Backing of motion to get children playing in the street a 'positive move', says Worcester city councillor
Worcester City Council backed the proposal put forward by Katie Collier at a meeting towards the end of last month
A Worcester city councillor has said her motion which focuses on creating safe spaces for children to be playing in the streets will have a real benefit.
Green councillor Katie Collier, who represents the Leopard Hill ward, put forward the proposal to Worcester City Council last month where it received backing from the authority.
The 'enabling outdoor play and community belonging' motion plans to use the Play Streets initiative, which are neighbour-led short road closures that create a safe space for children to play freely together on their doorstep.
It also usually involves closing a street to through traffic for a couple of hours on a pre-arranged date.
Councillor Collier said she felt like it was 'right time' to bring something like this to the table.
"We are seeing what can probably only be described as a crisis in children's activity levels and their physical well-being, their emotional well-being, and that's so closely linked to children's freedom, their independent mobility and how much freedom space they have to play in," she said.
"I was so keen to bring something that might be something we can make happen in a relatively short amount of time and have quite a big impact.
"When it comes to Play Streets, which was a large part of what was included in the motion, these are resident led informal play opportunities and that is something that so many children could benefit from, not just children, but also all neighbours."
The motion included a plan to look at any signs which make children feel unwelcome and uncomfortable in community spaces when it comes to playing in them.