Community petition leads to play area refit
Campaigners in a Telford village have been celebrating after their community petition led the council to commit to a £60,000 refit of a dilapidated play area.
The children's play area in Bratton was in a miserable condition, but thanks to one local mum, Telford & Wrekin Council has no agreed to revamp it.
Siobhan Bergman approached Bratton Parish Council in November and urged councillors to start the petition due to the state of the play area.
Within 24 hours of the online petition going live, it had received more than 200 signatures from the local community.
This had risen to 305 signatures by the time the the petition was submitted to the council in January.
Parish councillor Kim Tonks, who launched the petition with Siobhan, said Telford & Wrekin Council has now confirmed that after an assessment by council officers, a £60,000 refit is to go ahead.
The work will see all play equipment replaced and safety matting installed.
Councillor Kim Tonks said: "We are absolutely over the moon. The community has really come together over this.
"The response to the petition was incredible, but we never expected a result quite as positive as this one.
"I want to say a particular thank you to Siobhan Bergman for suggesting the petition in the first place. This result really shows the power of well-organised local campaigning.”
The tender process for the refit will begin in the summer. In the meantime, councillor Tonks has asked parents to get in touch to let her know the types of play equipment their children enjoy using, as there is an opportunity to help shape the requirements for the tender.
“The play area was really in a pretty miserable condition,” she added. “Local parents now have the opportunity to help us make this a really great place for children to play in.”
