FOI release

FOI - Permanent play equipment

Case reference FOI2026/00858

Received 5 August 2026

Published 3 September 2026

Request

I am seeking information about permanent play equipment. I would like: 1. A list of playgrounds you are responsible for (please say in which year you became responsible for each playground); 1. To know how many playgrounds you were responsible for in (a) 2016, (b) 2021 and (c) 2026; 1. To know if you are planning to open or close any playgrounds in the medium term, and if so, where; 1. To know the total capital spend on permanent playground equipment in each financial year since 2015/16*; 1. To know how much capital spend you have planned for permanent playground equipment in your medium term financial plan (please specify the year ending). *In (4), I am seeking a figure for permanent playground equipment including both upgrades and new equipment - I am not seeking a breakdown. I do not need to know the sources of funding (e.g. grants/council tax etc.). I have chosen "medium term" because a large number of councils use this wording. Of course, you may use a different phrase for the same concept, that is to say, the next few financial years. Many thanks, Will Meakin-Durrant. [Pa media] [fb] [tw] [in] Will Meakin-Durrant Parliamentary Reporter Press Gallery, House of Commons, Westminster, London SW1A 0AA E will.meakin-durrant@pa.media LinkedIn /in/will-durrant/ This email is from the PA Media Group. For more information, see www.pamediagroup.com. This email may contain confidential information. Only the addressee is permitted to read, copy, distribute or otherwise use this email or any attachments. If you have received it in error, please contact the sender immediately. Any opinion expressed in this email is personal to the sender and may not reflect the opinion of the PA Media Group. Any email reply to this address may be subject to interception or monitoring for operational reasons or for lawful business practices.

Response

In accordance with section 1(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), Oxford City Council (OCC) confirms that it holds information falling within the scope of your request.

1. A list of playgrounds you are responsible for (please say in which year you became responsible for each playground);

Please see the attached Excel spreadsheet.

Some of the larger sites contain more than one play area, for example separate areas for younger and older children. It is generally considered that there are 80 play areas in total.

Some smaller facilities have been moved to larger or more open plots within the same site, street or vicinity over the years. OCC has been responsible for all of the play areas listed for a number of decades, but there are no surviving records identifying when OCC first became responsible for each individual play area. Most date back to at least the 1980s, with some dating back to the 1930s.

Year	Number of playgrounds
2016	82
2021	81
2026	80

1. To know if you are planning to open or close any playgrounds in the medium term, and if so, where;

There are no confirmed plans to close any play areas at this time.

However, increasing flooding and other factors, such as lease expiries, may require the removal or relocation of equipment at a very small number of sites within the next five years. Where this becomes necessary, it will, where viable, be linked to the upgrading of play equipment within the same catchment area or where new play areas are created in the same locality as part of new housing developments.

There are no plans to reduce the overall level of play equipment in the city, and planned development is likely to increase provision.

1. To know the total capital spend on permanent playground equipment in each financial year since 2015/16*;

The information provided for this response records the following capital budget provision for replacement play equipment:

between 2016 and 2023/24, a capital budget of £80,000 per annum was provided;

from 2024/25, this was increased to £100,000 per annum; and

an additional £50,000 was provided in 2026/27 to address a backlog in the replacement of wooden play equipment affected by climate change, including the impact of increased flooding at some lower-lying sites.

Additional funding was occasionally obtained from Councillor Ward Budgets and Community Infrastructure Levy funding.

The information provided for this response gives the capital budget provision rather than separate actual expenditure totals for each financial year.

1. To know how much capital spend you have planned for permanent playground equipment in your medium term financial plan (please specify the year ending).

There is a target or aspiration for the rolling annual capital budget of £100,000 to continue, with additional funding provided where needed based on an annual review of play equipment inspection feedback.

OCC cannot specify an exact amount more than one or two years in advance. The lifespan of play equipment cannot be predicted precisely, and the impacts of climate change on equipment and safety surfaces may result in additional funding being required.

The proposed Local Government Reorganisation from 1 April 2028 may also affect future budget allocations.

If you disagree with any part of the response to your request, you are entitled to ask the Council for an internal review of the decision(s) made. You may do this by writing to the Monitoring Officer, by either email monitoringofficer@oxford.gov.uk – or by post to Monitoring Officer, Oxford City Council, Town Hall, St Aldate’s, Oxford, OX1 1BX. After the result of the internal review, if you remain dissatisfied, you may ask the Information Commissioner to intervene on your behalf. You may do this by writing to the Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

Yours sincerely,

Freedom of Information Officer

Documents

FOI2026/00858.csv (9.0 KB)

This is Oxford City Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.

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