Schools dream of playing fields

The scandal about playing fields for children goes on. Under the Tories, Labour was very critical of the policy of selling off school playing fields. But in office New Labour has continued to allow fields to be sold. Amid great fanfares the government announced in 1999 that £125 million of lottery cash had been allocated to create new playing fields for kids.

But last week it was announced that not a single new field has been created since the fund was set up three years ago. The result is children with nowhere to play.