Agenda item

To consider and agree the scope and project plan for the review.

Consideration was given to the draft scope and project plan for the Scrutiny Review of Outdoor Play Provision: Quality and Distribution, Maintenance, and Physical Accessibility, the proposed aims of which would be to:

•         Examine the Borough’s existing outdoor play offer in terms of play value and distribution, and identify locations where there is currently an imbalance in provision.

•         Ascertain who is responsible for individual facilities and what the management / maintenance and sustainability requirements are now, and are likely to be in the future (including revenue costs).

•         Consider accessibility / inclusivity factors in relation to play provision so practical and financial implications are understood and factored into decisions around existing and future plans.

•         Contribute to future policy around play area provision, giving an appraisal of potential options.

Several key contributors had been identified in relation to this scrutiny topic, including a number of SBC departments, the Association of Play Industries (API), RoSPA, Play England, Stockton Parent Carer Forum, Bright Minds Big Futures (BMBF), and the Local Government Association (LGA) /

other Local Authorities.  It was also intended to arrange visits to various outdoor play sites across the Borough as part of the evidence-gathering phase, with a view to reporting the Committee’s findings and recommendations to Cabinet in April 2024.

The Committee expressed broad agreement with the content of the scope and requested that the initial evidence session in November 2023 included documentation mapping the Borough’s existing outdoor play provision.  Other elements which would need to be ascertained included legal requirements for accessibility, resident views on local play areas, and issues around the sustainability of new and existing sites in terms of maintenance.

A query was raised on the actual use of some of the current play sites and whether this was monitored in any way.  Members noted several variables (e.g. weather, school holidays) which impacted upon play area usage, and officers confirmed that tracking this was a challenge due to multiple entries to an individual site and the limits on resources to carry out such a task.  That said, there may be an opportunity to link-in with relevant community groups to establish play area ‘traffic’, though it was agreed that it would not be appropriate to ask SBC staff to sit and monitor the number of people using a particular site.

Noting that this scrutiny topic was a complex issue which often elicited much public opinion, the appointed Link Officer for this review (SBC Head of Environment, Leisure and Green Infrastructure) reinforced the three key aspects for the Committee to consider – the unfair distribution of facilities and quality of provision, maintenance pressures associated with existing and new sites, and accessibility challenges and the balance between enabling as many people (often with complex / multiple needs which differ from others) to use facilities versus the costs of such provision.  It was acknowledged that there were associated issues around vandalism and CCTV coverage, but these aspects would not be focused upon during this review, nor would any ongoing changes in related legislation.

AGREED that the draft scope and project plan for the Outdoor Play Provision: Quality and Distribution, Maintenance, and Physical Accessibility review be approved.