RELYING on volunteers to clean parks “will ruin the community in the long-term”, a campaigner says.

Lee Burkwood, who lives in Wanstead, wants Redbridge Council to pay those who clean Roding Valley Park the London living wage to get the best results.

The park is currently cleaned once a week by volunteers hired by Vision Redbridge Culture and Leisure, who partner with the council.

The Living Wage Foundation calculates that the London living wage is £10.20.

Mr Burkwood, 27, says people need to be paid to do an important job well, otherwise there will be long-term issues with quality of life.

He says: “The long-term effect of not paying people is parks and roads will continue to be dirty, attract pests and won’t be hygienic.

"It would ruin the community in the long-term and makes it a worse place to live. It would be very short-sighted.

“People in the local area will have more money and that that benefits the community. If people are paid well they will pay more taxes, more people will go the park and there will be more jobs.

“If you want parks clean, you need to pay people the London living wage to clean them. They are important jobs and people should be paid fairly.”

Although Mr Burkwood accepts that there may be a short term hit, he says the council should heed his warnings and think about park cleanliness in years to come.

The 27-year-old says: “It may cost a lot now but there is a long-term benefit to the community. The council found money to create a new swimming pool so there must be money to pay cleaners.

“I get that there are financial restraints but they have found money for things that are not as important as keeping the area clean.

“Listen to what I and other residents are saying. We won’t be able to keep parks clean by relying on volunteers.”

A spokesman for Redbridge Council says: “We know our parks matter to residents and we are working hard with our partner Vision to create clean and safe outdoor spaces for our residents to visit. 

“Like all our open spaces, Roding Valley Park is regularly cleared of litter but we can best address the cleanliness challenge by working closely with the community. 

“That’s why as part of civic pride campaign, Our Streets, we are encouraging and providing support for litter picks across the borough, which are already proving a success.”