Play cash brought forward
Catherine Gaunt
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Local authorities in England are to receive 30m a year earlier than planned to develop children's play areas as part of the Government's national play strategy.
By next April every local authority will have received at least 1m to develop play areas. Children will have a say in the design of playspaces. There will also be more playworkers to run supervisedplaygrounds in the most deprived and built-up areas.
The funding, originally marked for 2010/2011, has been brought forwardto boost the economy.
Children's secretary Ed Balls said, 'By rolling out our programme morequickly to local authorities, so every local authority is offeredfunding by April 2009, we can get better facilities available tochildren sooner, and support the economy at the same time.'
Eighty-nine local authorities are to be alloted around 1.1m each,adding to the 63 local areas which have already received funding.
Ten new pathfinder local authorities - Blackpool, Cornwall, Kirklees,Lambeth, Luton, Merton, Newcastle, Oxfordshire, Sandwell and Wigan -will receive around 2.5m each to create new play areas, renovateexisting sites and staff an adventure playground.
The money is part of a 235m investment first announced in theChildren's Plan, launched a year ago this week, for 3,500 play areas and30 new adventure playgrounds (Analysis, 19 December 2007).
Other measures revealed on 10 December include greater responsibility onlocal authorities, led by Children's Trusts, to prioritise play, 'anational indicator' for children to rate play provision in their area;and guidance and training to design public spaces for children.
Play England, which has the Government contract to support the playstrategy, is producing guidance and running training with localauthorities and the voluntary and community sector.
