Wait continues for park improvement

A MOTHER who called for improvements to play areas in Ollerton is disappointed that no progress has been made.

Mrs Lorraine Burton (32) of Birch Road, Ollerton, wrote to Ollerton and Boughton Town Council in February to ask them to improve play areas in the town.

She was concerned that most of the facilities were not suitable for young children and the Birch Road play area behind her house was not safe for her daughter, Freya (2) to use because it was often covered in broken glass left by teenagers after late night drinking sessions.

Mrs Burton’s letter was read out in a town council meeting but she received no acknowledgement of it.

She waited for a month and then contacted Sherwood MP Mr Paddy Tipping who suggested she went to the council offices and asked them what was being done

Mrs Burton said that staff at the council told her they had not sent her a letter of acknowledgement because of staff shortages.

Mrs Burton said: “I waited another month and then I went back to see Mr Tipping who was very positive about what I’m trying to do and said he would get involved and try and push the council along.”

She said that although Mr Tipping had been in touch with the town council it seemed that no progress had been made.

Mrs Burton said: “Its been a really really long time and it is starting to get on my nerves because we’ve got the council who public money goes to and they cannot even sort out a play park and its annoying.”

Mrs Burton said she feared for children’s safety as some of the equipment was old and looked unsafe.

She said: “Some of the bars on the climbing frames are so worn away with rust and I’m surprised they’ve not fallen off.

“The play park just needs a lick of paint to start with but eventually it needs to be completely revamped.

“If that council say they are worried about the park being vandalised then they could put gates up round it and I wouldn’t mind locking them up at night and opening them again in the morning.”

Mrs Burton said she felt the town council did not care about providing facilities for children.

She said: “I think they just don’t want to spend their money on the children. They have money for other projects but when it comes to the play parks they don’t seem to care.

“I think they need to give the children something to do to get them away from their TVs and computer games and outside. Everyone is always talking about obesity in children but you can’t expect them to go and play out when they have nothing to do.”

Town councillor Mr Ben Wells said the council’s special projects group discussed improving play parks in Ollerton at a meeting on Monday.

He said that the group agreed that play equipment on the park near to Mrs Burton’s home needed refurbishing.

Mr Wells said: “We gave consideration to this play area and we are thinking we may make it into a toddlers’ play area but first of all we have to establish the ownership of the land.

“We are not sure whether the land is owned by the town council or whether we have it on a lease.

“Before we spend any money we want to make sure the land belongs to the town council or that the town council can extend the lease.”

He said that a new play area was going to be built this year at Sherwood Energy Village which would be paid for by the energy village.

Mr Wells said the council would write to Mrs Burton to tell her what they had decided in their meeting.