Council faces storm over pay-to-play

Children wanting to attend the Battersea Park play area in London will have to pay £2.50 to use it at weekends under the pilot scheme proposed by Wandsworth Council.

The council claims the fee is being brought in because on Saturdays and Sundays half of the families attending the play area come from other parts of the city – but Wandsworth council taxpayers foot the bill for its upkeep.

Former London mayor Ken Livingstone said the move left him “deeply concerned”, while hundreds of people signed a petition against the charge on the council’s website.

Mr Livingstone said: “Only the Conservative Party could consider charging kids to play.”

The council’s children’s services spokeswoman, Coun Kathy Tracey, said the proposal had been made because of the “difficult economic situation”.