Shamik Das reports on Tory-run Bexley council's plans to charge kids to use a playground - following on from Tory Wandsworth's plans to do the same last month.
Just last month, Tory-run Wandsworth announced plans to charge kids £2.50 to use a playground. Now, Tory Bexley is planning to do the same, charging kids to play, pricing the poor out of the playground. They plan to charge children at least £1 to use Belvedere Splash Park – a plan not subject to any public consultation, a plan which the council admits will disproportionately hit those on lower incomes.
And, just like Wandsworth – whose leader was recently appointed Boris Johnson’s chief of staff – Bexley also has close links to the Mayor. In 2008 he appointed council leader Ian Clement to be his deputy mayor and in February he appointed current Tory council leader, Teresa O’Neill, as his outer London adviser.
Labour’s candidate for 2012 Ken Livingstone said of the plans:
“A disturbing theme is emerging across London. Every time a London Tory council leader decides to charge kids to play, Boris Johnson gives them a senior role in his administration.
“Hundreds of thousands of families in London are being squeezed with higher fares and cuts. I share the growing concerns about the direction of Boris Johnson’s administration with so many of his key advisers behind these ‘pay to play’ proposals.”
As we’ve said before on this blog, the divide between the sporting opportunities granted the privileged and those offered the poor are growing, from playgrounds and playing fields to the Olympics and Test cricket, background is having an ever greater say in outcomes – something the likes of Boris, David Cameron and George Osborne are not only unable to understand, but are actually making worse.
Not all kids go to schools that can boast 12 squash courts, 20 tennis courts, an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, four cricket fields, a nine-hole golf course, rowing on the lake that will host the 2012 Olympics, perfectly mown outfields…
53 Responses to “Another day, another Tory council planning to charge kids to play”
Tom White
Hmmm… how many playing fields were sold off by John Major’s government, eh, Anon E Troll? And which opposition party supported the Iraq War more strongly than the Labour Party? I’ll give you a starter for ten.
And yep, it does matter that poor kids don’t get to play. You may not care. Some of us do.
Now take your own advice and go and do something ‘positive’ for a change.
matthew fox
@Tom White
Please stop reminding Anon E Weasel David Cameron voted for the Iraq War.
Guido Fawkes
You clearly don’t have kids or you would know that loads of Labour councils charge for children’s play facilities and have done for years. Take a look at Labour council’s leisure websites.
Anon E Mouse
matthew fox – As a lifelong Labour voter I believed Tony (I’m a pretty straight kind of guy) Blair when he was lying to the commons.
In fact anyone who believed that Cyprus could have been hit by WMD in 45 minutes and hadn’t voted for war would have been considered delusional.
What no one realised at the time as Labour slavishly followed George Bush was that the “dossier” was a complete pack of lies.
To try to blame anyone who believed the Prime Minister at the time is totally unfair and (clearly unlike you matthew fox) I for one am ashamed for my lifelong support of such a warmongering, bloodthirsty, dishonest political party.
The fact you ignore and excuse the lies from Labour over the Iraq War speaks volumes about you personally.
Shame on you matthew fox….
Anon E Mouse
Tom Shite – I mentioned Labour’s shocking record only to illustrate the hypocrisy in this article.
From the immaturity of your posts it is obvious you were schooled under a Labour government so I don’t intend to post anything more challenging…
Can anyone be positive about Labour at all here? The polls now put them neck and neck with the Tories. Miliband is a dead man walking (ask any member of the PLP) and they need all the help they can get…