Play is sliding down the agenda in many London councils, with more than 70 per cent of local authorities having cut spending on play or with no budget left to cut, finds a new survey.
The organisation London Play surveyed 22 of London’s 33 local authorities about their budget, services and numbers of play workers, for the last financial year to March 2012, compared to the current financial year.
They found that ten London councils had made cuts to their play services in the past 12 months, six had no budget left to cut, and only one council was expanding its services.
Camden has made the biggest reductions and cut its play budget by 66 per cent. Despite this, the local authority remains one of the biggest spenders on play in the capital, with a budget of £1.5m, which the council will use to commission play services from the voluntary sector.
In contrast, the State of Play survey found that many local authorities have worked hard to limit the impact of the cuts on frontline services, and in some cases have developed innovative solutions to enable them to continue to support play.
Examples of innovative solutions include linking up and pooling resources with housing providers or other partners to better engage with hard-to-reach groups or increasing income-generating activities. In Richmond, play workers are being paid to run sessions in schools, using the money raised to support more open access play.
Some councils are also considering charging for services, such as Wandsworth, which is exploring the possibility of charging an admission fee for children to use Battersea Park Adventure playground if proposals to spend £200,000 on modernising the service are given the green light.
London Play has raised concerns that things will only get worse as the opportunities for play are becoming fewer and further between. The organisation says that despite pupil numbers in the capital being predicted to rise by more than nine per cent over the next three years, play facilities are being downgraded and cut back.
Melian Mansfield, chair of London Play, said, ‘At a time when the number of children in London is rising dramatically, play is being cut. Play is crucial for the health and development of both children and London’s communities and these cuts will have a disproportionate effect on both. Councils need to recognise this and treat play as a priority. All children need to have access to opportunities to play, especially out of doors.’
They found that ten London councils had made cuts to their play services in the past 12 months, six had no budget left to cut, and only one council was expanding its services.
Camden has made the biggest reductions and cut its play budget by 66 per cent. Despite this, the local authority remains one of the biggest spenders on play in the capital, with a budget of £1.5m, which the council will use to commission play services from the voluntary sector.
In contrast, the State of Play survey found that many local authorities have worked hard to limit the impact of the cuts on frontline services, and in some cases have developed innovative solutions to enable them to continue to support play.
Examples of innovative solutions include linking up and pooling resources with housing providers or other partners to better engage with hard-to-reach groups or increasing income-generating activities. In Richmond, play workers are being paid to run sessions in schools, using the money raised to support more open access play.
Some councils are also considering charging for services, such as Wandsworth, which is exploring the possibility of charging an admission fee for children to use Battersea Park Adventure playground if proposals to spend £200,000 on modernising the service are given the green light.
London Play has raised concerns that things will only get worse as the opportunities for play are becoming fewer and further between. The organisation says that despite pupil numbers in the capital being predicted to rise by more than nine per cent over the next three years, play facilities are being downgraded and cut back.
Melian Mansfield, chair of London Play, said, ‘At a time when the number of children in London is rising dramatically, play is being cut. Play is crucial for the health and development of both children and London’s communities and these cuts will have a disproportionate effect on both. Councils need to recognise this and treat play as a priority. All children need to have access to opportunities to play, especially out of doors.’