NINE adventure playgrounds in Leicester are to receive another year’s funding, as the council extends its grant arrangements to give them even more time to become self-sustaining.
The council had previously told the play associations who operate the playgrounds that their funding would end in April 2025. The city mayor has now agreed to make the grant payments for another year.
The extension of payments will come on top of the granting of a licence awarded to all of the play associations, which enables them to operate from the council-owned sites free of charge for five years, and will also help them to attract alternative funding.
The council had previously offered all of the play associations the support of workers who could help with their business plans. The council is also now offering for officers to work with the play associations to explore options for longer term arrangements for the sites where needed.
All nine associations told the council in September 2024 that they had plans for sustainable funding for the future, with some dependent upon grant applications from other sources or on charitable fund raising.
Others have developed income from commercial sources or other commissioned activity, such as providing alternative school places or short breaks for disabled children.
Cllr Mustafa Malik, assistant city mayor for communities, adult learning, jobs and skills said: “We fully recognise the importance of the adventure playgrounds and the difference they make to their communities.
“That is why we have listened carefully to their needs regarding self-sustainability and will be extending our funding to give them more time to achieve this. We will also be helping them to explore longer term arrangements for the sites which will help their future planning and fund raising.
“The success of some play associations in making significant progress towards sustainability and improving their governance demonstrates the potential for all of them to have a bright and vibrant future, independent of annual grants from the local authority.”
The ending of the grant this year would have led to savings of £1m which are required from the children’s social care division. This saving still needs to be made, so the council will be looking to delay the start of some projects and halting recruitment to some posts in the early help and prevention area, in order to balance its books.
The council is required by law to fund children’s social care and most of its annual budget is spent on social care for children and adults, leaving little flexibility for making savings. It is not required to fund adventure playgrounds.