A community group crowdfunding legal action against Lambeth Council wants to ensure all money raised from commercial events in parks are spent on the parks.

This comes as the money generated from the borough’s parks rose from £497,989 in 2012-2013, to £676,056 in 2016-2017 – a 35 per cent increase.

Brockwell Tranquillity, whose legal crowdfunder raised more than £1,000 overnight, will ask Lambeth Council to ensure all income generated through events specifically held in Brockwell Park will be spent in the park, as required under the Open Spaces Act 1906.

As a first step, the group will be to send a pre-application letter to Lambeth Council asking the council to re-think its policy, group spokeswoman Alice Salisbury said.

“It’s about what you consider is the point of a park, if the park is there to generate general funds for the council,” she said.

“That is all we really want them to do. If some events take place in the park, but it’s got to be for the benefit of the park.”

This comes after Brockwell Park hosted two-day music festival Field Day for the first time in June.

Brockwell Tranquillity successfully crowdfunded lawyers to review Lambeth Council’s decision to grant a licence to Field Day earlier this year.

The review found Lambeth Council had withheld documents in their publication of the decision. 

Lambeth Council re-issued the licence with the correct paperwork, and said the initial decision was the result of a “procedural omission.”

Lambeth Council’s 2016 events strategy outlines an aim to hold at least eight events in each of the five “zones” in the borough – Brixton, Streatham, Clapham, North Lambeth and Norwood.

A Lambeth Council spokesperson said all money generated from commercial events in the borough’s parks went towards providing essential council services, including the upkeep and improvement of parks, with Field Day bringing in £36,250 for the council through the Park Investment Levy alone. 

Ms Salisbury said the group believes it has a strong case, but does not want to end up in court with Lambeth Council.

If the council will not rethink its policy, the group will crowdfund to challenge this through a judicial review.