PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
(7 September 2026)

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what criteria will be used to prioritise areas with high levels of child poverty and poor access to quality play spaces in future playground investment programmes.

Asked by:
Tom Hayes (Labour)

The Government is committed to improving access to safe, inclusive and high-quality play spaces. The £18 million Playground Fund will support up to 200 playground improvement projects across 66 local authorities in England, helping more children access safe, inclusive and high-quality places to play. Funding is targeted at areas with higher levels of child deprivation and poorer existing play provision. The fund forms part of the Government's wider Pride in Place strategy, which includes up to £5.8 billion of investment over ten years for 284 neighbourhoods, providing communities with flexible funding that can be used for local priorities, including parks and playgrounds where these reflect local need.

No decisions have been made on future funding arrangements. Any future funding would be subject to the usual Government spending processes. The department will take account of evidence and delivery learning from the current £18 million Playground Fund. The methodology used for the current programme focused on deprivation and access to play provision and future budget decisions on investment in play provision, including the numbers and locations, will be informed by this evidence, the level of need and wider Government priorities.

Answered by:
()