Playgrounds: Children have fewer places to play as equipment in playgrounds is breaking

Swings, roundabouts, slides and more - there's so much fun to be had at your local playground.

But a lot of children are finding that playground equipment near them is falling to pieces or not fit for purpose.

Executive Director of the charity Play England told Newsround that a lack of things like parks and green spaces has a negative impact on children's health both physically and mentally.

Eugene Minogue said: "Children make up more than 1 in 5 of the population, and arguably bear the brunt of poor planning."

Do you have a playground near you to play in? Is the equipment broken or missing? We want to hear your experiences in the comments below.

Research carried out by Play England showed the number of adventure playgrounds in England declined by around 15% between 2017 and 2021.

The report said several of the playgrounds had been closed because the equipment needed replacing.

Playgrounds in England are looked after by local council park teams and yearly budget cuts mean less money to spend on maintaining them and creating new spaces.

According to The Guardian the annual park budget around England has fallen by by more than £350 million since 2011.

The newspaper also says that many councils have had to cut their park budgets by more than 40%, with some places needing to cut back by more than 80%.

Poorer places in the country have been affected the most by this.

Mark Hardy is the Chair of the Association of Play Industries. He said:

"Children today often get criticised for spending too much time on screens - watching TV, on social media or playing video games. They are constantly told they need to get out and be more active. But if we don't provide exciting and yet safe play areas in their neighbourhoods, what other options do they have?

"It's difficult for Local Authorities, their budgets are squeezed so they have tough decisions to make - do they repair potholes or repair play areas for instance? We believe the Government should provide a specific funding stream just for play, to ensure all communities have access to high quality areas for children to play in.

"Neighbourhood play areas are not only important for children to get active and have fun, they are also an important space for children to meet new friends, learn social skills and to mix with a wide range of children from different backgrounds and ethnicities."

A government spokesperson said:

"The £9 million UK-wide Levelling Up Parks Fund will provide grants to deliver over 100 green spaces in communities with the lowest access and a new £30 million fund will pay to overhaul 30 local parks in England with a focus on improving facilities for young families.

"We are working hard to tackle childhood obesity through regulating the promotion of less healthy foods to children and investing £100m of funding so children have access to support through Local Authority services."

What state are your local playgrounds in? Are you able to play in them or do you need to travel further for a playground. Let us know your experiences in the comments below.