Wandsworth Council to charge children to pay in park

[Chantal2011]

Just seen this and really shocked!! Surely the Council can find savings eleswhere?! I know some cuts are necessary - but to penalise children?! That's awful...

www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23949345-you-want-to-go-into-the-playground-that-will-be-pound-250-please.do

linkie here

Well, council tax is ridiculously cheap in Wandsworth, and the pay off is the local services are not funded by the countil as a result. So I'm not surprised to be honest, although it feels very wrong.

CT in Wandsworth is literally half what is elsewhere in London.

I used to live in Wandsworth borough and since then have lived in 2 other London boroughs. Wandsworth have almost no children's services, it was really odd moving elsewhere and seeing all that there was on offer.

I think this is really appalling. There are many deprived children in London who live in flats and need access to outside space and play equipment. The idea that some areas of a public park are only for the better off is very sad indeed.

True, but surely the savings can be found elsewhere?! It seems children and women always seems to be hit the hardest. I'm really angry about it. : (

well, it is only weekends and it sounds like the sort of park that normally charges anyway

Battersea Park is free. The only charges are for sports facilities (tennis couts etc), for bike hire, and for boat hire. There used to be a One O'Clock Club right next to the Adventure Playground - anyone know if it's still there and still free?

its an adventure playpark and has to be supervised with staff.

if there is table tennis, i imagine this does a bit more than an ordinary playpark?

I would also challenge the legality of such a move if the playpark was on common land.

but it's an adventure playground so no doubt staffed. better than closing it no?

This is how all public parks ussed to operate in Victorian times...as a way of keeping the riff-raff out! Its shocking and I bet this park isn't the last to begin charging.

TBH I've always been surprised that it's free. It's not the swing park (although that's the photo I've seen attached to the report - bit sneaky) it's the separate Adventure playground which you access through that bit. Last time I went it was staffed, so I assume this charge is to go towards their salaries?

Seriously, I'd normally be the first in line to denounce Tory cost-cutting, and it would be lovely to beat them over the head with this, but it has been blown up into something larger than it actually is. There's still plenty of free stuff to do

Our local park is an adventure playground...with zip wires, sand, foorball, play equipment...there's no staff and no charge.

AND they are only charging at weekends

Well, there you go. Big Society BS. The idea of choosing what to cut rests on the idea that there are some things that can be cut and no-one will notice. Some councils are choosing libraries, some social care so an 80 yr old man will be sole carer of his disabled wife. All these services are used and needed. But not needed as much by people whose kids play in their nice big garden.

it has opening and shut times and is staffed

list \link{http://www.londonplay.org.uk/document.php?document_id=125\here for london} should be more imoho!

was probably funded by lottery which is all ending now :(

politicians and councillors don't see the benefit of play at all

\link{http://www.londonplay.org.uk/document.php?document_id=40\this explains why they are different from open playgrounds}

"trained staff" and "table tennis"?
We don't have anything like that round here - sounds pretty good (and like something you'd pay £2.50 for).

Lots of the children who use this park are from really quite deprived families, most of whom don't have big gardens to or gardens at all, to play in. It feels like the Council are targetting those who need it most.

Also the park needs a bit of refurbishment, so it seems a bit much to make children pay.