Play park vandalism including in Bury St Edmunds costs West Suffolk Council thousands of pounds and 'has a cost to wellbeing'

Vandalism at children’s play parks has cost West Suffolk Council close to £20,000 to resolve over the last four financial years, it can be revealed.

The Freedom of Information request by the Bury Free Press also found out that St James Park, off Tassel Road on Moreton Hall, Bury St Edmunds, is set for a complete makeover in the next financial year after play equipment was set on fire in April 2021.

The damaged play equipment was removed and has not yet been replaced as West Suffolk Council deemed it sensible to wait and replace all the equipment on-site in one go rather than deal with it in a piecemeal way.

A council spokesperson confirmed the makeover would be an investment of £60,000 from developer funding from Taylor Wimpey’s Lark Grange.

The total cost to the council for reinstating vandalised play equipment was £19,047 from 2019/20 up until November this year, which does not include where repairs are incorporated as part of planned refurbishment programmes.

The biggest single cost of all 24 incidents was £12,000, which was to replace equipment at the Tayfen Meadows play area following an arson attack in January 2019. The area had only been upgraded the previous summer following public consultation.

Moreton Hall Cllr Peter Thompson, Mayor of Bury St Edmunds, said the vandalism was frustrating as they work hard to make the area better and encourage family wellbeing. “And after Covid it’s very important people get together and get back to normal a little bit and outdoor public spaces are a very important part of that,” he said.

“If you think about it, whoever the perpetrator of the vandalism is, it’s effectively going and picking on toddlers. It’s the same equivalent of going and taking a toy out of a baby’s hand.”

Cllr Thompson, who has been involved in improving parks on the Moreton Hall estate, said the level of investment for St James Park was ‘substantial’ and would allow for a ‘decent’ makeover.

A new play facility is also coming to the estate after Bury St Edmunds Town Council agreed to take on a project to build a splash fountain near the Flying Fortress Park play area.

Mr Thompson said, in addition to this, the Flying Fortress Park was also set to get some TLC, adding it would be made easier to maintain.

Speaking of the vandalism at play parks, Moreton Hall Cllr Birgitte Mager, who has been involved with the splash fountain project, said: “It’s devastating that taxpayers’ money is being wasted, particularly at the moment when we need every penny we can get to help people who are struggling.”

She added that the council had a good record of putting things right, and urged people to report it if they thought vandals were at work. “All we can do is keep helping each other,” she said.

In the last financial year graffiti has been the dominant problem, with 12 cases recorded across play areas in Bury St Edmunds and Haverhill. It cost £2,750 to make the repairs (not including an incident at the Abbey Gardens in Bury St Edmunds that was removed in-house).

Other incidents of arson included at the Severn Road play area in Bury St Edmunds in August 2021, costing the council £1,200 to resolve.

Cllr Jo Rayner, deputy leader and cabinet member for leisure, culture and community hubs at West Suffolk Council, said: “Although such incidents are relatively infrequent, we do see spikes in this unwarranted behaviour. Vandalism of any kind is utterly unacceptable, and especially when it targets play areas shared and valued by young people.

“The council has made healthy families and communities a priority and play areas provide important spaces for young people of all ages to be active and social.

“It is not just a case of cleaning up and replacing damaged equipment. There is a cost to wellbeing while the refurbishment is sorted out with suppliers and contractors. And because premiums are so high, the council itself covers these lower level losses, so reinstatement could come at the expense of something else.”

Cllr Thompson, who has promoted health and wellbeing on Moreton Hall in his role as a councillor, said healthy lifestyles started at grassroots level when children are toddlers.

He added if youngsters grew up in an area with graffiti and damage it had the unwanted effect of normalising that environment.