Response 4070581

Response to request for information

Reference

4070581

Response date

18 August 2026

Request

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and/or the Environmental Information Regulations, as applicable, please provide the following recorded information concerning publicly accessible equipped children’s playgrounds owned, managed or maintained by Rushcliffe Council. 
For this request, children’s playground means a publicly accessible outdoor play area containing fixed play equipment primarily intended for children. 
Please exclude school playgrounds, privately owned facilities, standalone outdoor gyms, standalone skateparks and standalone multi-use games areas, unless they form part of an equipped children’s playground included in the council’s records.

Please provide:

1. Current playground provision. The number of equipped children’s playgrounds currently owned, managed or maintained by the council, and the date on which this figure was correct.
2. Openings and closures. For each completed financial year from 2021/22 to 2025/26:
   • The number of equipped children’s playgrounds opened.
   • The number permanently closed.

Please do not count temporary closures for maintenance or refurbishment as permanent closures.
If annual figures are not held for the full period, please provide the years that are available and state which years are not held.

3. Playground expenditure. For each financial year from 2021/22 to 2025/26, please provide the recorded figure held by the council. 
   • Recorded revenue expenditure on the inspection, routine maintenance and repair of equipped children’s playgrounds. 
   • Recorded capital expenditure on the creation, replacement or major refurbishment of equipped children’s playgrounds.

Please provide revenue and capital expenditure separately where possible. If playground expenditure cannot be separated from a wider parks or leisure budget, please provide the relevant figure as held and briefly explain what it includes. We are not asking the council to undertake a new calculation. Where the 2025/26 figure has not been finalised or audited, please provide the latest provisional figure and identify it as provisional.

4. Inclusive playground provision. The number of council-maintained playgrounds currently recorded or designated by the council as having inclusive play facilities. If readily available, please provide the definition or criteria used by the council to classify a playground as inclusive. If the council does not maintain this classification, please state that the information is not held.
5. Accessible equipment. The number of council-maintained playgrounds currently recorded as containing at least one item of accessible play equipment. If readily available, please provide the definition or criteria used to classify equipment as accessible. If the council does not maintain this classification, please state that the information is not held.
6. Playgrounds awaiting repair. As of the date the information is extracted: 
   • The number of individual playgrounds affected by an open or outstanding equipment repair.
   • The date on which this figure was correct.

Please provide the information in Excel or CSV format where possible. We are requesting recorded totals or figures already held by the council and are not asking the council to inspect individual files or create new statistics.

Response

1. Current playground provision. The number of equipped children’s playgrounds currently owned, managed or maintained by the council, and the date on which this figure was correct. 14 as at 10 August 2026
2. Openings and closures. For each completed financial year from 2021/22 to 2025/26:
   • The number of equipped children’s playgrounds opened. Zero
   • The number permanently closed. Zero
3. Playground expenditure. For each financial year from 2021/22 to 2025/26, please provide the recorded figure held by the council. 
   • Recorded revenue expenditure on the inspection, routine maintenance and repair of equipped children’s playgrounds. 
   • Recorded capital expenditure on the creation, replacement or major refurbishment of equipped children’s playgrounds.
     • See attached spreadsheet, this is total expenditure with no breakdown information available. 
4. Inclusive playground provision. The number of council-maintained playgrounds currently recorded or designated by the council as having inclusive play facilities. If readily available, please provide the definition or criteria used by the council to classify a playground as inclusive. If the council does not maintain this classification, please state that the information is not held. 
5. Accessible equipment. The number of council-maintained playgrounds currently recorded as containing at least one item of accessible play equipment. If readily available, please provide the definition or criteria used to classify equipment as accessible. If the council does not maintain this classification, please state that the information is not held.  
   • • All 14 play areas managed by Rushcliffe Borough Council have Inclusive play facilities. Please see our play strategy. 
6. Playgrounds awaiting repair. As of the date the information is extracted: 
   • The number of individual playgrounds affected by an open or outstanding equipment repair. 6
   • The date on which this figure was correct. As at 10 August 2026