Signed: calling for a National Play Strategy
- Izaak Wilson
- May 31
- 3 min read

Here in Weetwood we've helped fund multiple new play parks and play equipment. We've also helped close streets as one off occasions as well as on a regular schedule as 'Play Streets'.
And we've supported and funded toys in the local Little Libraries.
To make an even bigger difference we need further national action too. This simply wasn't a priority for the last Tory government, but the Labour government did a lot of good work up to 2010 and we want our new government to do the same.
We have joined other senior councillors in signing this open letter to the government about creating a National Play Strategy. It's so important to use that children have good play facilities and feel safe to play in their neighbourhoods.
The open letter:
Dear Secretaries of State,
We write as elected members, senior officers and local government leaders - representing councils of all tiers, combined authorities and national sector bodies - to call for a new National Play Strategy for England, as recommended by the Raising the Nation Play Commission.
In 2008, England's first national play strategy set out a shared ambition to make communities more child friendly. It led to tangible improvements: investments in public space, play facilities, and local provision - and strategic support for councils to plan and deliver play. That national coherence no longer exists. Since then, the decline in children's play has been visible - and councils have been left to manage the social, health and development consequences.
We see the pressures daily:
Public spaces dominated by traffic, with limited provision for play
Ageing, inadequate or absent play facilities - and capital budgets under sustained pressure
Growing concerns about children's health, physical literacy, confidence and school readiness
Fewer opportunities for connection, independence and spontaneous play close to home
In December 2024, following sustained advocacy by Play England, the National Planning Policy Framework was amended to include new protections for formal play spaces. This was an important and overdue recognition of play's value - but it remains a policy statement, not a statutory requirement. Play England's evidence to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill Committee sets out why stronger legislation is needed - including the case for a Play Sufficiency duty to support councils in planning and delivering for play.
We believe that play is critical social infrastructure - just as vital to healthy childhoods, sustainable neighbourhoods and inclusive growth as housing, education and transport. A new National Play Strategy, shaped with and for local government, would:
Embed children's right to play in national and local policy
Enable councils to plan for and protect time, space, opportunity and freedom to play
Reinforce a culture of acceptance - where play is part of everyday public life, not an afterthought
This is not a call for bureaucracy. It’s a call for shared direction, targeted investment, and clear policy support - to help councils do what works, and to secure lasting public value for communities.
We welcome the government's focus on prevention, wellbeing and place-based transformation. A National Play Strategy would support these priorities - and enable councils to deliver joined-up outcomes across health, education, planning, housing and community development.
We stand with the Raising the Nation Play Commission in calling on the Government to commit to a new National Play Strategy - led by DCMS and delivered across departments - in closer partnership with local government.
Children only get one childhood. Together, we can ensure that play is accepted, expected and planned for - in every place, for every child.