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Summary: London Play comments on the launch today of the London Child Poverty Commission.
Dr Ute Navidi, director of London Play - the children’s charity campaigning for a capital where all children can play - comments on the launch today of the London Child Poverty Commission: “Child poverty levels in what is one of the richest cities in the world continues to remain a scandal. A recent Joseph Rowntree Foundation survey found that a third of children went without at least one necessity – three meals a day, sufficient clothing, or leisure activities. Nearly three quarters of Britain’s poorest children are concentrated in four cities including London, and many of them suffer from play deprivation. “Poor children miss out on so many things others take for granted. Poor housing and overcrowding blight these children’s lives. Like their counterparts from less disadvantaged backgrounds, they need access to free play, open spaces and leisure activities – it’s important for their physical, social and emotional health. Meeting friends through play can also help compensate the effect of disadvantage on young people’s well-being. “Yet children from the bottom social class are four times more likely to die in an accident. A MORI Poll in the London Borough of Enfield found that 12 per cent of children played in the street. Yet such are the fears of parents and children in the most disadvantaged households that only four per cent of such children played outdoors in the street, compared to 22 per cent of children from wealthier families. “London Play welcomes the launch of the London Child Poverty Commission, and offers to work with the commission and its chair, Carey Oppenheim, to ensure that London’s most disadvantaged children have access to high quality play opportunities, wherever they may live. London’s child population has suffered the effects of decades of decline in outdoor play opportunities. Many adventure playgrounds have been forced to close down. We expect the new commission to put the spotlight on play, safeguard struggling playgrounds, make open spaces fit for children, and do everything in their power to make London a capital which offers welcoming, inclusive and good quality play areas for all children.” [ENDS]
London Play campaigns for more and improved out-of-school play services for children and young people across London, and supports playwork in the capital. Registered charity no. 1104731, company no. 4055882. Contact London Play: tel. 020 7272 2464,