Call for action to fix 'forgotten' playground

Councillors are calling for an urgent fix to a children's park in Huddersfield after branding it one of the "worst playgrounds in the north of England".

For five years, councillors in Crosland Moor say they have been campaigning to repair the "long-forgotten" Rashcliffe Park.

Parents have said they are worried about children being injured in the park because of issues including upturned and cracking rubber flooring, and missing gates that lead onto a main road.

Kirklees councillor Pip Harvey said the authority had listened to ward councillors' concerns and it was progressing plans to upgrade the park.

Green Party councillor for Crosland Moor, Imran Safdar, said that despite the dangers, the park was one of the only places locally for a lot of parents to take their children.

"It's possibly one of the worst play areas in the north of England, but it's not as simple as just not turning up," he said.

"I can get in my car and drive to different parks. I am fortunate, but many parents can't. It's a bit of a stain on our authority."

Safdar said he had been pushing for the park to be fixed for several years and was now starting a petition to ensure the park was no longer "forgotten" by the council.

He added: "Along with the wonderful help of the Victoria Road Mosque, we are now calling for a timeline to be produced this municipal year to fix the park."

One parent, who did not wish to be named, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that her two-year-old had only recently recovered from a black eye after "tripping over".

She said that shortly after, another of her young children grazed her hand on stones which had been shoved under a piece of equipment.

The parent explained the area was also rife with anti-social behaviour.

The mother-of-three said: "You see boys in masks on e-bikes here all the time at night.

"It is dirty and there is a lot of fly-tipping as well."

Harvey, Cabinet Member for Place, Culture and Volunteering, said revised plans for the park would be shared with councillors before wider community engagement took place.

"My focus is on working constructively with local councillors and residents to make sure we deliver the best possible improvements for the community."

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