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Purpose Different models have been adopted in England over time to organize public service delivery. This paper explores contracting-out, a prevalent model of public service delivery in England, in relation to parks and roads maintenance delivery by examining private contractors' performance according to local authority stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach Since the Conservative government was in power during the 1980s, local authorities have been an arena for experimentation of contracting-out to private and other sectors. This paper provides a review of the academic and grey literature, and findings are presented from a large-scale online questionnaire survey (N=103) which was distributed to the relevant public realm managers in English local authorities. Findings The paper shows that contracting-out of parks and roads maintenance happens across the country in different ways. By and large, local authorities are satisfied with the performance of contractors, particularly as a response to economic constraints. Responsibilities, particularly for parks, are increasingly shared with non-governmental organisations, including community groups, although this is not reflected in budget distribution. Research limitations Despite our efforts, the response rate was relatively low (32%), potentially due to the email communication and online nature of the questionnaire. Originality/value The research provides empirical evidence about how contracting-out is currently delivering public services and how it has changed in recent years. The findings suggest that responsibilities (and to a lesser extent, budgets) are increasingly shared in England between different combinations of public, private, third and community sector stakeholders. This marks a shift away from in-house public sector delivery of parks and roads services.

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The provision of recreational opportunities forms an important and long-standing urban planning and management objective. However, considering a range of experiences encountered when in such spaces currently does not form part of existing open space assessment tools in the UK. In this paper, 'rec-mapping', an innovative method of analysing and mapping positive recreational experiences in urban green spaces, is explored and piloted within the UK planning context. Originating in the Nordic countries, this on-site method can provide urban planners and designers with data about the extent to which specific green spaces provide and support a range of recreational experiences. The exploration reported here is based on a short review of the method's background and an application in two test sites in Sheffield, south Yorkshire, in early summer 2010. This paper critically appraises the application of rec-mapping at smaller spatial scales and recommends further explorations within the UK planning context, as the method adds to existing open space assessment by providing a unique layer of information to analyse more fully the recreational qualities of urban green spaces.

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