Play organisations across the country expressed deep disappointment following the publication of the Government's response to MP Frank Dobson's review of children's play.
In a letter to Dobson, published last week, culture secretary Tessa Jowell confirmed that 200m in lottery cash would not be ring-fenced and would be allocated by a range of lottery distributors from 2006 to 2012.
Tim Gill, former director of the Children's Play Council (CPC) and lead reviewer in Dobson's team, said: "My first reaction was disappointment over what I see as a broken promise. It is, in effect, double-cutting money from other lottery sources."
He feared that millions could be sapped from on-the-ground play projects by other initiatives that might fall under the play category, including schemes to revamp historic parks funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
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