The template Council Motion below is from Scope as part of their Let’s Play Fair campaign – which seeks to increase the number of inclusive playgrounds.
Research from Scope has discovered that 96% of parents with disabled children had used a public playground in the past year – but 49% said they had accessibility problems with these playgrounds.
Making sure play equipment in our wards is inclusive and accessible to all children is something we can all fight for on our councils.
A template council motion us below for you to copy and localise for your council.
A briefing from Scope featuring research into the accessibility of playgrounds and some examples of good Local Government practice installing inclusive play areas can be downloaded here.
Scope also have an online survey that can be shared for parents to give feedback on whether their local playgrounds are accessible. This could make a good social media post to share. You can find the survey here.
The Council notes the importance of inclusive playgrounds for disabled children for early childhood development and community integration for the whole family. The Council further notes with concern findings from the disability equality charity Scope that half of families across England and Wales with disabled children have accessibility problems with their local playground.
This Council recognises the need to improve local playgrounds to achieve inclusivity for the community and to work with families of disabled children to guide the development of inclusive playgrounds.
This Council believes:
- That playgrounds are important spaces for community engagement and childhood development, and these spaces should be built with inclusivity as a core principle.
- That playgrounds in this area should be improved to ensure they include accessible design and inclusive equipment that disabled children can engage with.
- This council believes that all children have a right to play and this should be reflected in the community play spaces.
The Council resolves:
- To embed principles of inclusive design to ensure that going forward every development or refurbishment of a council playground considers inclusivity.
- To seek opportunities to embed inclusive design through Council strategies for local planning and community spaces.
- To adequately consult with parents and carers of disabled children, and those with lived experience, to inform the design of inclusive playgrounds so they are appropriate for the community spaces.
- To champion the rights of disabled children to play alongside their peers.
- To advertise accessibility measures and inclusive equipment of local play areas to local residents, via the Council website and information boards.