Three years on those millions remain conspicuous by their absence. The Government is still insisting that the full promised amount will go to children's play, but changes to lottery distribution are likely to mean that it will no longer be ring-fenced. The result is a climate of uncertainty guaranteed to fuel fears that once again play has been devalued.
This is not a new problem; nor is it by any means unique to the Government.
Last July when shadow chancellor Oliver Letwin criticised alleged waste in public expenditure, he named the Children's Play Council and the Children's Play Information Service as examples. The subtext here is not hard to decode: why, we are invited to ask, is tax payers' money being used for something as frivolous as play?
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