Playgrounds Matter

Tom Hayes’ campaign for change

In January, Tom Hayes MP secured and led a pivotal parliamentary debate on playgrounds and local authorities. In an exclusive for PlayNation, he outlines how the debate was a result of his passion for play and how he now plans to revive a National Play Strategy for England

On 8 January, I stood up in Parliament to lead the first debate on playgrounds in nearly a decade and the longest for 17 years. I did so because parents, grandparents, and community groups in my constituency of Bournemouth East kept telling me the same story: local parks are broken, fenced off, or simply no longer there – and nobody seemed to care. When children’s play is allowed to deteriorate like this, many families take it as a sign: “Politicians don’t care about us.” Parliament has overlooked something so important to families, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that if politics ignores the basics – like whether your park ever opens or not – people will lose faith in democracy.

When I launched a survey, I was unsure if people would feel too hopeless to share their stories. I shouldn’t have been worried at all: as of writing, more than 700 people have joined this campaign.

The “why”

First, I suppose I should go back to why. Despite the tireless efforts of organisations like Play England, playgrounds have quietly slipped off our political radar.

I heard this loud and clear during a recently held roundtable with parents – including some who have launched a grassroots movement to improve local playgrounds. They talked about families living in flats with no outdoor space, the rising cost of leisure activities, and the easy allure of a screen.

Screens are a big problem, but they’ve been seen as a solution to the lack of play opportunities. They wanted their children to have somewhere to explore, invent games, and just be kids without it costing a fortune.

WHEN POLITICS IGNORES THE BASICS – LIKE WHETHER YOUR PARK EVER OPENS – PEOPLE LOSE FAITH IN DEMOCRACY

The debate

It was only fitting, then, that when I secured my first Parliamentary debate, it would be on playgrounds. This would be the first to happen in 17 years. To put that in perspective, there are teenagers sitting GCSEs who weren’t alive when Ed Balls and Andy Burnham introduced England’s first (and only) National Play Strategy.

What started as a small roundtable in Bournemouth had become something much bigger: an hour in Westminster Hall, with a Minister responding, talking about our playgrounds, and – crucially – cross-party interest in a topic we hadn’t touched in nearly a decade.

I took the words of my constituents, some of the 642 who had responded to my survey before the debate, and brought them to Westminster. Mums who had found solace and friendship on a park bench, grandparents whose grandchildren grew up on monkey bars long disappeared, people who feel strongly about the next generation having somewhere to play.

A sharp reminder that playgrounds aren’t just “nice-to-have”.

Three months on

Local media like Politics South and BBC Radio Solent picked up the story, and I’ve been flooded with messages from parents who felt relieved that someone was finally taking playgrounds seriously. On doorsteps around Bournemouth East, it’s fast become one of the most frequently discussed issues – right up there with housing, healthcare and rising bills.

Just as importantly, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council has agreed to provide £3.9 million to overhaul and replace play equipment in our area, turning what was an aspiration into a promise. I welcome this investment, but parents don’t need to be let down yet again after their hopes have been raised. I’m pushing them to speed up the repairs so local families can see real improvements sooner rather than later.

People

PLAYGROUNDS AREN’T JUST ‘NICE-TO-HAVE’ – THEY’RE ESSENTIAL FOR CHILDREN’S WELLBEING AND HEALTHY DEVELOPMENT

For me, the spotlight on playgrounds isn’t just about repairing swing sets. It’s about recognising the role play has in children’s physical and mental wellbeing. That’s why I’ve folded these insights into my work on the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill as one of a handful of MPs scrutinising the draft law. I’ve ensured that play is acknowledged as a key ingredient in healthy childhood development. I’m also in discussions with the government about reviving the National Play Strategy that was effectively shelved 17 years ago, as well as exploring how “play sufficiency” can be embedded into law – much like it is in Wales. If we can make progress on these fronts, local authorities could be required to treat playgrounds as essential infrastructure, opening up further funding streams and bringing new life to run-down parks across the country.

This is all so important, especially with growing concerns about the impact of social media and extensive mobile phone use on children. So many of the concerns parents have raised with me about these issues are explicitly linked to play and playgrounds. The biggest one seems to be that part of the reason children are on screens is because there’s nowhere for them to play. An unscientific survey of pupils at a local school in Bournemouth saw nearly all of them say that they would spend less time on electronic devices if their local playgrounds were better. As the saying goes: build it and they will come.

The next steps

What has struck me most is how many parents link playground neglect to a deeper sense of being overlooked. If we can’t fix a single broken roundabout, how can we tackle monumental challenges like housing shortages or NHS waiting lists? On the flip side, by showing we care about something as tangible and everyday as local parks, we help restore confidence in the idea that politics can respond to real-life needs.

Three months on from the debate, I’m determined to keep the momentum up. Whether it’s pushing BCP Council to accelerate repairs or lobbying for a refreshed national play strategy, my aim is simple: to ensure that children in Bournemouth – and everywhere else – have safe, welcoming spaces to be active, sociable and imaginative.

Because if we want to raise a generation that values community and civic life, we can’t ignore something as fundamental as a place to play.