Policy and Consultations
Pen Power!
Join the Free Play Network letter writing campaign for play's
missing millions
Many people in the play sector feel let down by the Government's
backtracking on its promise to "earmark" £200 million
of national lottery funding for play. Writing letters to Members
of Parliament is one of the most effective ways to make sure that
your voice is heard.
You can base your letter on the Free Play
Network letter to Tessa Jowell MP or even better write your
own letter.
Points to include
Include some or all of the following points in your letter:
- ask your MP to ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media
& Sport Tessa Jowell MP for an assurance that the £200
million national lottery funding for play will be, as originally
intended, a designated fund for play in line with the founding
assumption of the 2004 Play Review.
- The Labour Party pledged at the last general election that it
would "earmark £200 million for the next round of the New Opportunities
Fund to create 2,000 new children's safe play areas throughout
the UK."
- Making the announcement in June 2001, then Secretary of State
for Culture, Media & Sport Chris Smith said: "Today we're
announcing a £200 million fund... that will benefit children throughout
the land. NOF has enabled us to dedicate cash for health, educational
and environmental purposes; the things that people consistently
tell us they want the lottery to support. This new programme meets
all three criteria. Every study shows that children benefit from
stimulating interactive group play. What parents want is safe
and imaginatively designed play areas and the knowledge that their
children are in secure environments that enhance their neighbourhoods...we
want to see early proposals on how these funds can be deployed
to benefit all our children."
- In November 2003, Minister for the Arts Estelle Morris MP told
the House of Commons that the NOF money was "real pounds, shillings
and pence that bring about real improvement in play."
-
In January 2004, following extensive consultations - including
consultations with children - a Review chaired by Frank Dobson
MP, Getting Serious About Play, recommended that the
£200m should:
- improve and create thousands of spaces where children and
young people can play freely and in safety;
- and be focused on areas and groups with the poorest access
to good quality play opportunities with a major emphasis on
the inclusion of disabled children and young people.
- The current NOF Better Play funding co-ordinated by Barnardos
and the Children's Play Council has demonstrated that funding
for play can be effectively targeted and create hundreds of thousands
of opportunities for children.
How to contact your MP
The most effective way to contact your MP is by writing to them
either at their constituency office or at the House of Commons,
London, SW1A OAA.
You can find out who your MP is by going to http://www.faxyourmp.com
and entering your postcode. Write to your MP only - MPs will respond
to letters from constituents, not from people who live outside their
constituency.
You can also fax your MP by going to http://www.faxyourmp.com.
Email messages to MPs are not effective as MPs receive so many
email messages and cannot verify that the sender is a constituent.
Key your letter short and to the point. One side of A4 is plenty.
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