has no liability beyond the contributions made on behalf of its employees. The scheme’s actuary reviews employer contributions every four years following a full scheme valuation. The most recent actuarial valuation was effective from 1 April 2019.

The TRPGPP is a defined contribution scheme and, as such, contributions made to it are accounted for as an expense in the SoFA in the year to which they relate. The maximum employer contribution available to employees enrolled in this scheme is 10% of salary. Expenses for 2020/21 amounted to £307k (2019/20: £236k).

Company Number: 10016100

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The following numbers of employees received employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) in excess of £60,000 during the year between:

£60,000 during the year between:
	2021	2020
	No.	No.
£60,000 – £69,999	5	8
£70,000 – £79,999	2	1
£80,000 – £89,999	4	4
£90,000 – £99,999	1	-
£100,000 – £109,999	-	-
£110,000 – £119,999	-	1
£120,000 – £129,999	1	-
£130,000 – £139,999	1	-

The total employee benefits including pension contributions of the key management personnel were £767,933 (2019/20: £546,680). The Chief Executive received the highest amount of remuneration. No pay award was made during the year however changes in personnel and working hours led to an increase in total employee benefits of key management personnel. The charity trustees were not paid nor did they receive any other benefits from the charity in the year. No charity trustee received payment for professional or other services supplied to the charity. Trustees’ expenses represents the payment or reimbursement of travel and subsistence and were nil (2019/20: nil).

7. Staff numbers

The average number of employees based on full time equivalent during the year was 155 (2019/20: 156). The average total number of employees during the year was 163 (2019/20: 163).

8. Taxation

The charity is exempt from corporation tax as all its income is charitable and is applied for charitable purposes. The charity’s trading subsidiaries (TRP Trading Company Limited and Royal Parks Foundation Trading Company Limited) distribute available profits to the parent charity under deed of covenant. Tax in 2019/20 relates to profits of the Royal Parks Foundation Trading Company not distributed to the group. Its charge to corporation tax in the year was:

		Group	Group
		2021	2020
		£’000	£’000
UK corporation tax at	19%	-	4

Company Number: 10016100

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9. Fixed assets

9. Fixed assets
			Tangible fxed assets
Group 2021	Buildings	IT	Plant and machinery	Furniture & fttings	Assets under construction	Total tangible fxed assets	Intangible assets (software)	Heritage assets (buildings)	Total
	£’000	£’000	£’000	£’000	£’000	£'000	£’000	£’000	£’000
Cost or valuation
At the start of the year	46,526	1,010	5,104	1,018	1,476	55,134	400	51,341	106,875
Additions in year	1,024	-	466	**(20)	*(1,003)	467	-	-	467
At the end of the year	47,550	1,010	5,570	998	473	55,601	400	51,341	107,342
Depreciation
At the start of the year	5,801	571	850	407	-	7,629	246	5,617	13,492
Charge for the year	1,938	170	335	**47	-	2,490	66	1,911	4,467
At the end of the year	7,739	741	1,185	454	-	10,119	312	7,528	17,959
Net book value at the end of the year Net book value at the start of the year Charity 2021 Cost or valuation At the start of the year Transfer of assets Additions in year At the end of the year Depreciation At the start of the year Transfer of assets Charge for the year At the end of the year Net book value at the end of the year Net book value at the start of the year	39,811 40,725 Buildings £’000 44,726 1,800 1,024 47,550 5,031 820 1,888 7,739 39,811 39,695	269 439 IT £’000 1,010 - - 1,010 571 - 170 741 269 439	4,385 544 473 4,254 611 1,476 Tangible fxed assets Plant and machinery Furniture & fttings Assets under construction £’000 £’000 £’000 5,104 884 1,476 - 83 - 466 31 (1,003) 5,570 998 473 849 289 - - 72 - 336 93 - 1,185 454 - 4,385 544 473 4,255 595 1,476*			45,482 47,505 Total £’000 53,200 1,883 518 55,601 6,740 892 2,487 10,119 45,482 46,460	88 154 Intangible assets £’000 400 - - 400 246 - 66 312 88 154	43,813 45,724 Heritage assets £’000 51,341 - - 51,341 5,617 - 1,911 7,528 43,813 45,724	89,383 93,383 Total £’000 104,941 1,883 518 107,342 12,603 892 4,464 17,959 89,383 92,338

• Assets under construction additions includes £1.2m transfers to other asset classes.

**The additions and depreciation in year have been adjusted to correct a £51k overstatement in the opening furniture and fittings cost and accumulated depreciation.

royalparks.org.uk

Company Number 10016100

59

			Tangible fxed assets	Tangible fxed assets	Tangible fxed assets
Group 2020	Buildings	IT	Plant and machinery	Furniture & fttings	Assets under construction	Total tangible fxed assets	Intangible assets (software)	Heritage assets (buildings)	Total
	£’000	£’000	£’000	£’000	£’000	£'000	£’000	£’000	£’000
Cost or valuation
At the start of the year	43,607	855	4,847	944	1,531	51,784	350	50,226	102,360
Additions in year	2,919	155	257	74	*(55)	3,350	50	1,115	4,515
At the end of the year	46,526	1,010	5,104	1,018	1,476	55,134	400	51,341	106,875
Depreciation
At the start of the year	3,880	363	542	392	-	5,177	158	3,712	9,047
Charge for the year	1,921	208	308	15	-	2,452	88	1,905	4,445
At the end of the year	5,801	571	850	407	-	7,629	246	5,617	13,492
Net book value at the end of the year Net book value at the start of the year Charity 2020 Cost or valuation At the start of the year Additions in year At the end of the year Depreciation At the start of the year Charge for the year At the end of the year Net book value at the end of the year Net book value at the start of the year	40,725 39,727 Buildings £’000 41,807 2,919 44,726 3,264 1,767 5.031 39,695 38,543	439 492 IT £’000 855 155 1,010 363 208 571 439 492	4,254 611 1,476 4,305 552 1,531 Tangible fxed assets Plant and machinery Furniture & fttings Assets under construction £’000 £’000 £’000 4,847 810 1,531 257 74 (55) 5,104 884 1,476 541 218 - 308 71 - 849 289 - 4,255 595 1,476 4,306 592 1,531*			47,505 46,607 Total £’000 49,850 3,350 53,200 4,386 2,354 6,740 46,460 45,464	154 192 Intangible assets £’000 350 50 400 158 88 246 154 192	45,724 46,514 Heritage assets £’000 50,226 1,115 51,341 3,712 1,905 5,617 45,724 46,514	93, 383 93,313 Total £’000 100,426 4,515 104,941 8,256 4,347 12,603 92,338 92,170

• Assets under construction additions includes £1.3m transfers to other asset classes

royalparks.org.uk

Company Number 10016100

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10. Heritage Assets

Details of Heritage Assets and asset movements over the current and previous years are set out below.

Group and Charity	At Fair Value	At Cost	Total Heritage Assets
	£’000	£’000	£’000
2017/2018
Fair Value as at 1 April 2017	45,465	-	45,465
Accumulated depreciation as at April 2017	(77)	-	(77)
Carrying amount as at 1 April 2017	45,388	-	45,388
Additions	-	1,148	1,148
Depreciation	(1,741)	(11)	(1,752)
Carrying amount as at 31 March 2018	43,647	1,137	44,784
2018/2019
Carrying amount as at 1 April 2018	43,647	1,137	44,784
Additions	-	4,066	4,066
Depreciation	(1,741)	(142)	(1,883)
Carrying amount as at 31 March 2019	41,906	5,061	46,967
2019/2020
Carrying amount as at 1 April 2019	41,906	5,061	46,967
Additions	-	662	662
Depreciation	(1,746)	(159)	(1,905)
Carrying amount as at 31 March 2020	40,160	5,564	45,724
2020/2021
Carrying amount as at 1 April 2020	40,160	5,564	45,724
Depreciation	(1,741)	(170)	(1,911)
Carrying amount as at 31 March 2021	38,419	5,394	43,813

Company Number: 10016100

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11. Listed investments

All assets shown are in quoted investment funds and stated at fair value.

2021

----- Start of picture text -----
|||||| |---|---|---|---|---| |Cash|Equity|Bonds|Total| |£’000|£’000|£’000|£’000| |-|-|-|-| |Fair value at the start of the year| |Additions at cost|-|1,416|18,832|20,248| |-|-| |Disposal proceeds|(17)|(17)| |Net gain / (loss) on change in fair value|-|4|(43)|(39)| |-| |1,403|18,789|20,192| |Movement in cash held by investment managers|2,800|4,323|416|7,539| |Accrued Income|-|1|236|237| |At the end of the year|2,800|5,727|19,441|27,968|

----- End of picture text -----

12. Parent charity

The parent charity’s gross income and the results for the year are disclosed as follows:

----- Start of picture text -----
|||| |---|---|---| |2021|2020| |£’000|£’000| |Gross income|47,432|72,476| |Result for the year|(3,073)|4,633|

----- End of picture text -----

13. Debtors

----- Start of picture text -----
Group Charity Group Charity
2021 2021 2020 2020
£’000 £’000 £’000 £’000
Trade debtors 3,119 2,751 1,625 1,305
Other debtors 7 7 42 42
Prepayments and accrued income 10,390 9,714 12,120 11,657
Amounts due from subsidiaries - 3,080 - -
Total debtors 13,516 15,552 13,787 13,004
----- End of picture text -----*

*Trade debtors is net of an estimated provision for bad debt.

14. Cash at Bank

----- Start of picture text -----
|||||| |---|---|---|---|---| |Group|Charity|Group|Charity| |2021|2021|2020|2020| |£’000|£’000|£’000|£’000| |Balance at start of period|45,752|45,377|35,962|35,370| |Net change in cash at bank|(32,520)|(34,604)|9,790|10,007| |Balance at end of period|13,232|10,773|45,752|45,377| |Analysis of cash held| |Cash at bank|13,232|10,773|45,752|45,377| |Total cash and cash equivalents|13,232|10,773|45,752|45,377|

----- End of picture text -----

Company Number: 10016100

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15. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

----- Start of picture text -----
|||||| |---|---|---|---|---| |Group|Charity|Group|Charity| |2021|2021|2020|2020| |£’000|£’000|£’000|£’000| |Trade creditors|439|439|118|116| |Accruals|11,350|11,240|14,623|14,570| |Deferred income|3,674|3,659|3,061|3,038| |Amounts payable to HMRC|1,378|1,091|3,698|2,613| |Other payables|564|553|587|609| |Total creditors (due within one year)|17,405|16,982|22,087|20,946|

----- End of picture text -----

Deferred Income

Deferred income mainly comprises income invoiced in advance for Estates licences and for the Royal Parks Half Marathon.

----- Start of picture text -----
|||||| |---|---|---|---|---| |Group|Charity|Group|Charity| |2021|2021|2020|2020| |£’000|£’000|£’000|£’000| |Balance at the beginning of the year|3,061|3,038|1,989|1,965| |Amount released to income in the year|(521)|(498)|(1,989)|(1,965)| |Amount deferred in the year|1,134|1,119|3,061|3,038| |Balance at the end of the year|3,674|3,659|3,061|3,038|

----- End of picture text -----

16. Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one year

----- Start of picture text -----
Group Charity Group Charity
2021 2021 2020 2020
£’000 £’000 £’000 £’000
Accruals 116 116 122 122
Total creditors (due after more than one year) 116 116 122 122
----- End of picture text -----

17. Operating lease commitments

The group’s total future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating equipment leases is as follows for each of the following years:

----- Start of picture text -----
|||||| |---|---|---|---|---| |Group|Charity|Group|Charity| |2021|2021|2020|2020| |£’000|£’000|£’000|£’000| |Less than one year|90|90|88|88| |40|40|126|126| |One to five years| |Total|130|130|214|214|

----- End of picture text -----

Company Number: 10016100

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18. Analysis of Net Assets Between Funds

2021
Group	General		Designated	Restricted	Total
		fund	funds	funds
		£’000	£’000	£’000	£’000
Fixed assets		27,968	-	89,383	117,351
Cash at bank and in hand	(10,963)		19,679	4,516	13,232
Other current assets		13,516	-	-	13,516
Creditors (due within one year)	(17,405)		-	-	(17,405)
Creditors (due after more than one year)		(116)	-	-	(116)
Total Charity Fixed assets Cash at bank and in hand Other current assets Creditors (due within one year) Creditors (due after more than one year) Total	13,000 General fund £’000 27,968 (13,422) 15,552 (16,982) (116) 13,000		19,679 Designated funds £’000 - 19,679 - - - 19,679	93,899 Restricted funds £’000 89,383 4,516 - - - 93,899	126,578 Total £’000 117,351 10,773 15,552 (16,982) (116) 126,578
2020
Group	General	Designated		Restricted	Total
	fund		funds	funds
	£’000		£’000	£’000	£’000
Fixed assets	-		-	93,383	93,383
Cash at bank and in hand	30,896		10,000	4,856	45,752
Other current assets	13,787		-	-	13,787
Creditors (due within one year)	(22,087)		-	-	(22,087)
Creditors (due after more than one year)	(122)		-	-	(122)
Total Charity Fixed assets Cash at bank and in hand Other current assets Creditors (due within one year) Creditors (due after more than one year) Total	22,474 General fund £’000 - 30,521 13,004 (20,946) (122) 22,457	10,000 Designated funds £’000 - 10,000 - - - 10,000		98,239 Restricted funds £’000 92,338 4,856 - - - 97,194	130,713 Total £’000 92,338 45,377 13,004 (20,946) (122) 129,651

Company Number: 10016100

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19. Financial Instruments

	Group	Charity	Group	Charity
	2021	2021	2020	2020
	£’000	£’000	£’000	£’000
Financial assets
Investments	27,968	27,968	-	-
Debtors	13,516	15,552	13,787	13,004
Cash	13,232	10,773	45,752	45,377
Total 54,716 Financial liabilities Creditors (due within one year) (17,405) Creditors (due after more than one year) (116) Total (17,521)		54,293 (16,982) (116) (17,098)	59,539 (22,087) (122) (22,209)	58,381 (20,946) (122) (21,068)

Investments are held at fair value, but all other basic financial assets and liabilities are measured at amortised cost.

20. Capital Commitments

At the balance sheet date, the Group had capital commitments totalling £198,809 (2019/20: £265,200), in respect of property, plant and equipment. Commitments this financial year principally relate to refurbishment projects.

21. Contingent Liabilities

The charity is defending claims brought in the Employment Tribunal by members of the United Voices of the World trade union alleging that its practice of contracting out service provision has had the effect of indirectly discriminating against a group of outsourced workers who provide cleaning services and operate the parks’ public toilets. The union has estimated that this claim could cost The Royal Parks £750,000. The Royal Parks is vehemently defending the claim. The charity in the normal course of its business is subject to a variety of other claims, none of which the trustees consider significant.

Company Number: 10016100

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22. Related Party Transactions

Connected bodies

The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is considered a related party. There were material transactions with DCMS in respect of £25m of income (2020: £36m) and £14.8m of expenditure (2020: £26m) during the year. As at 31 March 2021 DCMS owed a total of £2.3m (2020: £85k) to The Royal Parks.

Material transactions with related party interests

During the year, the Charity had the following other related party transactions:

Trustees

Rachael Robathan is Leader of Westminster City Council. The Royal Parks paid £89,425 (2020: £106,764) to Westminster City Council, primarily relating to rates and licences. Westminster City Council made no payments to The Royal Parks (2019: £1,741).

Georgia Gould is Leader of Camden Council. The Royal Parks paid £1,048 (2020: £5,623) to Camden Council for council tax, licenses and subscriptions. Camden Council made payments of £580 (2020: £70), mainly for photography.

Danny Thorpe is Leader of Greenwich Council. The Royal Parks made a payment of £70 (2020: £70) to Greenwich Council, relating to a license.

Michael Vernon is an employee of The Royal Household. The Royal Household made a payment of £536 (2020: £536) to The Royal Parks relating to a licence.

Bronwyn Hill is Chair of the University of Greenwich. The University made a payment of £400 (2020: £225) for filming fees in Greenwich Park. The Royal Parks made no payments to the University of Greenwich (2020: £7,240).

Jeff Jacobs is a Director of Royal Parks Foundation USA, a US registered non profit. During the year Royal Parks Foundation USA donated $7,500 USD (2020: $50,000 USD) to The Royal Parks.

During the year donations totalling £2k were received from trustees.

No other Trustees, key managerial staff or other related parties have undertaken any related party transactions with the Charity during the year.

23. Events After Reporting Date

There were no significant events after the reporting period that require disclosure. The Trustees have duly authorised the issue of the accounts as the date on the audit report.

24. Ultimate Controlling Party

The company’s ultimate controlling party is the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS). DCMS provides the Charity with a cash fee for service and a barter fee in exchange for the Charity managing and maintaining the parks.

Company Number: 10016100

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25. Movement in Funds

2021	Opening	Incoming	Outgoing	Transfer	Closing
	balance	funds	funds	funds	balance
	£’000	£’000	£’000	£’000	£’000
Restricted funds
	Opening	Incoming	Outgoing	Transfer	Closing
	balance	funds	funds	funds	balance
	£'000	£'000	£'000	£'000	£'000
Across the Water	500	-	(11)	-	489
Adoption Scheme	22	-	-	-	22
The Albie Bird Bath	9	-	-	-	9
Benches	486	25	(138)	-	373
Brompton Cemetery	56	-	(9)	-	47
Bushy Park	11	14	(13)	-	12
Cherry Trees	217	-	(6)	-	211
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme	-	301	(301)	-	-
Culture Recovery Fund For Heritage	-	878	(725)	(125)	28
Deer Fund	15	-	(11)	-	4
Diana Playground	35	-	-	-	35
Education and Play	793	-	(28)	(54)	711
Equine Projects	25	-	-	-	25
Gloucester Gate Playground	106	-	-	(106)	-
Green Fingers	56	-	-	-	56
Greenwich Park	10	2	-	(12)	-
Greenwich Park Revealed	-	58	(70)	12	-
Hedgehogs	66	-	-	-	66
Hyde Park	353	1	(22)	-	332
Kensington Gardens	87	-	(11)	-	76
The LookOut	202	-	-	-	202
Mission: Invertebrate	1,389	750	(844)	-	1,295
The Regent's Park Allotment	11	-	-	-	11
The Regent's Park	66	11	(30)	-	47
The Regent's Park Sports	32	2	-	-	34
Richmond Park	105	120	(15)	-	210
Richmond Park Tree Reserve	-	34	-	-	34
Ripple Fund	17	-	-	-	17
September 11 Memorial Garden	26	-	-	-	26
St James's Park	60	1	(10)	-	51
Tree Dedications	71	5	(13)	-	63
World War One Project	30	-	-	-	30
Restricted fxed asset fund	93,383	-	(4,464)	464	89,383
Total restricted funds Unrestricted funds General fund Designated projects and maintenance fund Greenwich Park Revealed designated fund Income generating designated fund Total unrestricted funds Total funds	98,239 22,474 10,000 - - 32,474 130,713	2,202 31,241 - - - 31,241 33,443	(6,721) (30,556) (244) (57) - (30,857) (37,578)	179 (10,159) 5,680 2,300 2,000 (179) -	93,899 13,000 15,436 2,243 2,000 32,679 126,578

Company Number: 10016100

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2020	Opening	Incoming	Outgoing	Transfer	Closing
	balance	funds	funds	funds	balance
	£’000	£’000	£’000	£’000	£’000
Restricted funds
Adoption Scheme	22	-	-	-	22
Benches	343	206	(63)	-	486
Diana Playground	35	-	-	-	35
The Regent’s Park Sports	18	14	-	-	32
Richmond Park	171	29	(95)	-	105
September 11 Memorial Garden	26	-	-	-	26
Tree Appeal	10	-	(10)	-	-
Tree Dedications	57	14	-	-	71
St James’s Park	68	1	(9)	-	60
Greenwich Park	-	10	-	-	10
Greenwich Park Revealed	23	-	(23)	-	-
Greenwich Park Playground	-	315	-	(315)	-
The Regent’s Park	89	5	(28)	-	66
Hyde Park	353	-	-	-	353
The LookOut	202	2	(2)	-	202
Across the Water	500	-	-	-	500
Kensington Gardens	87	-	-	-	87
Bushy Park	8	3	-	-	11
Green Fingers	56	-	-	-	56
Brompton Cemetery	297	(65)	(176)	-	56
Cherry Trees	151	90	(24)	-	217
Mission: Invertebrate	1,203	750	(564)	-	1,389
Gloucester Gate Playground	375	408	-	(677)	106
Equine Programme	25	-	-	-	25
Hedgehogs	70	-	(4)	-	66
Ripple Fund	17	-	-	-	17
Deer Fund	33	-	(18)	-	15
The Albie Bird Bath	14	-	(5)	-	9
Education and Play	889	-	(35)	(61)	793
World War One Project	33	-	(3)	-	30
The Regent’s Park Allotment	11	-	-	-	11
Restricted fxed asset fund	93,313	-	(4,347)	4,417	93,383
Total restricted funds	98,499	1,782	(5,406)	3,364	98,239
Unrestricted funds
General fund	12,662	45,400	(37,224)	1,636	22,474
Designated projects fund	15,000	-	-	(5,000)	10,000
Total unrestricted funds Total funds	27,662 126,161	45,400 47,182	(37,224) (42,630)	(3,364) -	32,474 130,713

Company Number: 10016100

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Purpose of unrestricted funds

Unrestricted funds may be utilised at the discretion of the Trustees in pursuit of the Charity’s objectives. Information about the Designated Funds can be found under Reserves (page 42).

Transfer between funds

During the year, £284k of restricted funds and £244k of unrestricted funds were spent on fixed assets by the Charity. These assets were transferred to the Restricted Fixed Asset Fund during the year.

Purpose of restricted funds:

The Charity holds various restricted funds, many of which were transferred from the Royal Parks Foundation when it merged with the Charity in July 2017. Certain funds, such as the Tree Dedications Fund, which is used to fund maintenance and replacement of trees, are held for the longer term. Other funds were raised over a number of years for individual parks and purposes.

Restricted funds

Across the Water

This fund was originally established to receive a grant from The Royal Parks Foundation (USA) for the restoration of water features across the Royal Parks. The remaining funds are used for the maintenance of water features.

Adoption Scheme

Members of the public were able to adopt wildlife in the parks and this fund is used for wildlife conservation.

The Albie Bird Bath

The bird bath was installed using funds donated by family and friends in memory of Albie; residual funds are used for its maintenance.

Benches

Members of the public can contribute to the fund and dedicate benches in the parks. The fund is used to purchase new benches and to maintain existing benches and their surrounding landscape.

Brompton Cemetery

The Royal Parks received a grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for the restoration of Brompton Cemetery; the restoration has been completed and residual funds are used to support the ongoing maintenance of the cemetery.

Bushy Park

This fund, established following the receipt of a donation specifically for use in Bushy Park, is spent on the advice of the Park Manager and Director of Parks.

Cherry Trees

This fund was established to raise funds to restore an avenue of cherry trees in The Regent’s Park to its former glory.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

This scheme allows employers to furlough staff during the pandemic and to claim a government grant to fund the majority of their employment costs. The charity furloughed up to a maximum of 50 employees between May and August 2020 and a small number in February and March 2021.

Culture Recovery Fund For Heritage

The Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage provided grants for heritage organisations in England to support their recovery from the pandemic. These were distributed by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England on behalf of DCMS. The Royal Parks received funding for improvements to its public toilets and litter collection, and to support its income generation and efficiency.

Deer Fund

This fund is used for improved interpretation panels in the parks with herds of deer and to help with the cost of caring for the herds.

Diana Playground

This fund was set up to contribute towards the restoration of the playground. It includes donations made at the playground.

Company Number: 10016100

royalparks.org.uk

72

Education and Play

This fund was established to raise funds to assist The Royal Parks to carry out restoration works to the playgrounds in the parks and to make them accessible to all.

Equine Projects

The Equine Programme, run in partnership with Operation Centaur, included horse-drawn rides in Richmond Park, an anti-bullying programme in Hyde Park and an offenders’ programme in Richmond Park.

Gloucester Gate Playground

The London Marathon Charitable Trust has provided funds for the renovation and transformation of Gloucester Gate playground in The Regent’s Park. The works, which include making the playground fully accessible to children and young adults with restricted mobility, were completed in September 2020.

Green Fingers

This fund was established to raise funds for the Green Fingers project, initially in Hyde Park. The project involves children and their parents from a local fee-paying school raising funds for bulbs which are then planted by children from that school, and by pupils from special needs and non-fee-paying schools.

Greenwich Park

This fund, established following the receipt of a donation specifically for use in Greenwich Park, is spent on the advice of the Park Manager and Director of Parks.

Greenwich Park Playground

The London Marathon Charitable Trust provided funds for the renovation and transformation of Greenwich Park’s new inclusive playground, which opened in July 2019.

Greenwich Park Revealed

This project for significant landscape and capital works in Greenwich Park commenced its delivery phase in the year. Grant funding has been provided by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Hedgehogs

The Hedgehog Fund was formed after receipt of a donation specifically to fund research on hedgehogs in The Regent’s Park and is spent on costs directly applicable to the project.

Hyde Park

This fund comprises donations made to benefit Hyde Park and is spent on the advice of the Park Manager and Director of Parks.

Kensington Gardens

This fund, comprising donations received from the dedication of benches in The Italian Gardens, is for the upkeep and maintenance of The Italian Gardens and Kensington Gardens generally.

The LookOut

Funds, including those from the Serenity plinth donation box collections, are used to support education programmes in Hyde Park.

Mission: Invertebrate

People’s Postcode Lottery has given two annual grants to support a study of invertebrates in the Royal Parks. As part of the project, surveys are carried out by experts and citizen science researchers, collecting information which helps park managers create better habitats for invertebrates in the parks.

The Regent’s Park Allotment

These funds support the employment of a member of staff to run the allotments in The Regent’s Park.

The Regent’s Park

This fund comprises donations made to benefit The Regent’s Park and is spent on the advice of the Park Manager and Director of Parks.

The Regent’s Park Sports

This fund was initially for the restoration of community sports facilities in The Regent’s Park. The remaining funds are used for community sports programmes for young people living in the estates bordering the park.

Company Number: 10016100

royalparks.org.uk

73

Richmond Park

This fund, consisting of donations and legacies left to benefit Richmond Park, is spent on the advice of the Park Manager and Director of Parks.

Richmond Park Tree Reserve

This fund is held for future tree and shrub planting in Richmond Park and is spent on the advice of the Park Manager and Director of Parks.

Ripple Fund

This fund is used for small scale projects within individual parks and is spent on the advice of the Director of Parks.

September 11 Memorial Garden

The Fund is for long-term major maintenance of the memorial garden in Grosvenor Square commemorating the victims of 9/11. As the Royal Parks no longer looks after Grosvenor Square, the charity is considering the process required to transfer funds to the organisation now responsible for maintaining the memorial garden in line with their expenditure on the garden.

St James’s Park

This fund comprises donations made to benefit St James’s Park and is spent on the advice of the Park Manager and Director of Parks.

Tree Appeal

This fund is held for future tree and shrub planting in The Regent’s Park and is spent on the advice of the Park Manager and Director of Parks.

Tree Dedications

Each park plants a small number of new and replacement trees each year. Members of the public are invited to dedicate trees and this fund is used to pay for new trees and for tree maintenance.

World War One Project

The National Lottery Heritage Fund provided a grant for the delivery of a World War 1 project looking at how The Royal Parks were used during the Great War, including the delivery of a programme of community engagement activities commemorating the 100 years anniversary of the end of WW1 in 2019.

Company Number: 10016100

royalparks.org.uk

74

The Royal Parks is registered in England and Wales Company Registration No: 10016100 Registered Charity No: 1172042 Registered Office: The Old Police House Hyde Park London W2 2UH t: 0300 061 2000 e: [e-mail] w: royalparks.org.uk