One of the biggest surprises I’ve had in Parliament is discovering we’ve barely talked about playgrounds in nearly a decade. It’s remarkable, because if you wander through almost any neighbourhood and pause by a set of rusted swings or a boarded-up slide, you’ll see decay where laughter once rang out.
My constituency of Bournemouth East, nestled on the South Coast, is home to thousands of families and one of the best beaches in the country. Yet it lacks adequate playgrounds—spaces where children can let off steam, invent their own worlds, and play safely. After meeting local parents, some of whom run grassroots campaigns to improve play provision, I realised Parliament wouldn’t address this issue unless someone brought playgrounds to Westminster.
That’s exactly what happened on the 8th of January: a Westminster Hall debate on playgrounds—the first in eight years. In fact, the total time allocated for playground debates hasn’t reached an hour in seventeen, going back to when the last Labour Government unveiled the first (and only) National Play Strategy. Children sitting GCSEs this year weren’t even alive the last time Parliament seriously considered playground provision. We’re talking about nearly-adults whose formative years went unexamined at the highest levels of government.
So how could I bring Bournemouth’s parents, carers, and children into this once-in-a-generation debate?
I simply asked them to share their experiences—and they did. In total, 642 residents submitted comments, alongside dozens more on social media. Each one told a story of children relishing the freedom to climb, swing, and make new friends, while lamenting broken benches, chipped paint, or padlocked gates. A mother in Springbourne recalled a once-beloved play area where her daughter grew in confidence on the monkey bars—now rusted beyond repair. Another parent in Pokesdown spoke of a neglected park where her son can no longer safely kick a ball around with friends, leaving the family stuck for free activities close to home.
Time and again, people reminded me that playgrounds aren’t just about slides and swings. They’re cornerstones of childhood and community: places where children learn resilience by taking small risks, where parents forge friendships on worn benches, and where neighbours move beyond a passing nod to meaningful conversation. Yet, as local families made clear, these special areas are deteriorating—littered with potholes, missing equipment, or simply not on any official priority list. And it’s staggering that so many years have passed without Parliament taking notice.
As quickly as the National Play Strategy was introduced, it was cancelled by the coalition government. Funding cuts and closures have left councils little choice but to downgrade or fence off run-down sites. Children end up indoors, glued to screens—not because they’d rather be, but because vibrant, welcoming outdoor spaces are becoming rare. For families on tight budgets, the idea of driving across town to find a decent park or paying for indoor play simply isn’t feasible. They’re left with bare patches of tarmac where a climbing frame should be, or rusted swing frames that only remind them of what used to be.
It’s even worse for families of children with special educational needs and disabilities. Some parents told me outright that, for a child who uses a wheelchair or requires particular support, there’s virtually nowhere accessible to play. If even the basic joy of a playground is beyond reach, we’re perpetuating inequity at the most fundamental level: childhood itself.
My call to the Government is straightforward: we need to be on the side of playing children. Play is, and must be promoted as, a compelling alternative to a childhood attached to a screen. We’re already making progress through the Safer Phones Bill—legislation I wholeheartedly support—but there’s still some way to go.
To do this, we can revive the play strategy introduced 17 years ago, update it for today’s realities, and give it the attention and funding it deserves. This doesn’t even mean significant additional funding; really, we just need policies that allow for the money already in the system to be better-spent. We should also embed “play sufficiency” in law, like Wales and Scotland, so local authorities have a duty to protect playgrounds on par with sports fields or libraries. Just as importantly, let’s encourage genuine collaboration between councils, charities, and community groups, ensuring parents and children aren’t just consulted, but genuinely heard.
Only then can we ensure a future where every child has a safe, cared-for space to play.
The State of Play – Making the Case for Our Playgrounds
