Half of Lambeth’s adventure playgrounds are locked shut after the council terminated its contract with the charitable company running them with immediate effect.

Streatham Vale playground and six others were closed temporarily on Monday after the council terminated its contract over a number of breaches, understood to relate to the vetting of staff.

Lambeth Council said the breaches involved Lambeth Play Association failing to ‘follow proper employment procedures’.

A spokesman said: “We are working to put in place new arrangements as quickly as possible.”

He added: “In order to ensure we have a rapid solution we cannot discuss details at this stage but we are working to address the situation. We will provide more details as soon as is appropriate.” 

Councillor Rachel Heywood, Cabinet member for Children and Families, said: “The playgrounds are hugely popular with local parents and children and I am determined we solve this situation as soon as possible.

“We must have an organisation that is run properly overseeing any of our facilities, particularly ones that involve young people.

“There are other great facilities available including the new children’s playground in Brockwell Park but I will continue to press to get this situation sorted as soon as possible.”

Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Cllr Roger Giess said: “It is simply not acceptable for Lambeth to leave half the borough's adventure playgrounds locked up for half the summer.

“They need to find a new reliable management team immediately so the playgrounds can reopen.

"So far Labour councillors just seem to be washing their hands of it all.

“This fiasco is a disaster for the Council's much-hyped ‘Co-operative Council’ idea.”

LPA said it would not comment until it released a statement.

Apart from Streatham Vale the other playgrounds are Max Roach and Loughborough Park in Brixton, Willington Rd in Clapham North, Kennington, Lollard in north Lambeth and Tulse Hill.

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