Risking the recovery (From The Oxford Times)

Risking the recovery

10:20am Thursday 29th July 2010 in

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Sir – Imagine my relief when the £47,000 allocated under the last Labour Government for the adventure playground in South Oxford, was declared safe. We need exciting play that stretches the next generation on whom we will all depend, especially in inner city areas.

County council leader, Keith Mitchell, wrote to me on July 3 to say the Playbuilder schemes “were formally committed just days before the Chancellor’s axe fell and they will, therefore, proceed”. He added “We said we would fund them and we keep our word”.

It took just 17 days for “We keep our word” to become we keep our word . . . sometimes.

On July 20, councillor Mitchell and his cabinet decided to put the Playbuilder schemes, including South Oxford, on hold.

The coalition Government had written to the county council on July 15, to say it would review funding for all Playbuilder schemes. But it is no good Mr Mitchell hiding behind the Coalition that he supports.

It is the Tory and Lib Dem determination to savage public spending, and risk the recovery, that has got us into this mess.

The children of South Oxford should not have to pay for the bankers’ crisis and the recession. In public life keeping your word is important. Of course, as the economy recovers, we have to reduce the Government deficit. This delight in cutting for cutting’s sake, even children’s playgrounds, is something else.

John Tanner (Labour), Board member for a cleaner, greener Oxford