The Council's Policies for and Provision of Children's Play in Tameside
Post Scrutiny - Executive Response
In Respect of : The Council's Policies for and Provision of Children's Play in Tameside
Cabinet Deputy: Councillor Philp Wilkinson
Date: 18th November 2003
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Recommendations |
Executive Response |
Officer |
Action By |
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1. That 30 equipped play areas be the minimum number of sites and that the allocated budget be sufficient for this number to be developed and maintained to a high standard. |
There are currently 31 equipped play sites. These sites include playgrounds in the categories of "strategic", "local plus" and "local". There is a current revenue budget for playground equipment repair and maintenance of £26,000 (held within the District Assemblies). The revenue budget (2004/05) for playground maintenance will contain a proposal of an additional £65,000 (see 9 below). The proposed revenue maintenance budget will be carefully monitored throughout 2004/05 in order to obtain a more complete assessment of the maintenance requirements associated with the 31 sites. |
Jim Burns / David Postlethwaite |
February 2004 |
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Andrew Mason |
March 2005 |
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2. In view of the number of children per play area, in the long term, 30 play areas are not sufficient and should be increased. |
It is accepted that, in the long term, 30 play areas is not sufficient. A capital bid has been submitted for £800,000 (ie £200,000 per annum for a rolling four year programme). If this bid is successful, it will provide an annual sum for the renewal and replacement of existing equipment; the successful bid may also enable the provision of new playground sites. The only other major funding route for new playgrounds is monies obtained from developers through the planning process. |
Jim Burns |
March 2004 |
| 3. That provision is made for young people as well as children, when play areas are introduced. | A "local plus" play area includes, by definition, up to three types of equipment (eg basketball, skateboard ramp, etc) for young people. In consequence, any future "local plus" play area will provide for this older age group. For information, a skateboard park (known as "Skaters Grove") has just opened (November 2003) on land adjacent to Hyde United AFC. | Jim Burns | December 2004 |
| 4. That the Council adopt the revised 1998 version of the Children's Play Council's Charter for Children's Play. | Arrangements will be made by the Head of Recreation for the Council to formally adopt the New Charter for Children's Play. | Jim Burns | April 2004 |
| 5. That in developing a strategy for children's play, all organisations that can have an impact such as housing, transport, planning, Early Years, education, the voluntary sector and the commercial sector be involved. | This recommendation is accepted. A policy for children's play needs to be developed for the medium term (say, up to the year 2010) with stakeholders to produce an inclusive strategy. The content of this strategy will be heavily influenced by a successful capital bid for children's play (see 2 above). A policy working group will be established, initially under the aegis of the Recreation Service to produce this strategy. The interested parties mentioned in the recommendation will be invited to participate. | Jim Burns | December 2004 |
| 6. That a single champion for children's play be identified within the Cabinet, together with a dedicated identifiable officer co-ordinated by a single management structure. |
At the Executive Cabinet (12 November 2003), the Council Constitution was reviewed. Cabinet Deputy warrants of office were amended; it was recommended that the Cabinet Deputy (Community Services) "be responsible for the provision of children's play". The minutes of the Executive Cabinet were approved at the Council Meeting (25 November 2003). The managerial responsibility for children's play policy remains the responsibility of the Head of Recreation; the managerial responsibility for the maintenance of children's playgrounds rests with the Head of District Assemblies. This organisational arrangement will be revisited following the Council's deliberations of the Green Paper on Children's Services. Pending legislation concerning Children's Services was outlined in the Queen's Speech (26 November 2003). |
Cllr Philip Wilkinson |
November 2003 |
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Paul Lawday |
December 2004 |
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| 7. That a community fund for development of equipped children's play areas be established , together with a clear and transparent system to enable funding received through section 106 Agreements to be identified and monitored. | Detailed planning guidance for a community fund will be drawn up following adoption of the replacement Unitary Development Plan. A system to identify and monitor Section 106 payments is currently in place. | Nigel Allen / David Postlethwaite | July 2004 |
| 8. That the Council share and benefit from best practice of neighbouring authorities, especially with regard to policy, provision and maximising extensive funding for children's play areas. | The Head of Recreation and colleagues from the District Assemblies will visit neighbouring local authorities in order to ascertain best practice. This information will be evaluated to suit the local circumstances of Tameside. Relevant recommendations will be transmitted to the policy group (see 5 above) for inclusion in the medium term strategy for children's play. | Jim Burns | July 2004 |
| 9. That funding for children's play is greatly increased to bring existing play areas to an acceptable standard. |
The capital programme (2003/04) contained £50,000 for children's play. This has been fully spent. A major capital bid of £800,000 (see 2 above) has been made for the following four years. This will be considered alongside other bids for the Council's capital resources. It must be stated that the bids for capital funding considerably exceed the Council's resources. The revenue budget (2004/05) will contain a proposal of an additional £65,000 for playground maintenance. This proposal will be considered when the Council sets its budget for the new financial year. This additional revenue will be used to improve maintenance of existing sites. |
Jim Burns / David Postlethwaite |
March 2004 |
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February 2004 |
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| 10. The views of all stakeholders need to be included in formulating policy, particularly when identifying long-term solutions to problems. | Consultation with stakeholders will form part of the policy review leading to the production of a medium term strategy for children's play (see 5 above). | Jim Burns | December 2004 |
| 11. The underlying causes of some of the most common problems of anti-social behaviour should be addressed, working in partnership with other services. | This recommendation is both accepted but elusive. The issue of children's play within the context of anti-social behaviour needs to be addressed at a partnership level. With this in mind, consultation on play policy will need to be undertaken with, at least, young people, District Assemblies' Youth Representatives, the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership and the Children and Young People's Strategic Partnership. There will be others! The process of formulating a play policy is as significant as its content; this is a key issue for the play policy working group (see 5 above). | Jim Burns | December 2004 |
| 12. That the review of play provision being undertaken by the Recreation Service includes a thorough review of the distribution of play areas to ensure the needs of all children are met throughout the Borough. | This review will be undertaken as part of the larger strategic work detailed earlier (see 5 above). This review will set a new baseline reference point rather than relying on historical locations. | Jim Burns | April 2004 |
| 13. That the Council establish criteria for the distribution of well equipped play areas in the Borough. | The existing criteria will be reviewed as part of the process of establishing guidelines for the distribution of playground sites in Tameside. | Jim Burns | April 2004 |
| 14. that the "Play as Culture" strategy be based on a thorough needs assessment. | This recommendation is accepted. "The Play as Culture" strategy will be based upon a thorough needs assessment. The strategy will be informed by the work undertaken in 12 above. | Jim Burns | December 2004 |
| 15. That the Council takes appropriate measures to prevent further reduction of equipped play areas. | This recommendation has been addressed in both 2 and 9 above. | Jim Burns / David Postlethwaite |
February 2004 |
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March 2004 |
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| 16. That the Council considers the contribution that play can make to achieving its high level priorities. | The strategy (see 5 above) will clearly demonstrate links to the Community Strategy (themes) and the Council's priorities. These links will be made more operational within the Cultural Strategy and the Recreation Service Business Plan (2004/05) and succeeding years). To date, the business planning process of the Council has been very robust. | Jim Burns | April 2004 |