England's national play strategy is set to lose £5m of funding as part of the £670m savings the Department for Education (DfE) was last week ordered to make for 2010/11. The sum might seem like a drop in the ocean compared with the £6.24bn of public spending cuts across the board, but it is likely to impact on the play sector's attempts to produce better outcomes for children.
Published in 2008, the strategy dedicated £235m to improving children's play opportunities (see box). The majority was capital funding, for 3,500 new or refurbished play areas and 30 adventure playgrounds.
The DfE has confirmed that capital funding for new playgrounds will not be cut, but £5m must be saved from the rest of the pot.
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