There are calls to reopen a children and youth centre in a deprived area of Nottingham after the lawfulness of a decision to close it was brought into question.
The Ridge Adventure Playground hosted dozens of services and activities for children and young people in the Bestwood and Top Valley areas, including arts and crafts, outdoor games and sports, and holiday play schemes.
However, the centre closed to the public in March 2024 as part of Nottingham City Council’s budget cuts in 2023, the year the authority declared itself effectively bankrupt.
The closure of the Ridge Adventure Playground, and Bulwell Play and Youth Centre, was said to save the council £218,000, and included the loss of six jobs.
At Full Council on Monday (July 14) a petition was presented to the council calling for the reopening of the centre in time for the school summer holidays, and a review of the decision to close it.
Shona Caulton was the original chairperson at The Ridge, and is the treasurer for the Bestwood Park Community Association.
She said since the closure of the facility, they have been hosting some services at Bestwood Park Church.
“Over the years, the pots of money slowly depleted,” she said.
“There is nothing in the Bestwood or Top Valley area. The families in this area are some of the most deprived in the country.
“The council says there are other community venues in the area; but Rise Park has been knocked down, the leisure centre is not available for those families who cannot afford it, the church has limited spaces.”
The centre was due to host activities over the summer, using funding from the Department for Education’s Holiday Activity Fund programme.
The programme supports the well-being of children between the ages of five and 16 by providing a variety of free activities and food during the school holidays.
Ms Caulton said she fears the funding will end up being given back to the Government, and not spent for the benefit of local children.
Cllr Georgia Power (Lab), who represents the Bestwood ward, handed the petition to the council on behalf of residents.
She said up to 100 children and young people could lose out on provision due to inadequate, or full, alternative services.
She said statutory guidance for the Holiday Activity Fund says places of worship, such as Bestwood Park Church, are not suitable for adolescents.
An assessment of needs should have also taken place, as required under the Education Act, before the centre’s closure, she added.
“This petition has been signed by 1,014 citizens in Nottingham, that includes children,” she said in the meeting.
“Despite repeated attempts to raise concerns the council pressed ahead with the closure without consulting them, as required by the provisions in the Education Act.
“They are calling for a full review of the process that led to its closure and whether or not all due process was followed, and I join them in that demand. The council’s handling of The Ridge has let this community down, not just in recent months, but for years.
“This petition is not just a request, it is a demand for accountability to reopen The Ridge, review the decision, and start treating children not just as an after-thought, but as citizens whose voices matter.”
Responding Cllr Cheryl Barnard (Lab), executive member for children and young people, said: “The decision to close the Ridge Adventure Playground was made as part of the annual budget setting process in 2023 to address the budget pressures on the city council.
“We do recognise, however, that is has been previously used as a venue for the provision of holiday activities funded by the Holiday Activity Fund. There are other community facilities in Bestwood and Top Valley that currently provide, or have previously provided, access to similar activities.
“What I can say is the council will consider every option in relation to The Ridge, but we will rightly need to consider what is viable in the time-frame ahead of the summer holidays.”