Caroline Haines has been re-elected as Chair of the City of London Corporation’s Natural Environment Board, as well as its West Ham Park Committee.

The Natural Environment Board is responsible for strategic oversight of the City Corporation’s open spaces and the management of its gardens, churchyards, and green spaces in the Square Mile. The City Corporation manages over 11,000 acres of open space in London and south east England, including Epping Forest and Hampstead Heath, and over 200 smaller sites in the Square Mile, investing over £38m a year.

The West Ham Park Committee is responsible for overseeing the management of the largest open space in the London Borough of Newham, managed by the City Corporation as a registered charity. Last year, nearly 4,000 school pupils participated in its Nature Learning Programme at the site. The scheme works with local primary schools to support the National Curriculum and teaches life skills and wellbeing through nature and the environment.

Caroline Haines said:

“Our open spaces are a vital resource, both for the health and wellbeing of our communities and protecting our natural environment from climate change.

“I’m delighted to continue chairing both of these committees for the benefit of local people and visitors to these fantastic green spaces.”

Caroline has been a City Corporation elected Member for over six years.

She is Vice Chair of the Policy and Resources Committee, Chair of the City Corporation’s Education Board, and Deputy Chair of its Epping Forest and Commons Committee.

Caroline is also a trustee on the City of London Academies Trust Board.

The City Corporation’s open spaces, most of which are charitable trusts, are run at little or no cost to the communities that they serve.

They include important wildlife habitats, Special Areas of Conservation, Sites of Special Scientific Interest, and National Nature Reserves.

They remove around 16,000 tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere a year, equivalent to 44% of the City Corporation’s annual carbon footprint.

They are protected from being built on by special legislation.

ENDS

Notes to editors

The City of London Corporation is the governing body of the Square Mile dedicated to a vibrant and thriving City, supporting a diverse and sustainable London within a globally-successful UK. www.cityoflondon.gov.uk