A team of parkland volunteers is set to disband, after saying councillors were harder to deal with than anti-social behaviour.

The Friends of Rainham Recreation Ground Group was established in 2020 in an effort to improve the park's reputation and make it more attractive for the whole community.

Stuart Bourne at Rainham Rec

But after a series of disagreements over issues at the park, group chairman Stuart Bourne announced on Facebook this week that the committee members wanted to stand down, and had agreed the Friends should no longer be an official constituted council group.

He added: "When we started the group two years ago, we thought (perhaps naively) that the hardest part would be dealing with the bad reputation that the park had. It turns out the hardest part was engaging with the local councillors. For whatever reason they have spent the last two years making it very difficult for the group to function, and upsetting many of us.

"After doing our best to create a more healthy relationship, it seems we’re unable to find a way to work together. We all agreed at the start that as volunteers giving up our spare time, we would only do this if it was fun. Though it has been fun, the majority of the time the situation has added unnecessary stress to our personal lives."

Speaking to KentOnline he explained how Friends of Rainham Rec had been established in the wake of the first Covid lockdown - when it had become especially apparent how vital green spaces were to the community.

"We worked with the green space team at Medway Council and they helped us to set up a constitution and AGM," he said.

"They sold it on the basis that if you volunteered your time and effort then you get your say in what happens there. That was the deal when we started out, but it became very clear over the last two years that we had to contend with local councillors for the ward, who didn't necessarily agree with us having that control.

"For example we had a plan to paint the pavilion - we had an arrangement to provide paint and an agreement for the free labour. We put it all in writing but the council turned round and said you're not doing it because we hadn't consulted with them enough.

"We wanted to plant trees for the kids, but the councillors weren't happy with the location - there was a back and forth and in the end they planted where we suggested. It just delayed the whole process. It's just been an uphill struggle all the time. Considering we're volunteers and most of us have families and full time jobs, it was getting very stressful. Despite the fact that we love the park, we've decided to disband the group and just walk away with our sanity."

The 'last straw' for many of the group was when a number of new trees appeared in December, despite concerns from residents that the trees were in the wrong place, said Mr Bourne.

He said there had been insufficient consultation with the group - although Cllr Martin Potter, who represents Rainham North, said at the time he had emailed the group but received no response.

Mr Bourne added: "We were having back and forth discussions with council officers about moving the trees, and last week we had a meeting with council officers and councillors where we were told flatly they're not being moved, even though there's no plan for the long term maintenance.

"For a lot of the group it was the final straw where we realised we weren't going to get the support we thought we would. What's the point of the friends group if we're just providing free labour but we don't have a say in what goes on.

"From the start we felt the council had a vital role. When we spoke to other friends groups they said they never had problems - the council supported their work, they left them alone and at the same time they provided ward fund when they needed it."

Despite the sad end to the group, Mr Bourne said he was proud of its work, having transformed the reputation of the park, and explained a number of group members would continue to work in an unofficial capacity.

"We're not going to go away completely," he added. "We're going to be advocated for the park and we're talking about continuing the Facebook group."

An official vote on disbanding the Friends group is due to take place at a members' meeting - which has yet to be arranged.

A Medway Council spokesperson said: “We are sad to hear that the committee members of the Friends of Rainham Rec group have announced their intention to stand down. Our Greenspaces team worked with the group to produce a Greenspace Action Plan (GAP) which included greenspace improvements for Rainham Rec. We remain committed to supporting all friends groups across Medway and we will continue to support any volunteers who wish to work at Rainham Recreation Ground or our other greenspaces in the future.”

Cllr Potter said: "I have been away on holiday so I need to find out what is going on, but as a public facility I know the council must ensure any projects have proper oversight and ongoing maintenance as required, and they must also take into account wider views and considerations.

"In my experience, to make groups like this work requires taking every opportunity to reach out and get all aspects of the community on board.

"This helps to ensure you don't create a burden for a small group of people.

"If the current group are stepping down I am most grateful to them for their efforts over the last year."