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Chorley play scheme axed
Youngsters will be left with nowhere to play following an announcement by the government to cut funding.
Education Secretary Michael Gove has frozen Playbuilder grants to 132 councils for building and running up to 1,300 schemes.
In Lancashire, 1,228,344 was planned to be spent developing 20 to 25 play spaces for eight to 13-year-olds between 2008 to 2011.
Those at risk include Chorley's Yarrow Valley Country Park, Chorley.
County Coun Mark Perks, cabinet member for young people, said: "We know how much outdoor play areas are valued by children and parents and we have been pleased to work with partners over the past two years to provide a number of fantastic new playgrounds.
"Our final phase of 10 playgrounds was agreed earlier this year. Work is under way on two of them and a third has been completed, but the loss of money would mean the other seven could not go ahead.
"We are negotiating with the Department for Education to try to retain this funding, as it would mean the loss of many thousands of pounds of promised match-funding, and would leave some communities without any play facilities."
South Ribble councillor Jim Hothersall, cabinet member with responsibility for neighbourhood services, said: "Work on the Farington Park playground has been completed and the Worden Park and Gregson Lane schemes are not dependent on Playbuilder funding, so they will be unaffected. The only initiative this could impact upon is Dob Lane."
Other schemes completed in the first two phases include Astley Climbing Forest, Chorley.
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Weather for Chorley
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 13 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 11 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North east
