Agenda item

As detailed in the recommendation.

Councillor Kevin Jones introduced the Play Areas, Play Schemes and Strategic Play Forum Update report. 

                        The Council had made a commitment to the sustaining of play activity in the County through:

• Continuation of the revenue match funding for play areas (£0.105m per annum);
• Provisional allocation of capital funding through the capital programme to refurbish play areas (£0.887m over three years subject to Council decision in February);
• To continue to maintain all play areas during 2017/18;
• One year of transition funding to enable play schemes to continue during 2016 after the cessation of Welsh Government Grant from Families First; and
• The agreement to re-invigorate the Flintshire Strategic Play Forum to co-ordinate play activity across Flintshire.

The report provided a progress update against those issues including recommending approval of the match funding schemes for play areas and the allocation of a one off sum of £0.040m to support play schemes in 2017.

                        The Council operated a revenue match funding scheme aimed at maintaining play areas that required a match fund from Town and Community Councils.  A list of schemes put forward by Town and Community Councils was appended to the report and totalled £0.123m which was £0.018m over the available budget.  It was proposed to roll the revenue funding for 2015/16 and 2016/17 into one fund to deliver all of the schemes which would leave £0.087m available for match funding schemes in 2017/18.

                        The Council had provisionally allocated £0.887m of capital funding to refurbish play areas over the next three financial years, subject to agreement of the capital programme in February.  It was proposed based on need and sustainability to bring a programme of proposed projects to Cabinet early in 2017.

                        A one off funding of £0.080m had been provided to continue the level of play scheme provision provided in previous years.  Those schemes were funded partly by the County Council and partly by Town and Community Councils.  It had been made clear by the Council that funding would not continue in 2017/18 and the Council had been working to enable sustainability of provision without funding.  The result was to provide a three week offer to all areas apart from Connah’s Quay, which had a much larger scheme that Town and Community Councils could buy back from the Council.  The proposal was that the Council allocate a one off fund of £0.040m to enable the costs for Town and Community Councils to be reduced by an average of 50%.  For example, an area with one play scheme would see an increase of £409 for Town and Community Councils making a total cost for a play scheme provision of £1,309.  Without the Council’s contribution, the increase for Town and Community Councils would have been £818.

                        It had been agreed that the Flintshire Strategic Play Forum be re-established and an initial seminar had been held in November 2016.  The next steps would be the appointment of a Chair and Vice Chair and training for Members after May 2017.

                        Councillor Shotton welcomed the report which demonstrated a continuation of supporting play provision in the County.

                        The Chief Executive said the report had been fully supported at the recent Organisational Change Overview and Scrutiny Committee.  He added that this was a one year solution but meant that Town and Community Councils were provided with more time to identify a solution beyond 2017 for play schemes.

                        Councillor Kevin Jones commented that the provision of play linked to the earlier item on Local Planning Guidance Notes and provision could now be tailored based on need.  Councillor Attridge added that alongside supplying play areas, Section 106 agreements could include maintenance of such areas.

RESOLVED:

            That the approach outlined in the report to continue to sustain play activity in Flintshire including the details below be adopted:

• Agreement of the play area match funding schemes detailed at Appendix 1; and
• The allocation of a one off fund of £0.040m to support a Flintshire play scheme programme for 2017.