Swinging the axe
Reporter: by Janice Barker
Date published: 28 July 2010
ADVENTURE fun . . . Francis Hartwell and his mum Christine at the newly-opened Copster Park play area
PLUG IS PULLED ON £1.1m PLAY AREA SITES
The plug has been pulled on Oldham’s £1.1million Play- builder sites which are only half finished.
The Government has frozen funding on all Playbuilder schemes across the country as it looks to save millions from public spending.
The money was being used to transform tired play areas into challenging outdoor adventure sites, more in keeping with the natural landscape. Eleven have been completed locally.
But Oldham Council has been told to stop work on all of the 11 remaining sites. A final decision will be made by the Department for Education by the end of August.
The move has been condemned by Oldham’s Labour councillors, and spokesman Councillor Shoab Akhtar said: “This is a bitter blow to areas such as Werneth, Chadderton, Crompton, Lees, Sholver and Failsworth.
“This funding was going to be used to develop 22 innovative play facilities over the two-year period. It seems as though the coalition Government has some sort of vendetta against Oldham.
It is stopping or reducing every type of funding that was allocated or proposed to come into Oldham. Building Schools for the Future, £230 million, Housing Market Renewal £4.8 million, area based grants, £1.8 million have all been victims of their cost slashing.
“This Government does not believe in investing in Oldham’s young people. It has stopped BSF and now it’s the Playbuilder’s turn. What next we wonder?”
Councillor Mark Alcock, cabinet member for citizens and neighbourhoods, said: “We are making every effort to convince the Department for Education that the children and young people of Oldham deserve new play sites.
“The council has already transformed 11 sites in year one of the programme and this shows the fantastic play opportunities afforded by our well-regarded approach to natural play.
“Many of our younger people are already using these sites.
“We want all children to have the chance to explore their surroundings through the proposed 11 new play sites located around the borough, without having to travel to the sites that are now in use.”
