No parks in Blackburn with Darwen or Ribble Valley received Green Flag status in 2024 despite a plethora of amazing green spaces.

Despite the numerous parks in Blackburn and Darwen, and the sprawling green countryside of the Ribble Valley, no places in either borough received the illustrious status this year.

Now, both councils have explained the reason why neither of them have any Green Flag Awards

Last week, East Lancashire received a record-high number of awards, with 67 being awarded.

Hyndburn Council celebrated not only retaining its current roster of 10 parks but also adding Memorial Park in Great Harwood.

With Witton Country Park, Bold Venture Park, and Corporation Park among others, Blackburn and Darwen have a great selection of green spaces, yet none of these were placed on this year’s winners list.

Explaining this, Councillor Jim Smith, Blackburn with Darwen's executive member for environment and communities, said: “Due to a serious lack of funding for green spaces provided by the previous government, we have not taken part in this scheme this year.

 “To be awarded Green Flag status, you must first apply to the scheme which comes at a cost.

"The judging criteria has considerable requirements, which also come at a cost.”

Green Flag provides strict criteria and local parks have several hurdles to jump through to attain the prestigious status.

These include how welcoming the space is, if the park is healthy, safe and secure, well maintained and clean, environmental sensitivity, appropriate conservation of nature, a good management plan and strong marketing and communications.

On top of this, parks up to 20 hectares must pay an entry fee of £369, and over 20 hectares are charged £424.

Ribble Valley Council said it has not applied for Green Flag status for several years, and despite the wealth of countryside and green spaces has very few official parks.

Committee chair of community services at Ribble Valley council Stuart Hirst said: "We have a number of wonderful parks in Ribble Valley all maintained to a high standard,  Green Flag is a voluntary scheme and we have chosen not to apply in the past, focusing more on the appearance and quality of our parks.

" Obtaining a Green Flag does require an overall park management plan covering future development of the park and community engagement.

"We are now looking to bid for a Green Fag next year for the Castle Grounds.  This will compliment a 500k investment in the park as part of the jubilee fund.”