A mayor who lives in a country mansion with extensive gardens has been criticised for refusing to reopen parks in one of Britain’s most deprived towns. Andy Preston, a hedge-fund millionaire who was elected as independent mayor for Middlesbrough last year, has ignored government advice to reopen three of the town’s parks, despite receiving a letter from a minister, who is also a local MP, imploring all local authorities to do so. “For many people, especially families with children and those who live in homes without a garden, access to public parks is a lifeline,” wrote Simon Clarke, a local government minister and the Tory MP for Middlesbrough South and Cleveland, in a letter to all councils. But Preston said he had taken the decision because Middlesbrough had been one of the worst affected places in the UK for coronavirus, and it was a “tiny sacrifice” to keep people safe and stop them “loitering”. So far, 582 people in Middlesbrough have tested positive for Covid-19. Of those, 368 had been admitted to the local James Cook university hospital by the end of last week, according to Mark Adams, Middlesbrough’s director of public health. As of last Thursday, 139 local people had died from coronavirus, including 100 in hospital, 36 in care homes, one at home and one in a hospice. On Monday afternoon police were called to break up a barbeque and bingo party on the Barmbles Farm estate in the TS3 postcode area of Middlesbrough, which Preston said had the highest infection rate. “We realised very early on that because we have significantly poor health on average our population is definitely more vulnerable,” said Preston. “Because we have a dense population we felt we were more likely to see a rapid spreading of the virus. But also because we have lots of open spaces scattered across the town which people can still access, we felt closing three parks was a tiny sacrifice to make in return for improved public safety and quite probably saving lives.” The decision has been criticised by Andy McDonald, the Labour MP for Middlesbrough. He said it was unfair on the poorest people and accused Preston of living in “cloud cuckoo land” after the mayor suggested various beauty spots were still open which would be inaccessible to those without a car. McDonald noted that Preston “enjoys the vast acres of a stately home” adding: “I think a number of our parks could fit within [those grounds]. He can enjoy that but people living in small terraced houses, in multiple occupation, they can’t get their lungs breathing in a pleasant environment. We know that is problematic in terms of people’s mental health and for people with disabilities who depend on the parks as their outlet.” Preston disputed this, saying despite being wealthy he was determined to fight for the rights and needs of the poorest. “I spend lots of time with people who live in back-to-back houses. I have a nice big house, which I enjoy. But what’s crystal clear is that I don’t pretend my life is like other people’s. But I do everything I can to understand their lives and represent them. “It’s a pretty disgusting thing for [McDonald] to say … It is literally Andy McDonald and Labour supporters who live in nice gardens with big gardens who are making a fuss about opening the parks. Blue-collar people who need access to green spaces are happy to use some of the many alternatives.” Preston said it was easy for residents to get to other places to exercise – a point dismissed by McDonald as “utter rubbish”. McDonald said: “If you don’t have a car or have limited mobility it is not viable for you. He’s just living in cloud cuckoo land.” Clarke said he had asked councils to “take all practical steps so that these vital facilities can remain open for the public to use in a safe manner consistent with social distancing guidelines”. A spokesperson for Clarke said: “The minister is clear that these parks should be open.” Stewart Park, one of the three parks Preston has refused to reopen, is in Clarke’s constituency. Albert Park, in the town centre, and Thorntree Park, situated in a deprived part of east Middlesbrough, are also shut. Preston said he would decide when to reopen the parks, not the government. “When I feel that people are distancing correctly, when I feel people who will behave well won’t be put at risk by people who behave badly, that’s when I will reopen them.”