Play For Free | Richard Davis

Wandsworth Guardian has reported today how the Council are looking to close all three of their adventure playgrounds (York Gardens, Kimber Road Gardens and Battersea Park).

Earlier this year the Council was looking to start charging children to use the Adventure Playground in Battersea park. But facing widespread opposition from a number of community campaigns including the Battersea Liberal Democrats the Council withdrew their plans.

Local Lib Dem Richard Davis says,

“At a time when the Council is looking at the causes of the riots they should not be closing services for children in the area. It is outrageous that Wandsworth is seeking to cut services for those most in need of them at a time of such economic hardship.”

The B&T Lib Dems have been out recently delivering news and views from around Shaftesbury. See the link below with the leaflet for more info.

Shaftesbury Voice Summer 2011

Battersea Park Charges Temporarily Scrapped, Remember to Have Your Say While You Can

On Wednesday 29^th June Wandsworth Council announced it would be looking into its proposed plans to charge children £2.50 for playing in the Adventure Playground in Battersea Park. Just three days before they were due to be introduced on the 4^th July.

The Lib Dems ran a campaign against the charges and have collected numerous signatures on their petiton against the park charges which the Battersea Lib Dems felt would unfairly disadvantage children from poorer children.

However, while it appears that the charges have been scrapped for now there will be a period of consultation with local park users. I am pleased the council have listened to the masses of local park users opposed to charging children to play in their park. But we must not give up fighting until the council have permanently shelved this idea. If you would like to sign the petition against the park charges please visit www.drricharddavis.co.uk/play4free.

What next for the Adventure Playground?

Despite the large scale opposition to parks charges Kathy Tracey, Wandsworth council’s children’s services spokeswoman, said they may yet introduce the charges for the playground.

Over the summer the council will be asking park users which cost-cutting measures they would approve of to save some of the £200,000 annual cost of running the park.

Possible suggestions may be removing some of the more expensive equipment which requires staffing.

The report will be published in November, if you would like to feed into this report contact the Local Lib Dems at info@wandsworthlibdems.org.uk or leave comments below.

From July 2011 Wandsworth Council will start charging children to use the adventure playground in Battersea Park.

Details for the Battersea Park Adventure Playground Charges

This is an additional tax on families in the area which will hit the poorest in society the hardest. Today some of the Battersea Lib Dem team were down at Battersea Park talking to parents and children to see what they think of the charges.

One local Battersea woman we spoke to said that with the charge the Adventure Playground will become the preserve of the middle classes.

The charge is £2.50 which although not huge is an additional cost at a time when people are already suffering. But if you start to think about the average family with more than one child this is when the bill really starts to rack up.

David Walden, Richard Davis and Layla Moran launch the Play for Free Campaign

Over the next few weeks I will keep you up to date with how the campaign progresses and our proposed solutions and responses from the Tory Council with regards to this campaign. For now we need to start building a register of people who are opposed to the disgraceful tax on children’s play.

Council Plans to Close all Adventure Playgrounds in Wandsworth

Latest Campaigning News From Shaftesbury

Battersea Park Charges Turn Around

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