Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to speak at National Play Conference
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will join the inaugural National Play Conference in Warwick this October, at a pivotal moment for investment, planning policy and children’s play in England.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has confirmed that it will speak at the National Play Conference on Friday 9 October 2026 at the University of Warwick.
MHCLG is responsible for national policy across planning, local government and communities in England and has played an increasingly important role in the national agenda for children’s play.
Its contribution to the Conference will focus on two significant developments: the Government’s £18 million Playground Fund and the new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), published on 17 August.
From investment to implementation
Earlier this year, MHCLG announced the £18 million Playground Fund to create, improve or enhance playgrounds in the areas of greatest need.
The programme is supporting 66 local authorities in England, with each receiving £270,000 across 2026/27 and 2027/28 to support three playgrounds. In total, the programme is expected to support up to 200 playgrounds.
Importantly, the Fund goes beyond investment in equipment. Government guidance places emphasis on accessible and inclusive design, meaningful engagement with children, families and communities, long-term maintenance and how individual projects contribute to wider play sufficiency.
The Conference will provide an opportunity to hear directly from MHCLG as the programme moves from allocation into delivery and to consider what the investment can tell us about the future of national and local support for play.
A stronger national planning framework for play
MHCLG will also discuss the new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), published this week.
The new NPPF represents another important step forward for children’s play in national planning policy.
For the first time, the framework explicitly protects both formal and informal play space from loss. Policy HC1 also requires local plans to set standards for recreational land and facilities, including play, and says that policies for play and informal recreation should seek to secure a connected network of high-quality, inclusive and accessible opportunities.
This builds on the explicit protection for formal play spaces secured in the 2024 NPPF and follows sustained advocacy by Play England, including our work with Tom Hayes MP on the Play Sufficiency amendment during the passage of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.
Read our response to the new NPPF
The challenge now is implementation: how stronger national policy translates into better planning, investment and everyday opportunities for children to play in the places where they live.
That question will sit at the heart of the National Play Conference.
Creating the conditions for play
Taking place at the University of Warwick, the inaugural National Play Conference is built around the theme Creating the Conditions for Play.
Grounded in Play England’s ten-year strategy - It All Starts with Play! the Conference will bring together the people, places and systems that shape children’s play.
It will connect playwork and play provision with planning, design, construction, local government, health, education, research, policy and community leadership to consider how England creates the space, time, acceptance and rights all children need to play.
MHCLG joins a growing national programme of speakers and contributors, with further announcements to follow over the coming weeks.
For local authorities, planners, designers, developers, play providers and anyone involved in creating or managing the places where children live and play, the MHCLG session will provide a particularly timely opportunity to connect national investment, national planning policy and local delivery.
Join us in Warwick
The National Play Conference takes place on Friday 9 October 2026 at the University of Warwick.
If you work in play, planning, local government, design, construction, education, health, policy, research or community development, this is an opportunity to be part of the national conversation about what comes next.
Come to Warwick and help us create the conditions for every child to play.
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