Own goal by council after crackdown on football in the park
Ministers urge authority to show ‘common sense’ on lockdown restrictions and to allow ‘family kickabout’
A LONDON council has been criticised by the Government after it blocked off goals in a park to stop children from playing football.
Southwark council set up metal barriers in front of goals in Warwick Gardens, Peckham, with a sign warning people to “try to avoid touching the gates, hoops, hoop nets, backboards, goals, fences or posts to minimise transmission”.
The current lockdown restrictions permit households to exercise outdoors together, including playing football in a local park. Two people from different households can meet for exercise outdoors, provided they maintain social distancing.
A government source said: “We think common sense and proportionality should apply. We trust British people and do not want to stop the family kickabout.”
A spokesman from the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said last night that any restrictions in parks should be “proportionate”, while urging people to follow the rules.
“Local authorities should take a proportionate approach in their decisions on free facilities open for public use given households can continue to exercise together,” the spokesman said.
“We urge people to keep fit as much as possible during the current national measures and have been clear that grass-roots sport will return as soon as it is safe to do so.”
Oliver Dowden, the Culture Secretary, is understood to be frustrated about the closure of grass-roots sports and local facilities under the latest lockdown rules, and is pushing Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, to reopen them as fast as possible after the restrictions end on Dec 2.
Mr Johnson has repeatedly said he will not make an exception for people to meet outdoors for golf, tennis or other sports because the “package of measures” must be allowed to work for a
‘A lot of people walking through Warwick Gardens looked horrified and upset’
month to keep the rate of transmission down.
The Southwark council area, which is Labour-controlled, has one of the lowest coronavirus rates of any London borough. Figures show just 111 new cases in the week to Nov 2, just before the lockdown began.
A sign erected by the council on a fence near the blocked-off goals reads: “We have reopened our sports courts in line with government guidelines but ask that you stay at home as much as possible.” One Twitter user said the goals being fenced off was “fascistic”.
“A lot of people walking through Warwick Gardens this morning looked horrified and upset by this,” she said.
A council spokesman replied: “We’re following restrictions put in place by the Government.”
The Daily Telegraph is running a campaign, “Keep Kids Active in Lockdown”, which calls on the Government to allow children to exercise during the lockdown.
Evidence suggests the mental health impact on children prevented from exercising outdoors and meeting friends is high.
But Mr Johnson has said the restrictions will remain in place, suggesting any exemption for children’s sport could lead to other reversals.
“Once you unpick at one thing, alas, the effectiveness of the whole package is compromised,” he said this month. “It is difficult to take out one part of the Jenga block without disturbing the whole package.”
Tory MPS described the ban on children’s sport as “ridiculous”.