Researchers from the Faculty of Social Sciences have helped national charity Play England secure £18m in the chancellor's budget to improve and update children’s play areas.
Dr Michael Martin from the School of Geography and Planning and Dr Paul Brindley from the School of Architecture and Landscape have been working closely with Play England to highlight the stark inequalities that exist in children’s play provision nationally.
Their work with the charity - which earlier this year saw the launch of a new 10 year strategy ‘It All Starts With Play’ at the House of Commons - directly informed Rachel Reeves’ budget announcement on Wednesday.
The funding will see £18m being injected into refurbishing 200 play areas across England, following sustained lobbying from national charity Play England and the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Play, chaired by Tom Hayes MP.
Treasury officials stated that the funding is intended to “breathe new life into play areas across England, creating safe, exciting spaces for thousands of children”, alongside the Pride in Place programme.
Dr Martin and Dr Brindley will also be presenting their evidence and recommendations to members of the APPG on Play in December.
Dr Michael Martin said: “We are absolutely delighted that our research and evidence on playground inequalities has informed Government decision making and the chancellor’s budget - allocating £18m for children, young people and caregivers across the country.
“We are equally excited that our ongoing partnership with Play England will also see us engage with APPG on Play members to discuss how to maximise the impact of this funding for children and play in the most extreme contexts of play deprivation.”
Dr Paul Brindley said: “Children and young people have a democratic right to play - this funding together with Pride in Place funds is a starting point to begin to address the stark inequalities that exist for children’s playground provision. But more is needed!”
Eugene Minogue, Executive Director of Play England, said the funding on playgrounds would be a welcome step and a "clear signal that play is finally back on the government’s radar". He added: "The decision reflects the mounting evidence Play England has brought forward together with the University of Sheffield. Our partnership shows just how unequal playground provision is across England, with children in deprived areas having far fewer places to play. The government commitment marks an important shift in recognising the role of play in children's health and wellbeing".