A number of national newspapers have been carrying stories about Liberal Democrat-run Watford Borough Council banning parents from parks throughout the borough. Indeed the story even made it to the front page of the Metro. But, the truth on this story is very different.
The reality is that the only places affected by this ban on parents is TWO adventure playgrounds, that are specifically designed as supervised play facilities. Every other playground in the borough is still free, open, unsupervised and can be freely accessed by parents. In fact, parents have always been able to enter these adventure playgrounds to help settle their children in. But, just as with nursery schools, parents then leave their children in the care of council staff, so they don’t get in the way of the activities that are taking place.
Liberal Democrats are used to getting unfair coverage in the press. But it’s a shame that when we achieve the front page of a national paper, it’s as a result of an unfair and misleading story.
You can read more about this story from local Lib Dem councillor Sara Bedford.