A LABOUR councillor is seeing red after two north Trafford visitor attractions lost their prestigious Green Flag status.

Cllr Steve Adshead said he was "appalled" by the news that Hullard Park and Flixton Gardens have been stripped of the award.

Cllr Adshead, who is Labours spokesperson for Environment and Operations said: ‘I am appalled by this, ten years ago 13 parks had Green Flag status. Now it’s down to four. This is an indictment of Tory policies and cut backs, no doubt with further planned cutbacks and privatisation we’ll end with none in the next few years.

"This is a real kick in the teeth for local people who use the parks as well as all the hard working staff who put in endless hours of toil, and with continued cutbacks to budgets no doubt our parks will continue to deteriorate under Trafford Tories’"

Trafford's Labour Group has called for proper investment in our parks and green spaces with more community involvement.

But council leader Councillor Sean Anstee said: "The Council is challenging the judgement made not to award a Green Flag to Hullard Park and notes that Flixton Gardens lost its award primarily because it does not have an active Friends of Park group, and not because the standard of the park Cllr Adshead is therefore mistaken in his assertion that the loss of green flags is evidence of deterioration in parks.

"A Conservative-run Trafford Council is committed to increasing the number of parks that attain Green Flag status through its new ‘One Trafford’ partnership with Amey, which will see also see greater partnership working with Friends of Parks groups and extra emphasis on horticultural excellence.’