You win some, you lose some. London’s parks are the big winners today, as the government has announced that it is kindly to donate £22m to refurbish old playgrounds and create new ones across the capital. Lambeth and Merton are to get the biggest pots of money, with 2.5m each: other boroughs (although not all of them) will receive 1.1 million. We were deeply disturbed to learn that the government has a strategy on play (surely an oxymoronic concept), but more parks have gotta be good. Londonist likes to play.
On the other hand it has been revealed that Britain’s Royal Palaces and properties (of which one or two are of course in London) are falling into a state of disrepair as insufficient funds have been released for maintenance purposes. There is an apparent £32m backlog. The Public Accounts Committee blame the Department for Media, Culture and Sport. Somewhere along the line the National Audit Office are involved as well. Yawning time in quangoville. Reckon HM the Q would be better off sending the lot to the Tower and getting in Steve the Builder. All very displeasing.
Anyway, we’re off to the park. Climbing frames are our thing: what about you? Go on - it's swings isn't it? You can't tell us you've grown out of them: we won't believe you.
Buckingham Palace/St. James Park by Phil Blackburn via the Londonist flickr pool.
