Children could miss out on new and improved playgrounds

Date published: 29 August 2010

Children in Tameside could miss out on eight new and improved playgrounds in the latest round of government cuts.

Tameside Council has been asked to freeze the projects after the Department for Education decided that Playbuilder grants nationally would be put on hold until further notice.

Cllr Kevin Welsh, Tameside Council’s executive member for district assemblies, said: "We are waiting for the outcome of the Department for Education’s Playbuilder budget review, due shortly, before we can make any final decisions on the implications for our eight outstanding schemes.”

Denton and Reddish MP, Andrew Gwynne, said: "I think it would be devastating to those communities that have missed out on Playbuilder.

A lot of the ones that are left, like Shepley Wood in my constituency, have had the old play equipment removed and are now waiting for the new equipment.

"We’ve now got some very good play areas and some very sad ones. It wasn’t just about putting new play equipment in, it was about putting right any vandalism and doing any repairs that need to be done. My fear is that it’s not just the capital money that’s been affected, but also the money that was there to maintain the equipment."

A total of 115 community play areas across Greater Manchester have so far been built or improved under Playbuilder which was launched in 2007 and due to run until next year.

Already several play areas in Tameside have benefited from the scheme, including the one in Denton’s Granada Park which underwent a £100,000 facelift in 2009.

Under Labour, the Department for Education (DfE) put aside £235m to build or upgrade 3,500 playgrounds around the country under Playbuilder.

A DfE spokesman said: "We are currently talking to local authorities across the country to determine the level of play capital funding for this year that has either not already been spent, or is not yet contractually committed, and which can be saved.

"We’ve asked local authorities to put on hold projects where contracts have been entered into but where works have not yet begun. We hope to be able to progress these sites subject to future affordability. Those play sites that are already under construction can continue and will be paid for."