MANAGERS of an endangered park wasted nearly £1 million they could have spent on stopping it “slipping into decay” last year.

Conservation groups, litter pickers, dog walkers, and cyclists have been complaining about problems in Wanstead Park since it was put on the ‘at risk’ register in 2009.

Park-goers main concerns are the lakes’ low water levels, rubbish and debris left washed up on the banks, and poor maintenance of walkways and cycle paths.

So lifelong park-goer Paul Donovan was shocked to find managers City of London Corporation (CoCL) had underspent by £885,000 for the last financial year (2015/16).

A report of a CoCL Open Spaces and City Gardens Committee in December reads: “The Committee received the consolidated revenue update report and noted that the Director of Open Spaces actual local risk underspend was £885,000.

“This better than budget position is mainly due to underspends at the directorate, Epping Forest, and Hampstead Heath, accompanied by an over achievement in income at the cemetery.”

But a CoCL spokesman insisted: “There were some increases in income during 2015/16 which had been earmarked for spend on a number of priority projects during the course of the year. 

“Due to project delays in winter 2015/16 Epping Forest carried forward an £84,00 underspend, supplemented by a further £24,000 which was spent in 2016 to complete these priority projects. 

“The underspend across the wider department, which includes local authority functions, is not available to Epping Forest.”

The 55-year-old, of Dangan Road, Wanstead, admitted being flabbergasted CoCL had not spent the money when there are "still so many problems" in Wanstead Park.

He said: “We hear so much about how they don’t have enough money to do the work we urgently need them to do.

“They say they’re waiting on this £5 million Heritage Lottery Fund grant that may or may not come.

“But they can’t claim there isn’t any money in the pot if there was all this left over.

“What a terrible waste.”

Backed by the Friends of Wanstead Parklands (FOWP), the Corporation is bidding on the multimillion pound grant to help fund various projects throughout the Grade II-listed park.

A spokesman said the results of the bid were due in “late 2016 or early 2017”.

The corporation has also invested a lot of money in trying to get rid of a dangerous pond weed lurking in the Heronry and Perch Ponds.

But Mr Donovan said although £885,000 would not stretch to solving all the park’s problems, it could have paid for the Coronation Bridge near Ilford to be fixed and litter, debris, and junk to be removed where the lakes have dried up.

He added: “When the Coronation Bridge was first put out of action years ago, it was costed at £25,000.

“So they could’ve fixed that so people from Ilford have easy access to the park.

“They definitely could’ve paid for someone to pick up all the junk everywhere.

“But instead it’s all just being left so slip into decay.

“Statistics show footfall in Wanstead Park and Wanstead Flats is high, so people are using the park.

“Those people would be thrilled to see some improvements.

“But trying to get them to do anything is like drawing blood from a stone.”