PM needs to bring back play strategy and “finish what was started”

Play England has called on new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, to bring back a National Play Strategy and “finish what was started” 18 years ago, while he was Culture Secretary in Gordon Brown’s government.

Burnham co-launched England’s National Play Strategy in 2008, alongside then Children’s Secretary Ed Balls. Developed by the then Labour government with Play England, the strategy was backed by funding worth £235m. It aimed to create 3,500 new play spaces across every local authority area in England, including 30 staffed adventure playgrounds. More broadly, it sought to embed play in local planning, public space design, housing, education and community development.

As Burnham has now returned to government – this time as PM – Play England has published an open letter, asking for him to return to the foundations laid in 2008 and to build a new play strategy on them.

The letter also calls for the strategy to be underpinned by Play Sufficiency legislation, so that “every community must assess and secure enough time, space, opportunity and freedom for children to play”.

To fund the two commitments, the letter is asking the PM to back it with sustained investment of £125 million per year, which Play England say is “just 20p per child, per week”.