To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding each local authority in Greater Manchester awarded funding under the National Play Strategy in December 2008 has received to date; and how much on average each local authority in England was awarded under the National Play Strategy in December 2008. (285380)

Following the commitments made in the Children’s Plan in 2007 and the national Play Strategy in 2008, every top-tier local authority in England will receive either play pathfinder or playbuilder funding between 2008-11 through the play capital investment programme.

Of the 152 top-tier local authorities, 30 are play pathfinder authorities and the remaining 122 local authorities are all playbuilder authorities. On average, every play pathfinder authority will receive around £2 million capital funding and £500,000 revenue funding, while playbuilder authorities will receive around £1 million capital and £45,000 revenue funding, over the current spending period 2008-09 to 2010-11. Play pathfinder authorities will use their allocated funding to deliver a minimum of 28 play areas plus a new staffed adventure playground, while playbuilder authorities will deliver a minimum of 22 play areas by 2011. The play areas that are delivered can be either completely new areas or existing areas which are significantly refurbished.

Local authorities have joined the programme, and so started receiving their funding, in two phases: wave 1 started in April 2008 and wave 2 in April 2009. Bolton, Bury, Rochdale and Tameside are all wave 1 authorities, while the other six authorities in the Greater Manchester area (City of Manchester, Oldham, Salford, Stockport, Trafford and Wigan) joined the programme in April 2009. Of these, 10 local authorities, both Rochdale and Wigan are play pathfinders, while the others are all playbuilder authorities.

The following tables show the capital and revenue funding allocated to Greater Manchester authorities and the phase they each joined the capital play programme. Allocations for 2010-11 are indicative and will be confirmed in February 2010.

Decisions on where the capital funding is spent within local authority boundaries are taken locally, based on grant requirements around improved play spaces being provided where they are most needed and based on a robust consultation process with local children and young people, families and wider communities.

We are encouraging all Members of Parliament to proactively engage with their local play capital programmes as they roll out, and we are asking local authorities to ensure that their local Members of Parliament and council elected members are appropriately consulted, and briefed, about where the capital funding is spent.