Children’s play schemes hit by five-fold price hike in Westminster

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Children’s play schemes hit by five-fold price hike in Westminster

By Westminster Labour ⋅ September 15, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment
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545% increase in costs for holiday play schemes as Westminster Council hits parents and children with the biggest ever increase in charges.

Westminster City Council is planning a 545% increase in charges for holiday play schemes and a 360% increase in the cost of after school play provision, according to a consultation report sent to head teachers in Westminster. This is biggest ever increase in charges ever proposed by a local Council, say Labour Councillors.

The Council, which last year had a £20 million hole in its budget and invested £17 million in now-failed Icelandic Banks, plans to restrict subsidised holiday and after school play places to children who are “at risk of significant harm and subject to Child Protection plans and children with significant needs”. All other parents will be subject to:

* increased charges for children’s holiday play schemes from £22 a week to £120 a week – an increase of 545%

* increased charges for children’s after school play provision from £8.30p a week to £30 a week – an increase of 360%

Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, Leader of the Labour Group, said: “Once again Westminster residents are seeing the result of the Council’s financial incompetence following the massive budget blunders made last year by the Conservatives. These increases in children’s play charges have broken all the records. Nowhere in Britain has a Council dared to increase charges by over 500%. This is a first for Westminster for which the Conservatives should be truly ashamed.”

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