Space to Play
The space to play campaign and multiple use sports facilities
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Councillor Update, February/March 2023
There has been a slight delay to my monthly update this month as it’s been very busy both on a ward level and South Lanarkshire wide – but all good stuff, so read on! Contact me if I can help you with anything – a reminder that I don’t have surgeries in order to leave more time for community work, but I’d love to meet when and where it suits you or can come and visit your group. You can also Follow me on Facebook and Twitter for regular updates. Local Business (East Kilbride East) First up, Long Calderwood Parent Council and I have been working on an application to…
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South Lanarkshire Council to Vote on Space to Play
Scottish Green councillor, Kirsten Robb (East Kilbride East), is calling for more action on play when she brings the Space to Play campaign to a full meeting of South Lanarkshire Council this Wednesday 8th March. The campaign arose when community surveys in Kirsten’s ward highlighted the community’s wish for more spaces for young people to play. Since then Kirsten and the campaign have worked together to re-open multi-use games areas adjacent to schools outwith school hours, improve play parks and kickabout areas, secure funding for pitches and litter pick woodlands to improve play spaces. If the motion passes a full vote of South Lanarkshire Council, it will result in: The…
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Councillor Update, November 2022 (and a bit of December)
I have continued to support constituents with their particular issues dealing with mental health, housing, road safety, maintenance and green spaces. Just contact me if I can help you with anything. My ‘Cut fuel bills, cut carbon, kick start the green economy’ motion is approved: I managed to secure the support of other councillors to produce a council energy reduction plan so saving money for vital public services, to ensure new builds are as energy efficient as possible and to use the council’s build programme to create new green, long lasting, local, decent jobs. Check it out here. Help with the cost of living and keeping warm: I know there…
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Councillor Update, July 2022
During July, as well as some family holiday time off, I’ve been visiting various groups, progressing more issues for residents and planning for the start of the full council year which kicks off mid- August. I’ve now dealt with over 75 items of case work for constituents. These include improvements to Brancumhall Pitch and Putt, helping with an urgent homelessness issue, path maintenance at Lammermoor Park, and getting the damaged substation at Ivanhoe cleaned up and made safe. Finally, after many months of me chasing it and years of it being in a dilapidated state, residents at Buchan Green have started seeing their wall repaired. I visited local charity Share…
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Councillor Update, June 2022
As the first Green councillor in South Lanarkshire, I’ve been straight to work on learning more and taking action on the issues raised on the doorsteps during the election campaign and issues we’ve been campaigning on for many years. To date I’ve progressed 50 items of case work for constituents, covering everything from keeping access paths open to bins, to traffic issues, pavement and housing repairs and much more in between. In terms of the difference a Green councillor makes, I’ve kept the community much more informed about developments at Hazelhead Park, asked for greater dialogue on the management of Glen Esk Park and sought more information for local people…
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South Lanarkshire Elects First Green Councillor
Kirsten Robb has been elected by the people of East Kilbride East to serve as their Councillor for the next 5 years. This is fantastic news for the South Lanarkshire Greens Branch who have worked hard for years towards this moment. Cllr Kirsten Robb has worked with the people of East Kilbride East for many years as a volunteer and Community Champion. Alongside volunteers from the Scottish Greens, Cllr Robb has knocked on thousands of doors to ask residents how they need help, then she worked with them to make a real difference in their community. Re-opening school multi-use games areas, working to improve paths, planting wild-flower beds and working…
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What will your councillors do on play? Space to Play is asking you to write to them.
The Space to Play campaign wants South Lanarkshire to be the best place to bring up children. So we want to know what our elected members will do to act on play. To do this we need your help. Please use this letter as a guide to contact your councillors where ever you are in South Lanarkshire. Change it to mention any particular issues around play in your community. And please send this Space to Play a copy of the reply on spacetoplaysl@gmail.com. The letter is also available as plain text if your device cannot read .odt files You can find contact details for your South Lanarkshire councillor here.
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South Lanarkshire Council removal of play park ‘unlawful’
South Lanarkshire Council acted unlawfully when it removed Hazelhead Play Park. They should have applied for planning permission to make this material change to land. When they acted without consultation, they also ignored their own planning guidance which states that communities should be involved in the management of their open spaces. These are the conclusions of the Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland (https://www.ercs.scot) who have looked into the Hazelhead Park case. We have now submitted a formal complaint to SLC raising these points, as follows: Stage one complaint Removal of Hazelhead play park equipment I wish to make a stage one complaint as per the Council’s complaints procedure regarding the…
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Green MSP Gillian Mackay takes Space to Play Campaign to Parliament
A South Lanarkshire campaign group is calling on the Council to recognise the importance of play for children’s’ wellbeing and to take action to improve play opportunities in local communities. The Space to Play campaign is asking South Lanarkshire Council to prepare a play strategy, to open up Multi Use Games Areas (MUGA) out-with school hours and to renew all local play parks. The group has been backed by Scottish Greens MSP Gillian Mackay who recently raised a motion in parliament. The Central Scotland MSP believes that implementing these actions will help ensure that South Lanarkshire upholds the rights of children to play and be heard, as enshrined in the United…
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Greens secure reopening of multi-use games areas after ‘Space to Play’ campaign
Campaigners are celebrating the re-opening of community facilities, some of which have been closed to the public for many years. In January, Kirsten Robb from the Scottish Greens and The Space to Play campaign wrote to South Lanarkshire Council (SLC) to highlight that in and around one council ward, 4 of the 7 multi-use games areas (MUGAs) attached to new primary schools were closed. This is despite the intention for these MUGAs to be open out of school hours for community use and only to be closed for a short period if there were vandalism issues. After several emails and meetings between SLC and the campaign, another 3 MUGA’s were…
