Mother’s speech prompts action on inclusive play in Portsmouth

At a full council meeting, Sophie Biddlecombe said her daughter Millie, a full-time wheelchair user, has “rarely” played in Portsmouth’s parks, missing out on time with her brother and friends.

Ms Biddlecombe said the woodchip terrain used in many parks makes it very difficult for wheelchair users to access, even when there is inclusive equipment.

She also raised concerns about where that equipment is placed. In parks like College and Tamworth, wheelchair-accessible roundabouts are “set off to one side”, which she said can feel isolating or exclusionary.

“This feels very much like the council has completed an accessibility tick box exercise by adding the roundabout in a few parks but not thought through what the actual experience would be like for the child using a wheelchair or mobility aid or the disabled parent,” she said.

She also spoke about the broader challenges for families with disabled children. Millie attends a mainstream school and sometimes “feels left out and excluded”.

“Wouldn’t it be great if she could go to the park after school with her friends and play alongside them and feel included and thought about,” Ms Biddlecombe added.

She said planning trips to the park, beach or soft play takes a lot of planning due to accessibility considerations - things other families often “take for granted”.

“This is quite lonely and isolating for families such as ours,” she said.

Councillor Charlotte Gerada, who tabled the motion with Councillor Hannah Brent, asked the council to review all city play parks to check their accessibility and identify where improvements are needed. The motion also called for a funding plan to help make these changes.

Cllr Gerada acknowledged money was tight and said it would cost around £130,000 just to resurface the play park at Canoe Lake.

Cllr Brent encouraged councillors to visit their local parks to see what improvements could be made, suggesting that more inclusive equipment could be added without having to fully resurface entire play areas.

She also asked for updates to the council website so parents can easily find out what equipment is available in each park.

Councillor Lee Hunt proposed an amendment, pointing out there hasn’t been a national play strategy since 2008. He said national government funding would be needed to help make major changes.

The Liberal Democrat amendment was voted down, and the original motion was passed with unanimous support.