First published in Great Britain in 2015 by
Policy Press University of Bristol 1-9 Old Park Hill Bristol BS2 8BB UK Tel +44 (0)117 954 5940 e-mail
North American office: Policy Press c/o The University of Chicago Press 1427 East 60th Street Chicago, IL 60637, USA t: +1 773 702 7700 f: +1 773-702-9756
Policy Press 2015
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book has been requested.
ISBN 978-1-4473-1942-9 paperback
ISBN 978-1-4473-1944-3 ePub
ISBN 978-1-4473-1945-0 Kindle
The right of Adrian Voce to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the 1988 Copyright, Designs and Patents Act.
All rights reserved: no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission of Policy Press.
The statements and opinions contained within this publication are solely those of the author and not of The University of Bristol or Policy Press. The University of Bristol and Policy Press disclaim responsibility for any injury to persons or property resulting from any material published in this publication.
Policy Press works to counter discrimination on grounds of gender, race, disability, age and sexuality.
Cover design by David Rodgers
Front cover: image kindly supplied by www.alamy.com
Readers Guide
This book has been optimised for PDA.
Tables may have been presented to accommodate this devices limitations.
Image presentation is limited by this devices limitations
For Eran and Theo
Whos who
This section gives the names and roles of politicians, public figures and organisations (and their commonly used acronyms) featured in the text. Ministerial and shadow cabinet positions listed are those relevant to the individuals involvement in play policy.
4Children, formerly National Out-of-School Alliance (NOOSA) then Kids Clubs Network: national charity originally to support network of after-school clubs, later promoting policy for children and young people more generally; key government partner for the National Childcare Strategy.
Beverley Hughes MP (Labour): Minister for Children, Young People and Families (2005-9).
BIG, Big Lottery Fund: the major lottery distributor for the charitable sector, responsible for 200 million of childrens play programmes across the UK from 2006-11.
Bright Blue: a policy think tank.
Childrens Play Council (CPC) formerly National Voluntary Council for Childrens Play: national alliance of non-commercial play organisations, under the aegis of the National Childrens Bureau (NCB). Later evolved into Play England as a result of the Childrens Play Initiative (2006-11).
Childrens Play and Recreation Unit (CPRU): non-departmental government agency established within the Sports Council (1987) to take forward play policy after demise of Playboard.
Chris Smith MP, later Lord Smith of Finsbury (Labour): Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1997-2001).
Compass: a policy think tank.
David Cameron MP (Conservative): Prime Minister, 2010-15 and re-elected, 2015.
David Lammy MP (Labour): Minister for Culture, including childrens play (2005-7).
David Willetts MP (Conservative): Shadow Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills (2007-9).
Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF): government department with joint responsibility for play policy (jointly with DCMS, 2008-10).
Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), formerly Department for National Heritage: government department with responsibility for play policy, 1982-2010 (jointly with DCSF, 2008-10).
Department for Education (DfE): restructured from former DCSF and divested of play policy, 2010.
Demos: a policy think tank.
Ed Balls MP (Labour): Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, 2007-10.
Frank Dobson MP (Labour): former Health Secretary and London Mayoral Candidate, longstanding chair of Corams Fields Playground in Central London, chair of the national Play Review for England (2002-3).
Helen Goodman MP (Labour): chief executive of the National Association of Toy and Leisure Libraries (2002-5); chair of Childrens Play Council (2005); Deputy Leader of the House of Commons (2007-9); first chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Childrens Play (2006-8).
Inner London Education Authority (ILEA): education authority for the inner London boroughs from 1965 until its abolition in 1990. Provided financial support, via LAPA, for adventure playgrounds in those boroughs
Ken Livingstone (Independent/Labour): first elected Mayor of London (2000-8).
Lady Allen of Hurtwood (Marjory Allen, ne Gill): landscape architect and pioneering play advocate; champion of adventure playgrounds (she is credited with coining the term), play for disabled children and strategic planning for play in urban areas (d.1972).
London Adventure Playground Association (LAPA), later known as PLAYLINK: London charity formed to support, advocate and develop good practice for the citys voluntary managed adventure playgrounds (1962-99; thereafter, PLAYLINK continued as an independent consultancy).
London Play: regional play charity established in 1998; worked with Mayor of London to develop play policy for the city.
Margaret Hodge MP (Labour): Minister for Children, Young People and Families (2003-5).
National Playing Fields Association (NPFA), later known as Fields in Trust: national charity for outdoor sport, play and recreation, founded in 1925. Creator of the Six-Acre Standard. Held central government contracts for play during the 1990s.
New Opportunities Fund (NOF): National Lottery distributor under broad ministerial policy direction (1999-2004). Merged with the Community Fund to form the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) in 2004-5.
Nick Clegg MP (Liberal Democrat): Deputy Prime Minister, 2010-15.
Play England, formerly the Childrens Play Council: national play charity for England, established at National Childrens Bureau (NCB) in 2006. Independent since 2014. Simultaneously held the main government contracts for the Play Strategy (2008-10) and a strategic grant from the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) to support the Childrens Play Initiative (2006-11).
Playboard (Association for Childrens Play and Recreation): short-lived (1982-7) national body for play; recipient of first UK government contract solely for childrens play.
