Better play opportunities have been highlighted as a key tool for helping stem the worrying outflow of children and families from London. Concerns that the capital could become a ‘child‑free zone’ are at the heart of a new London Assembly report, A London for Every Child, which identifies play as central to reversing the decline in London’s child population.

The report shows that the number of young children in London has fallen faster than anywhere else in the UK since the early 2010s: driven by unaffordable and unsuitable housing, costly childcare, shrinking access to play, and neighbourhoods that don’t meet the needs of family life.

Between 2013 and 2023, London lost 99,100 children aged 0–9, even as the overall population grew. Inner London has seen the sharpest drops, but  outer boroughs are now also experiencing accelerating outflows, with families heading beyond the M25 in search of space, affordability and child‑friendly environments.

The Assembly report stresses that these trends are not inevitable. They are shaped by the quality of the places children grow up in, and play is at the heart of this. Children’s ability to play freely, safely and locally is a key factor in whether families feel they can stay in the city at all.

This conclusion strongly echoes London Play’s own manifesto for the Mayor: Five Ways to a Playful London, which calls for a strategic, citywide approach to children’s play and outlines how better play environments can help make London a place where families want and are able to stay.

Play is being squeezed out of London’s neighbourhoods

The Assembly report highlights that everyday play is becoming harder across London, especially in new developments. Too many schemes provide minimal or poor‑quality play space, despite the London Plan’s  Policy PS4 (highlighted as a uniquely “clear, robust policy”) which includes a requirement of 10m² play space per child which the report says is often misunderstood or diluted. It also notes that over 7,000  ‘No Ball Games’ signs across the capital send a message that children are not welcome.

One in five London families has no access to a garden, making parks and playgrounds essential public infrastructure. Yet the Assembly highlights that these non‑statutory services are often the first to face cuts, despite being vital for families living in dense housing or with limited means.  Recent developments underline this fragility. Greenwich Council’s decision last week to remove staffed provision from multiple Adventure Play Centres — a move London Play has campaigned strongly against — shows just how vulnerable children’s spaces now are.

The Assembly could not be clearer: London cannot afford to lose more high‑quality play provision.  And this is about far more than playgrounds. The Assembly warns that London’s long‑term economic health, community cohesion, public services and cultural vitality all depend on whether families can build stable, fulfilling lives in the city. Children are a barometer of a healthy city. When they disappear, something fundamental is failing.

A clear path to a more child‑friendly city

The report sets out practical steps the Mayor and boroughs can take, many of which closely mirror the priorities in London Play’s manifesto:

• Create a London‑wide map of play spaces: a full audit to identify gaps, guide investment and support cross‑borough planning.

• Develop a London Play Sufficiency Action Plan: a citywide assessment of children’s opportunities to play at home, at school and in their neighbourhoods.

• Strengthen implementation of London Plan play policies: ensuring all new developments deliver meaningful, high‑quality play space.

• Create a London Children’s Ambassador: a senior role ensuring children’s needs influence housing, transport, planning and environmental policy.

• Work towards UNICEF Child Friendly City recognition: providing an internationally recognised framework and accountability structure.

Taken together, these recommendations reinforce the direction London Play has been championing for years: a strategic, joined‑up and ambitious approach that treats play as essential to London’s future.

The Assembly report confirms what London Play has long argued: play is essential infrastructure. It is what makes urban childhood possible. At a time when boroughs are cutting staffed play provision and families continue to leave London, ambitious, citywide action has never been more needed.

With the International Day of Play on 11 June, and London Play’s third London Parade for Play set to bring children’s voices into the heart of the capital, leaders have a powerful opportunity to demonstrate commitment and act on the Assembly’s recommendations. London Play will continue working with families, play providers, councils and City Hall to ensure that every child in London has the freedom, space and opportunity to play and to thrive.