West Bedlington Town Council
Play Parks to Remain Closed Until Further Notice.
After careful consideration of the Government’s guidance relating to the re-opening of Play Areas the Council has regrettably decided NOT to open the play areas it manages at this time.
Government guidelines provided for the possible reopening of play area from Saturday 4 July 2020 and provided a set of guidelines that play area operators should look to implement to ensure the play area is Co-Vid 19 safe.
Some of the guidance recommended that play area operators should take measures including
We know that residents, and in particular families with young children, will be extremely disappointed not to have access to these facilities and we are extremely disappointed that we are (at this time) unable to ( in the Councils opinion) safely reopen our play areas.
However, we must all remember that the Coronavirus is still with us and consequently users must continue to “stay alert – control the virus – save lives” by remaining vigilant and adhere to the Government guidelines on Social Distancing. Including
Rest assured The Council will continue to carry out regular safety inspections of the equipment in its play areas to ensure they are safely maintained for any potential reopening in the future but importantly does not routinely cleanse / sanitise the equipment.
Councils across the country together with professional associations are currently making representations to the government to ask for easing or more practical ways to help smaller play areas safely reopen their play areas.
The Town Council will continuously monitor the advice provided and work with other partners (particularly Northumberland County Council) to look to reopen our play areas as soon as is safely practicable.
Friday, July 3, 2020