Greenwich Council's Play Centre Decision Faces Formal Scrutiny
A controversial decision by Greenwich Council to change how it operates adventure play centres will undergo formal scrutiny next month, following challenges from both Conservative and Green Party councillors. The council's "Transforming Youth Play" proposals, approved by the Cabinet last month, would see two of the borough's five adventure play centres become unstaffed while investing over £2 million in the facilities.
"One of the Most Disgraceful Decisions"
Greenwich Conservative leader Matt Hartley called the decision "one of the most disgraceful decisions I have seen from Greenwich Council in my 12 years as a councillor." He criticized the public consultation as "a sham" and expressed concern about the impact on communities, particularly on the Coldharbour estate where the play centre is described as "part of the very fabric of the estate."
Greenwich Greens also challenged the decision on technical grounds, arguing that consultation materials provided "inadequate/misleading information" about current services and proposed changes. Green Councillor Lakshan Saldin warned that removing supervised provision "robs children and young people of their ability to engage in outdoor community play away from the threats of crime, bullying and gender-based harassment and violence."
Specific Changes to Adventure Play Centres
The council's proposals outline specific changes for each location:
- Plumstead: No change to current supervised operation
- Woolwich: Adventure play centre to become unsupervised
- Meridian (Greenwich): Adventure play centre maintained and converted into a community and youth hub
- Coldharbour: Adventure play centre maintained and converted into a community and youth hub with £1.5 million earmarked for development
- Glyndon: Adventure play centre to become unsupervised
Campaigners Raise Safety Concerns
The Save Greenwich Adventure Play Centres campaign, representing 6,000 petition signers, argues the council is "playing with the safety of the borough's children." Campaign member Lara Ruffle Coles emphasized that "our young people need fun, exciting and creative places to play, but above all they need safe places to play. The trained playworkers at our adventure play centres are key to this."
Charity London Play has also welcomed the scrutiny process, stating that "the proposals represent a significant loss of specialist, supervised play provision" and that "consultation concerns have not been meaningfully addressed." The organization noted that "this is not only about Greenwich" but has implications for how London values its adventure play heritage.
Council's Investment and Rationale
Greenwich Council has stated that the changes are necessary both to make savings and to make centres "more accessible, inclusive, and sustainable for the future." The authority is investing £600,000 in the project, including a new multi-use games area for Woolwich, upgraded outdoor facilities at Glyndon, and a new Community Youth Hub at Meridian.
Cabinet Member for equality, culture and communities Councillor Sandra Bauer noted that "only 1.4 percent of kids in Greenwich currently visit the borough's adventure play centres" and argued that the investment would create "new and improved spaces that are inclusive and welcoming to even more children and young people."
The Overview & Scrutiny Call-in Sub-Committee will discuss the decision on March 2, providing what Conservative councillors call "one last chance to stop Greenwich Labour from proceeding with these deeply damaging cuts." The council has declined to comment due to the ongoing call-in process.
