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Play parks pay the price of cuts in Dorset

9:30am Wednesday 28th July 2010 in


MORE than £1 million in government grants promised to improve play facilities in Dorset have been withdrawn – leaving dozens of projects on hold.

Just a week after he pulled the plug on the Building Schools for the Future programme, new education secretary Michael Gove has suspended the government Playbuilder scheme.

It was worth £615,000 to Bournemouth council this year and £610,000 to Borough of Poole. Dorset County Council is expecting to lose £262,000.

In a letter to local authorities Mr Gove said: “Play has to make its contribution to tackling the deficit along with other important programmes.”

The Department for Education is now reassessing the schemes, with a view to confirming the “revised” grant allocations by August.

Without the funding Poole has had to put 11 projects on hold – and 10 have been suspended in Bournemouth.

A scheme to create a junior play area at Littledown Park in Bournemouth will still go ahead because the council is contractually committed to it.

And a scheme planned for Springbourne Park, which is a wider parks project, will probably still go ahead.

Dorset County Council is expecting to complete six projects where work has already begun, while seven more are on hold.

The news is a blow to communities told to expect the improvement works over the next financial year – and will put yet more pressure on local council’s stretched budgets.

Cllr Peter Adams, cabinet portfolio holder for leisure at the Borough of Poole, said: “The uncertainty is extremely disappointing, particularly for the children and families in Poole that are so looking forward to improved facilities. However, in a time of severe financial needs, it is unclear at present if we will receive any further funding.”

Michael Rowland, park policy manager at Bournemouth council, said the council had limited funds of its own to spend on playgrounds so projects would have to be either scaled back or prioritised.

And councils could end up further out of pocket as it remains unclear if the government will refund them for the cash they have already spent on the schemes so far this year.

Bournemouth council has already spent around £48,000 on Playbuilder projects, and Poole has already incurred £17,000 expenses.

Bournemouth projects on hold:

• Mountbatten Gardens

• Churchill Gardens

• Durley Chine

• Knyveton Gardens

• Mandale Road

• Muscliff Park

• Queens Park

• Seafield Gardens

• Winton Recreation Ground

Poole projects on hold:

• Pergin Recreation Ground

• Belben Road

• Fenner’s Field

• Selkirk Close

• Millfield

• Charter Road

• Broadstone Recreation Ground

• Halstock Crescent

• Parkway in Puddletown Crescent

• Scott Road

• Hatchard’s Field

Comments(21)

Syd Poumen says...
8:22am Wed 28 Jul 10

It is a pity that his inadequate homework on Building Schools for the Future has not proved to Michael Gove that 'All work and no joy, makes Gove a dull boy.'

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CliveL says...
9:01am Wed 28 Jul 10

Plans and designs had been drawn up for improvements to our local play park in Muscliffe, but unfortunately this has also now been put on hold due to the cutbacks. I guess we're one of the unlucky 10 in Bournemouth...

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zagzig says...
9:11am Wed 28 Jul 10

I think that play parks with climbing frames, slides and other equipment are a waste of money and look unsightly. Money would be better spent turning these areas into something much nicer by planting trees, shrubs and creating ponds for wildlife, I think this would be of a far greater benefit to children as well.

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Bad Rabbit says...
9:17am Wed 28 Jul 10

No Zagzig,
Poorly planned, badly designed and indifferently executed play parks with climbing frames, slides and other equipment are a waste of money and look unsightly.

Yes, trees and more natural environments can be better for children.

However, they can also be a boon to drug dealers, flashers, muggers and paedophiles - unless adequately maintained and staffed.

Which costs money and apparently - no-one has any...

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Norman Mead says...
9:54am Wed 28 Jul 10

So now the council can't afford playgrounds? What exactly do they do with all the council tax (and government money) they get? Oh, I know, it all funds the salaries of overpaid executives and consultants, along with gilt-edged pension schemes. Brilliant.

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GB916 says...
10:11am Wed 28 Jul 10

The problem with this is,if you keep taking parks etc away from children,then they eventually end up on street corners with nothing to do,and then the government complain about some kids causing trouble,things are steadily getting worse for our children,on one hand the governement wants everyone to get more active,then on the other take away the places to be active,how many open spaces and parks have gone in the last 20 years,also the idea of free swimming for kids has now gone too,so is it any wonder this countries waist line is expanding,in the end the cost to health willbe more than the building and maintaning of the parks for children,fortunately Christchurch has been lucky,with the redevelopment of watermans park in somerford,riversmeet skate park,and soon to be opened splashpark at the quay,so people of Bournemouth,bring your kids to christchurch for the day in the summer,plenty of parks for the kids to enjoy,along with the parents can also enjoy the parks too.

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zagzig says...
11:03am Wed 28 Jul 10

Rubbish! We didn't have any of these silly play parks when we were kids and we didn't end up on street corners looking for trouble. If kids are doing this then it's down to their upbringing, simple.

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Lord Spring says...
11:11am Wed 28 Jul 10

I would love to know where Springbourne Park is.

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McVICAR says...
11:39am Wed 28 Jul 10

When i was a kid we had play parks with a park keeper in attendance all day to ensure the kids were kept safe and no rowdy behaviour, and thats when money was much tighter than it is now so how is it when we are suppose dto be so much better off in the 21st century we cannot afford some where for the kids to go.
I think that the councils spend far too much on stupid schemes that they haven't a clue about that there is no money for the mor omportant schemes..
If there are to be cuts in social care, cuts in other various services, nearly £400,000 saving on speed cameras, no money for schools, does this mean that we will pay no council tax next year if they are spending nothing, oh but I forgot some one has to pay for all the non jobs and pensions so yea, we will be paying even more next year

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BmthNewshound says...
12:27pm Wed 28 Jul 10

The important thing is that the open spaces remain simply that and are not sold off to be built on, which appears to be the Bournemouth Councils policy with its car parks. Surely parents are capable of making up their own games for their children to play in the park without the need for expensive play equipment which is often under used and a target for vandals.
.
Perhaps this is where Cameron’s idea of a Big Society is meant to step in – instead of moaning perhaps local people could form groups to manage their local park/recreation ground.

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sea poole says...
1:24pm Wed 28 Jul 10

zigzag -you may spout 'rubbish' but how old are you that you didn't have play parks when you were a child? Unless you lived in Antarctica or the Gobi Desert, all towns (and many villages) had play parks. Goodness knows, I'm retired -with a bus pass- and I remember playing every day (or almost) in a play park in rural north west England. So where were you brought up...or were you unaware of play parks?

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Azphreal says...
1:56pm Wed 28 Jul 10

I bet they will find money to pay for 'tourist' related things though! I really hope the council does not have anything to do with the stupid 'metel tree' at the top of Sea Rd in Boscombe as someone has wasted money there.

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Roginthesouth says...
4:30pm Wed 28 Jul 10

When the Ex Chief Exec of BP receives a salary of £1 million/per year and an £11 million pension pot which will give him a pension of £600k a year - this report indicates a more fundamental problem in our entire society.
It is the future generations who will lead the recovery, and spend should be increased to improve their education, not cut if we are to correctly shape the future.

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oneshortleg says...
5:33pm Wed 28 Jul 10

zagzig wrote:
I think that play parks with climbing frames, slides and other equipment are a waste of money and look unsightly. Money would be better spent turning these areas into something much nicer by planting trees, shrubs and creating ponds for wildlife, I think this would be of a far greater benefit to children as well.
Do you have children?

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oneshortleg says...
5:47pm Wed 28 Jul 10

So we can have £20k spent on some palm trees and millions spent on a surf reef that only a few want and use and doesn't work, but we cannot afford to re-furbish our parks. As a parent of an actice 6 year old and on a low income public play parks and vital. The refurbishments recently have been both imaginative and of a high quality, however the recently refurbished park in Poole Lane Bournemouth has not been finished at all well with dirt paths left with big stones in them and lots of bare earth.

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FriendsofKC says...
6:30pm Wed 28 Jul 10

oneshortleg wrote:
So we can have £20k spent on some palm trees and millions spent on a surf reef that only a few want and use and doesn't work, but we cannot afford to re-furbish our parks. As a parent of an actice 6 year old and on a low income public play parks and vital. The refurbishments recently have been both imaginative and of a high quality, however the recently refurbished park in Poole Lane Bournemouth has not been finished at all well with dirt paths left with big stones in them and lots of bare earth.
Which one in Poole Lane are you referring to ? There are two, one of which is on Poole Lane Meadows and part of Kinson Common. Both these areas have suffered very badly with vandalism during their construction by some of the young people they were built for !
Adults are also regularly taking their dogs into the areas and letting them play in the sand pit!

Both of these areas were built under the play4life scheme with funding from the previous government.

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zagzig says...
6:41pm Wed 28 Jul 10

oneshortleg, kinson says...Do you have children?
Yes and grandchildren too. As someone else mentioned it should be down to parents to provide entertainment for their kids not the council or if you look at it another way - other peoples council tax shouldn't be footing the bill for your kids to play.
Also children should be taught from an early age to appreciate the environment and nature, money would be far better spent improving the environment for all of us by creating more green space, planting trees etc. Any parents that want a climbing frame for their kids should go and buy or make one for their back garden. If they don't have a back garden then tough.

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Syd Poumen says...
8:42pm Wed 28 Jul 10

Welcome to the Dave New World of the Big Society, zagzig!

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BobbyPoole says...
10:33am Thu 29 Jul 10

Norman Mead wrote:
So now the council can't afford playgrounds? What exactly do they do with all the council tax (and government money) they get? Oh, I know, it all funds the salaries of overpaid executives and consultants, along with gilt-edged pension schemes. Brilliant.
..............Well Said !!

the head of the Borough of Poole is on over £250,00 a year................
what a waste of money !!!....

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BobbyPoole says...
10:34am Thu 29 Jul 10

BobbyPoole wrote:
Norman Mead wrote: So now the council can't afford playgrounds? What exactly do they do with all the council tax (and government money) they get? Oh, I know, it all funds the salaries of overpaid executives and consultants, along with gilt-edged pension schemes. Brilliant.
..............Well Said !! the head of the Borough of Poole is on over £250,00 a year................ what a waste of money !!!....
..................oo
ps ! £250,000 !! ha ha

the typo should be the salary they deserve!!!.........

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yankee says...
12:01am Fri 30 Jul 10

Why not have the children play in your own gardens? Or have your flat association create a playground?

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