Government urged to commit to funding for outdoor play spaces

At the weekend, Nicola Sturgeon promised a £60m fund to renew every play park in Scotland if her political party, the Scottish National Party (SNP), is re-elected.

The API has written to Boris Johnson, health minister Matt Hancock and the minister for housing, communities and local government Robert Jenrick, asking them to follow in her footsteps by introducing ring-fenced funding for the creation and renewal of outdoor play spaces.

In the letters, the API states, ‘You will no doubt be aware of the recent pledge made by Nicola Sturgeon - for a £60m fund to renew every play park in Scotland, so that all children have access to a place to play in their own community – and urge you to match this commitment to children throughout the UK.

‘Away from the home, children spend more time playing in public playgrounds than any other place. And yet, there has been an alarming and sustained decline in the number of playgrounds in recent years, leaving millions of children with nowhere to play. Children from the most disadvantaged areas, and those from the 1 in 8 UK households without gardens, are the most affected.

‘Children and young people have experienced severe disruption and hardship for a virus which barely affects them, and every attempt should be made by Government to reverse these effects so that they are not blighted by them for the rest of their lives.’

The API goes on to describe how popular a central ring-fenced funding stream to create and enhance local play spaces would be among parents, some of whom have turned to crowdfunding to restore their playgrounds due to the funding crisis faced by local authorities.

It warns that without investment in outdoor play, there is a real danger these spaces could disappear for good, with ‘catastrophic’ effects on children’s mental and physical health.

Chair of the API Mark Hardy said, ‘All children throughout the UK need and deserve a similar promise on play.

‘There has been an alarming and sustained decline in the number of playgrounds in recent years, leaving millions of children with nowhere to play.

‘The Government must now match the funding pledge of the SNP who have seized upon the groundswell of public appreciation for shared, public spaces such as parks and community playgrounds.’