Getting children back outside
Ashley Evans, Sowerby Bridge
WHEN I was a kid, I ‘play out’, often on the pavement or street outside where I lived. We tied a skipping rope to a drain pipe, played marbles on the drain covers and used our jumpers as goal posts. But, back then, there was less traffic, more community and, possibly, fewer iffy people about. For some years now I have been trying to set up ‘Playing Out Schemes’ in Calderdale. Some 10 years ago such an organisation was set up in Bristol. It has prospered there and spread around the country but, unfortunately, not into Calderdale. It operates in local communities with the support of parents and residents, overcoming problems like traffic safety and ‘stranger danger’. However, these schemes often rely on closing a section of street for a limited period and this has been a major barrier in Calderdale as the local authority has been dragging its heels on sorting out the legal aspects for a long time now. But I may be getting there, so it will be good to discuss possibilities with any interesting groups and bring back ‘Playing Out’ to Calderdale with all the benefits to young people‘s health and well-being as well as the communities they live in.
that those without photo ID now have difficulty in claiming benefits such as universal credit, opening and using bank accounts and accessing internet service and local services provided by Calderdale Council.
Photo ID to effectively access service is of particular significance to those who are unlikely ever to qualify for a driving licence and have issues obtaining passports. The way the government issues passports needs a complete ovehaul, as there is an effective barrier to obtaining a passport for people from low income groups, and those who do not fit into the mainstream of UK society. The barrier is obtaining approval or effective sponsoring from a fellow British citizen from a group of people in the list provided by the government. This last barrier to obtaining approved photo ID needs urgent attention or people who do not fit into an approved background or way of life are in the near future going to increasinglybedeniedaccess to benefits, banking services, access to local authority services and the right to vote.
Bruce Murray