intimidating behaviour
Havering Council is reviewing park safety and gate management following residents' concerns about the decision to stop routinely locking park gates at night.
Havering Council's Place Overview & Scrutiny Sub Committee discussed park safety, access, and gate management in November 2026. This followed residents raising concerns about the decision to stop routinely locking park gates at night since 2022.
The practice of not routinely locking the 34 lockable gates in Havering's 89 parks stopped in autumn 2022 as part of the council’s medium-term financial strategy. The committee heard calls for more data and a clearer rationale for this policy.
Key facts
- Havering's park gates have not been routinely locked at night since 2022. Source
- Havering Council's Place Overview & Scrutiny Sub Committee discussed park safety, access, and gate management in November 2026. Source
- The practice of not routinely locking park gates stopped in autumn 2022 as part of the council’s medium-term financial strategy. Source
- Of Havering's 89 parks, 34 have lockable gates. Source
About this summary
This summary was written automatically from our published stories and the council meeting records they draw on. It describes what councils have discussed and decided; it does not take a view on any decision. Each key fact links to the story it comes from. Updated 12 November 2026. Spotted a mistake? Email community@opencouncil.network.