Playground Funding 2025: The 2025 Budget summary for local councils and parish councils

What does the 2025 Budget say about play park funding for local authorities?

The government has confirmed £18 million of playground funding, spread over two years, to refurbish and improve up to 200 children’s play parks across England.

The Autumn 2025 Budget is a step towards putting children’s play and public play spaces back in the spotlight.

In this article we explain what the 2025 budget says about government funding for play parks. Exploring what this could mean for future play park transformations in your area.

Jump ahead to:

2025 playground funding: What has been announced?

The current picture: Why playgrounds matter

Implications for local authorities and parish councils

How Playtime by Fawns is supporting the next phase of park funding

2025 playground funding: What has been announced?

Where this 2025 playground funding sits

This government funding for play parks sits within the wider Investing in Communities programme and links to Pride in Place.

For local authorities, parish councils and other asset owners, it’s a chance to improve play provision in local parks and community spaces in most need.

The 2025 government budget recognises that good quality play parks and outdoor play opportunities are an important part of everyday family life.

What the £18 million covers

Budget documents, ministerial statements and parliamentary answers describe the 2025 play park funding as a time limited pot of £18 million.

It’ll be spread over two financial years, with £10 million in the first year and the rest in the second year.

This government funding is for the refurbishment and improvement of up to 200 existing play areas in England. The budget focuses the government’s aim to improve the play facilities already available, not build new parks from scratch.

The park funding will help breathe new life into community spaces. Especially in areas that have historically seen under-investment in safe and engaging play spaces for the whole community to enjoy.

What we know and what we don’t know yet

Right now, the government hasn’t shared detailed guidance on allocation, eligibility, bidding steps or timescales for the new play park funding.

Local authorities and parish councils know the overall scale and purpose of the government funding for play parks but not yet the exact route to access it.

This makes it a good moment to review local play provision, check the condition of current play area equipment and prepare clear plans for park transformations, ready for when the park funding process opens.

The current picture: Why playgrounds matter

How children play today

The British Children’s Play Survey looked at families with primary aged children across the country. It found that children play for just over three hours a day on average, but only about half of that time is outdoor play.

Playgrounds and green spaces are some of the most common places for children to play when they are away from home, supporting adventurous play they aren’t able to experience at home.

Interestingly, the same research shows that children today are allowed out alone later than previous generations. With parent concerns about traffic and safety strongly shaping where and how they play outdoors.

Putting extra responsibility and importance on every area having access to safe local play parks that parents feel they can trust.

Where play spaces are missing

A national mapping study identified around 33,700 playgrounds in England. The pattern across many large towns and cities shows that more deprived neighbourhoods often have fewer, smaller and more crowded playgrounds.

Children in the most deprived areas also often live further from their nearest playground than those in less deprived areas. London is a partial exception, but overall, the picture is one of uneven access and play opportunities.

Research from the University of Reading and Play England estimates that more than two million children under nine in England do not live within a ten-minute walk of a playground.

The same report highlights that children’s outdoor play time has roughly halved within a single generation. Nowadays, only about one in four children regularly play in the street, compared with around four in five adults who did so when they were young.

With traffic-heavy roads and advancement of online devices available to children, it’s easy to see why the games you may have enjoyed in your childhood, can’t have a place today.

How playground funding 2025 fits into the bigger story

This isn’t the first time local community parks have been in the funding spotlight. In comparison to the proposed 2008 National Play Strategy, £18 million looks a modest amount.

The 2008 National Play Strategy (led by Ed Balls and Andy Burnham with their responsibilities for children and families and culture, media and sport) promised over £200 million for new and improved play spaces in England. But these plans didn’t aligned with the elected coalition government’s plans in 2010 and were halted.

Which promised more than £200 million for play before the strategy was discontinued. However, this is the first specific national pot of government funding for play parks in many years. It sits in a wider context where many children have limited access to high quality play spaces.

Thoughtful playground ideas are needed from local council decision makers. Correctly utilising first dedicated national pot of funding play parks have seen in many years to ensure longevity and quality play spaces to meet community need.

Implications for local authorities and parish councils

Focusing on safe and high-quality play spaces

The aim of the 2025 play park funding is to create safe and exciting places for all community members.

For local authorities and parish councils, that points to investment in high-quality, durable playground equipment that’s designed to be inclusive and enjoyable.

As expected, standards such as BS EN 1176 and BS EN 1177, along with regular inspection and clear quality checks, will sit at the heart of any plan for new play park equipment.

Inclusive play park design

Inclusive and accessible playgrounds will be key themes in decisions for design. Play spaces need to remove play barriers for children of different ages, abilities and backgrounds.

Including thoughtful designs with step free access, space for supporting adults, a mix of sensory and social play, promoting mental health through play and playground layouts that support mixed-age use.

Planning for the long term

Capital from government funding transforms a site, but long-term costs and necessary maintenance decide how sustainable the change is. Choosing play equipment and playground flooring designed to be durable is a must.

Playground providers that achieve exciting play space design whilst only using the best-quality materials are understandably the first choice for local authority decision makers.

How Playtime by Fawns is supporting the next phase of park funding

As the longest established play equipment provider in education, Fawns has over 35 years of experience. Fawns has created more than 28,000 play spaces for schools, parks and commercial play areas across the UK.

Following the 2025 budget announcement, we’ve been working with councils to develop play space designs. Responding to priorities and ready-to-go when funding becomes available.

By pairing the ring-fenced funding with reliable manufacturers known for high-quality design and products, authorities can use this funding round. This funding can deliver community play spaces that support children’s wellbeing and help restore confidence in community facilities.

Get in touch with one of our friendly team to start discussions about your local authority play park refurbishment.

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