FOI release

Children’s playground provision and investment

This request was refused in part, so we didn't provide some of the information the requester asked for. This may include information where we can neither confirm nor deny that we hold it.

Case reference EIR2026/00777

Received 21 July 2026

Published 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 Oxford City 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. If the council uses a different recorded definition, please answer using that definition and briefly explain it. 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: a. The number of equipped children’s playgrounds opened. b. 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. a. Recorded revenue expenditure on the inspection, routine maintenance and repair of equipped children’s playgrounds. b. 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: a. The number of individual playgrounds affected by an open or outstanding equipment repair. b. 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. If any part of the request would exceed the appropriate cost limit, please provide reasonable advice and assistance on how it could be narrowed. Where possible, please provide the information that can be retrieved within the limit, prioritising questions 1–3. If the council does not own, manage or maintain any equipped children’s playgrounds, please confirm this. If another public body holds the information, please identify that body where known.

Response

In accordance with regulation 5(1) of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR), Oxford City Council (OCC) confirms that it holds information falling within the scope of your request, except where stated below.

OCC records the facilities referred to in your request as play areas. The information below is provided on that basis.

1. Current playground provision

As at 17 August 2026, OCC owned and managed 80 play areas across 73 sites. Some larger sites contain more than one play area.

2. Openings and closures

OCC's recorded information identifies no new play areas created since 2021, and one play area permanently closed since 2021.

The closure concerned an older enclosed tarmac play area. A replacement grass play area had previously been created on the same road, and the older play area remained in use until its equipment reached the end of its life.

There has also been a rolling programme of refurbishment and replacement of existing facilities and equipment. These works have not been treated as openings or permanent closures.

3. Playground expenditure

a. Recorded revenue expenditure on the inspection, routine maintenance and repair of equipped children’s playgrounds.

Financial year Revenue expenditure

2021/22 £273,976.41

2022/23 £338,479.93

2023/24 £316,621.33

2024/25 £292,271.85

2025/26 £239,373.20

b. Recorded capital expenditure on the creation, replacement or major refurbishment of equipped children’s playgrounds.

No new play areas or major whole-site refurbishments were undertaken during this period. OCC has operated a rolling programme to replace individual items of play equipment and safety surfaces where required following inspection, including the annual independent RoSPA inspection.

The recorded figures available for this work are annual capital budgets, rather than figures described in OCC's response records as actual capital expenditure:

Financial year Capital budget

2021/22 £80,000

2022/23 £80,000

2023/24 £80,000

2024/25 £100,000

2025/26 £100,000

4. Inclusive playground provision

OCC does not maintain a classification or designation identifying play areas as having “inclusive play facilities”. The number and classification requested are therefore not held.

5. Accessible equipment

OCC's recorded information identifies 13 play areas as containing at least one item of play equipment recorded as having a greater level of accessibility. OCC does not maintain a formal definition or set of criteria for classifying equipment as “accessible”, as accessibility varies according to the needs of individual users.

The equipment recorded as having greater accessibility includes accessible swing seats, flush roundabouts/carousels and a specialist wheelchair swing. OCC's records indicate that the larger flush roundabouts/carousels and the specialist wheelchair swing are accessible to children using wheelchairs.

6. Playgrounds awaiting repair

As at 17 August 2026, seven play areas contained individual items of play equipment that were fenced off, or had swing or zipwire seats removed, while undergoing or awaiting repair. No complete play area was fenced off at that date.

OCC manages approximately 500 individual items of play equipment across its 80 play areas and operates a rolling programme of repair and replacement following regular inspections.

To the extent that question 4 requests an OCC-held classification or designation of inclusive play areas, and question 5 requests a formal definition or criteria for accessible equipment, that information is not held.

Regulation 12(4)(a) of the EIR applies where a public authority does not hold the requested information when the request is received.

As the information identified above is not held, there is no meaningful public interest balancing exercise that can be undertaken in respect of it.

In accordance with regulation 14 of the EIR, this part of the response constitutes a refusal notice.

In accordance with regulation 9 of the EIR, which concerns the duty to provide reasonable advice and assistance, OCC has explained the terminology and classifications used in its records and has distinguished the recorded capital budget figures from expenditure figures.

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

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

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