Council rent demand threatens kids’ playground

Pele Julien 8, Dylan Britto 8, Khaiya McLean 9, David Grillo 17, Aisha Drysdale 6, at Shakespeare Walk Adventure Playground, Stoke Newington

ORGANISERS of a Stoke Newington children’s playground say a £1000 a year charge the council wants it to pay for a new lease could push its already shaky finances over the edge.

The charity, which gives Hackney youngsters somewhere to go after school and at weekends, claims the extra charge came out of the blue and is a demand for money the organisation does not have.

“The lease was decided at a council Cabinet meeting without agreement with the playground’s committee, and will cost £1,000 per year for the next decade,” says Sara Milburn, Chair of Shakespeare Walk Adventure Playground Association (SWAPA).

Up until now, the playground, which has been on its existing site for 30 years, has not had to pay rent.

Hackney council’s Learning Trust, which is responsible for funding playgrounds in the borough, has told SWAPA that the ruling is because the Department of Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) – from whom the money originates – insists that any land that is invested in by the Learning Trust should be under a lease.

The children’s playground has recently received a grant from the Trust for a major refurbishment. The improved facility will provide enough space for age groups to have their own areas, with a separate soft play room, computer room with internet access and better storage.

It will also allow community-wide access for local groups and clubs, increasing capacity for the overrun facility. In addition, the money will help fix the ageing building – at the moment much of the lighting and heating is defunct.

However, Sara Milburn is concerned for the long-term viability of the adventure playground, due to the extra charge imposed for the lease. She is worried that the council’s demand for extra cash will be difficult for the hard-pressed charity to find.

“I think that it’s a bit scary, considering we’ve been here for around thirty years. A thousand pounds may not seem like much for a year, for the kind of land that we have, but it’s a lot for us.”

Milburn says the charity is struggling to pay for the skilled people it needs to work with the young people who use the adventure playground, some of whom have special needs.

“The core grant that we receive doesn’t even cover staff salaries,” says Milburn. “We constantly have to fundraise, and another £1,000 to pay is a lot for a voluntary organisation.”