Play Provision in theUK– what next?
£75m was to be the final tranche of the £235m Playbuilder funding dedicated to building and refurbishing 3,500 playgrounds across England as part of the previous government’s Play Strategy.
The first act by the new Government on the Playbuilder programme was to freeze the remaining £75m fund in July 2010 until the completion of the Comprehensive Spending Review in October of that year. The freeze on delivery impacted heavily on the play industry as community groups and playground companies called a halt to numerous schemes which were in their final phase, before the political delays cascaded down the supply chain. The API and its members were encouraged when the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg announced the government’s Childhood and Families Taskforce in June 2010, and said it would support play provision and examine how communities could be helped to deliver new playgrounds.
Following the CSR, Michael Gove announced on the 20th October 2010 that the £75m promised was to be cut by £20.8m and the ring fence removed from the ‘capital play budget’. It was then left to the local authorities to ensure that the remaining funding was channelled towards creating better playgrounds for children across the UK. As Secretary of
State for Education, Michael Gove, said: “I know how important it is that children and families have safe, free, local places to play; and the hard work that local authorities are doing to make this a reality.” But to date the Childhood and Families Taskforce have made no announcements as to how they will help local communities deliver on their commitment to play provision.
We believe that the whole play programme aimed at 8-13 year olds will have had an impact on around 15% of playgrounds in the UK, leaving the significant majority untouched. Each of the main political parties has recognised the importance of play and the barriers facing children in the UK in recent years:
‘Fun and exciting opportunities to play are at the heart of a happy, healthy and enjoyable childhood. Better outdoor play opportunities are good for children, good for families and good for communities.’ – Ed Balls, 2009.
‘The Government believes that play is an important part of childhood and child development, and also think play is
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