Charities call for more child-friendly outdoor spaces

A number of charities want the government to do more to improve access to outdoor spaces for children

An inquiry looking into the importance of outdoor spaces for children and young people in England begins on Wednesday 24 January.

It follows calls from a group of organisations who want the government to do more so children can have suitable areas to play near where they live.

Inquiries are often used to find out more information about certain topics or matters that are important to lots of people and to recommend to the government what steps should be taken to address them.

As part of this particular inquiry, a number of experts will be speaking to Members of Parliament (MPs) about the impact outdoor spaces have on children's physical and mental health.

Why is access to outdoor spaces so important?

Playing outside and socialising with other children is known to have a big impact on the physical wellbeing, happiness, and sense of belonging of lots of children.

However, there are concerns that many children and young people have had fewer opportunities to do this over the last few decades, something that is now being looked at by MPs as part of the inquiry.

Not everyone is able to play outdoors near where they live

Some of the big issues include:

A group of charities, including several that campaign to improve play for children, say factors like this can have serious negative effects on young people.

They say the government needs to do more to make sure children can safely access spaces to play outside their homes and across their wider neighbourhoods.

Some children live in areas with signs like this one which can be unwelcoming

"Children now don't have as much freedom to play outside or go out and see friends as their parents and grandparents did when they were young. This is helping to make children much less happy and healthy," a spokesperson from the charity Playing Out told Newsround.

The charity also says the outside environment has become a lot less friendly, which means many children don't feel safe playing outside where they live.

"Lots of families don't have gardens or any outside space at all, and it might be too far to the park, or the roads aren't safe to cross. Where they live, there might be unfriendly signs saying 'No Ball Games', or even 'No Playing' and sometimes neighbours complain a lot about children being out," the charity added.

Not everyone has access to sports clubs where they can spend time outdoors and interact with other children

The charity Save the Children UK is also pushing for the government to do more in this area.

"Being able to play outside is so important for a child's physical and mental health but there aren't enough places where children feel they can do this safely," Meghan Meek-O'Connor from the charity said.

"On top of this, costs are also stopping families with less money from accessing sports clubs and outdoor activities.

"While we know many families are trying their best to make the most of the outdoors, there also needs to be more support from the UK government to make sure children can get outside and play."

What have MPs said?

Access to green spaces can be great for physical and mental health

Labour MP Clive Betts, who heads up the committee carrying out the inquiry, has spoken out about the importance of outdoor spaces for children.

"Our cities, towns, and communities are not kid-friendly. We want to look at how those in power, such as government and councils, can make it easier for kids to play outside and bring about streets and communities where kids and teens want to spend their time," he told Newsround.

The committee will put forward their findings and recommendations from the inquiry to the government once it's over, and these will be published as part of a report.