The Scottish Government has identified £60m to allow councils to improve existing areas. 

South Lanarkshire Council has been allocated £298,000 of the £5m budget for year one which equates to 5.96%. 

Funds are likely to be allocated over the period 2021 to 2026 and if the same percentage is used for the remaining £55m, the council will receive around £3.5m in total.

Chair of the council’s Community and Enterprise Resources Committee, Councillor John Anderson, said: “The refurbishment of a play area can cost between £30,000 and £350,000 depending on its size.

“While we welcome this additional funding, we will not be able to transform all of the council’s 233 play sites so we are looking for people to let us know which ones they feel we should prioritise. 

“We are therefore initially interested in finding out about local priorities in your specific area.   

“However, please note that any money allocated can only be used to refurbish existing fixed play areas owned by the council, for critical maintenance and to make the areas more accessible and inclusive for a range of abilities.

“Your nearest play area may have space limitations with no room to expand or could be in private ownership, so you may want to tell us about a play area that you use more often rather than the one that is closest to you. 

“To help us decide on how to allocate available funds as fairly as possible, please take part in the questionnaire.”

The survey will remain open until 31 January 2022.