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Wandsworth Council to charge children to pay in park

54 replies

Chantal2011 · 12/05/2011 17:14

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

OP posts:
Gooseberrybushes · 12/05/2011 18:01

lockets Thu 12-May-11 17:29:36
I found the children's services so much better in Wandsworth than they are where we are now.

yes me too, libraries and story time, great parks and so on

also i never went to this place but it does sound like somewhere that would normally charge

Gooseberrybushes · 12/05/2011 18:03

it must be not funding something but the rubbish collection and dumps are brilliant and everything seems to work

they do loads of free clubs, free family yoga, multicultural languages and drama workshops all free

i know nothing about services for old people though

Gooseberrybushes · 12/05/2011 18:04

i dunno maybe it's changed since we were there, just remember it was quite good considering the CT

southeastastra · 12/05/2011 18:16

it is inaccurate reporting (as usual) i'd love to open an adventure playground where i live - am looking into how to raise funds but wrong time with all the cuts unfortuntaly :(

Shambolicaholic · 12/05/2011 21:03

Yes Wandsworth council tax is relatively cheap. But the reason for this is that social provision is dismal in comparison with other places and being cut back very harshly at the moment. We all know that this 'must be done' (well..if you believe the hype) but the point is that the council are cutting the services that are of most benefit to the most deprived groups. A library in the poorest ward, a play area in an area surrounded by families who live in tower blocks with no outside space, one of the lowest numbers of council properties to rent in the country.

So cheap council tax perhaps, but it looks like soon it will only be paying for the council leaders salary (about £250K per year) and for the magazine that the council publish to talk highly of their wonderfulness (also costs about £250K per year).

Schools and hospitals are staffed too by the way. Fancy paying to be asked to enter those? It'll happen before you know it.

southeastastra · 12/05/2011 21:06

but what can we do? i work with play and i'm losing my job. :( people have told me that they will pay to go to some sessions yet the council has decided to just end it without taking those views into account. it's shite.

the local councils are making their point if we belive that..

triskaidekaphile · 12/05/2011 21:12

Adventure playgrounds have NEVER charged in London. This is a disgrace. Yes, there is a little portacabin where you have a few youth staff who might encourage/supervise some craft activities. But most of it is wooden structures for kids to climb on and swing from and generally have a great run and freeforall play. Appalling to restrict entry to those whose parents have £2.50 to spare.

Shambolicaholic · 12/05/2011 21:17

One O'clock clubs next for sure.

LovelyDaffs · 12/05/2011 21:20

I played in this adventure playground myself as a child and have very fond memories of it. I took my dcs there a couple of years ago and was surprised that it was free, it's not just an adventure playground.

Low council tax is why the Tories have had Wandsworth for years in the days of pole tax there was none at all.

SpringHeeledJack · 12/05/2011 21:33

Wandsworth is a mean, mean, mean LA

they threatened to close the little zoo at Battersea Park a while ago, and ended up flogging it, iirc

that adventure playground is very well used- as someone said upthread, a lot of kids go there who haven't got access to outside space. As far as I remember, although it's big, it's not got much 'extra' to it- eg compared with adventure playgrounds in Lewisham, for instance

if they start charging for it, the only thing poorer kids will be able to do in Battersea Park will be to kick a football about...

I wouldn't be surprised if this is a bit of social control- they'll probably be hoping the less well off will fuck off over the border to Lambeth to play

I know I sound paranoid, but as London councils go, I'd put nowt past Wandsworth. Or Westminster, come to that...

meditrina · 12/05/2011 21:49

It's going to stay free Mondays to Fridays, according to the article.

And there's quite a lot of other things to do in Battersea Park, including the "non-adventure" playground for smaller children and an equipped fitness trail if you want things to climb on/swing from, as well as there being just loads of space to do your own thing.

triskaidekaphile · 12/05/2011 22:46

Mondays to Fridays are off-peak times. Saturday and Sunday are the best times and now the adventure playground will be a middle class visitor oasis at weekends. That sucks. It's already too full of toddlers being helicopter parented who get in the way of the older children racing around properly. But at least currently there's a nice mix of local kids from all different backgrounds and visitors from further afield. What this will do is exclude the poorer local kids at weekends and make it a visitor attraction only.

meditrina · 12/05/2011 23:24

It's a few years since I was round there. The staff on the gates used to turn away toddlers at the gate when it's busy. Also, during the school holidays it was always heaving every day (the council run play scheme from the Ethelburga used to go there and by sheer numbers tended to more or less take it over).

sahm3 · 13/05/2011 10:53

sounds like a realistic idea of keeping it open, as with cuts, they wont be afford to man it.

onagar · 13/05/2011 10:57

They say they don't want to be subsidising people from other boroughs, but instead of cutting the numbers by looking at a scheme to keep it for local people they use a charge to reserve it for the better off.

hmmSleep · 13/05/2011 18:40

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-13391175

hmmSleep · 13/05/2011 18:41

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-13391175

Sorry, posted too soon, bbc news article on the subject.

MotherSnacker · 13/05/2011 18:55

They don't want to be subsidising people from other boroughs?

They don't want to subsidise poor kids more like. Vile.

EdithWeston · 13/05/2011 19:06

The link says Wandsworth has two other adventure playgrounds (unstaffed) which will continue to be free. As will this one, Mon-Fri including in the school holidays.

Presumably if they can't cover the £200,000 pa that it costs, then they'll have to consider reducing what's available there and/or the staffing. That would be a pity too.

NotaMopsa · 13/05/2011 21:29

bumping this

is there a link to the e petition?? we really need to get some signatures

NotaMopsa · 13/05/2011 21:30

link in the article

please sign!

fastedwina · 13/05/2011 23:37

Went to a lovely play park in Belfast which charged a small entry fee. I was a bit Hmm but seems this was to try and stop it being overrun by out of control kids and older kids who hung out there sometimes ruining the atmosphere for everyone else and damaging the equipment.

Hulababy · 13/05/2011 23:39

I don't know the park but the pictures and descriptions online make it sound like it is much more than your average playground.

Is it not a big adventure playground which is staffed?

If so, then surely it is more on a par with visiting a soft play attraction? And something you would expect to pay for?

We have an adventure playground near Sheffield within one of the country parks. It doesn't sound as big as the one in the press but you still pay for it - about the same price too. Here: www.rvcp.co.uk/ThingstoDo/PlayDales.aspx
Nobody ever questions it. t is still pretty well used, esp in the summer. Your entrance fee is for the day., so you can come and go should you wish.

onagar · 14/05/2011 10:45

But surely that is a private business for the purpose of making a profit. That will be why no one questions it.

meditrina · 14/05/2011 11:26

I think it's normal for councils to charge for facilities that bring maintenance or staff costs (like use of tennis courts, and yes the soft play in our local leisure centre). If they weren't having to make cuts, then perhaps this would continue free all the time. Might the alternatives be closure, or vastly reduced opening hours?

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