The government
has the power to make a significant positive impact on children’s health and
wellbeing in the budget this week, despite fears of another round of austerity.
Free-to-use
public playgrounds are the mostpopular location for children’s outdoor play, providing an essential public
service at minimal cost to the taxpayer.
The
Association of Play Industries is urging the Chancellor not to overlook these
vital community assets.
API Chair Mark
Hardy says: “The restrictions of the last two years have brought home to all of
us the importance of free community play spaces and the central role they have
in children’s physical and mental health. The impact of lockdowns on children
has been profound – hugely exacerbating the child obesity and mental health
crises – and children are only now beginning to re-engage.”
Press speculation
that the budget will include sweeping cuts to public spending have prompted the
API to appeal to the government to protect children’s health.
“The last time
public spending cuts were enforced, there was adramatic decline in the number of public play spaces, leaving
many children – particularly those in deprived areas – with nowhere to play,”
says Mark.
“If the
government is serious about Levelling Up, they must ensure that all children
haveequal play opportunities by protecting
free-to-access playgrounds: we have long campaigned for a dedicated central
funding stream to ensure all sectors of society are well-served by such
facilities. However, given the current economic outlook, we would simply urge
the Chancellor to ensure as a minimum that funding for play spaces is
ringfenced and unaffected by any cuts to public expenditure.”
The myriad
benefits to children of regular outdoor play are well-documented.“Playgrounds help tackle childhood obesity, mental health and sleep
problems andchildren play out more when they
have a playground nearby,”adds
Mark. “At the heart of communities, public playgrounds are also essential for
social cohesion, connecting people every day and promoting inclusivity where
children from all walks of life and all abilities play together.”
