Parish & town councils · Cornwall
Parish council playground inspections
Fixed fees you can put in the precept, reports the clerk can drop straight into the meeting pack, and a standing round so nobody has to remember to book it.
Most of Cornwall's play areas are parish-managed. They sit on precepts where every line gets read out loud at a meeting, they are often maintained by one part-time groundsman or a rota of volunteers, and the equipment was frequently inherited from a district council or a village fundraising effort decades ago with no paperwork attached.
That combination is why inspection so often slips. The offer here is built around it: one fixed annual figure quoted in writing before you commit, a standing quarterly round so it happens without being chased, and reports written in plain English rather than in a format that needs interpreting before it can go in front of councillors.
What the council actually gets
- Fixed fee per site, quoted for the full year — no call-out charges, no travel added afterwards
- Neighbouring parishes grouped into one visit day, with the saving shared between them
- Every defect photographed, risk-rated and cited to the BS EN 1176 clause
- Same-day phone call to the clerk for any high-risk finding, not a line buried on page nine
- Findings tracked visit to visit, so deterioration reads as a trend rather than a surprise
- Repairs quoted separately and without obligation — use us, or take the quote elsewhere
A typical parish programme
- Weekly routine visual — in-house The quick sweep for vandalism, glass, breakage and surfacing damage. We can train your groundsman or volunteer on your specific site and set up a simple recording routine that stands as evidence if it is ever questioned.
- Quarterly operational — us The detailed check of wear, stability, foundations, fixings and surfacing. This is where problems get caught while they are still cheap, and where the documented trail your insurer expects actually comes from.
- Annual main — independent Requires the separate RPII Annual grade, which we do not hold. We arrange it with an independent Annual-grade inspector from a separate practice and invoice it as part of the same programme, so the council still has one contact and one set of paperwork.
Written for the meeting pack
The report is a full-colour digital document, delivered within 48 hours of the visit. Each finding is photographed, risk-rated low, medium or high, cited to the relevant clause, and given a recommended action written so any contractor can price it without a second site visit. If the council wants the findings talked through at a meeting or questions answered afterwards, that is part of the job rather than an extra.
Where we cover
Across Cornwall, from a base near St Austell — the Clay Country parishes, the Roseland and the Lizard, Bude down to Penzance. We also cover the Tamar border into Devon as far as Launceston, Saltash and Torpoint; enquiries beyond that we refer on rather than overstretch.
Outdoor equipment only. We do not inspect indoor soft play.
More on the three inspection tiers · Playground repairs · Ask for a fixed quote
Questions
Frequently asked
How often does a parish play area need inspecting?
The BS EN 1176-7 regime is a weekly routine visual check, an operational inspection every one to three months, and an independent annual main inspection. For a typical parish site we would suggest quarterly operational inspections by us, with the weekly visual done in-house by your groundsman or a trained volunteer.
Who is liable if a child is injured?
As occupier, the council carries the duty of care under the Occupiers\u2019 Liability Acts and the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act. Inspection does not transfer that duty, but a documented, competent inspection regime is the evidence that it was discharged — which is exactly what an insurer or a claimant\u2019s solicitor will ask to see.
Can we budget this into the precept?
Yes, and that is usually why councils ask for a fixed annual figure rather than per-visit pricing. We quote the whole year in writing so it goes into the precept as one predictable line, with repairs quoted separately as and when they arise.
Do you inspect the equipment we inherited with no paperwork?
Regularly. Older equipment with no installation records or manufacturer details is common on parish sites. We inspect it against the current standard, note where it predates it, and tell you plainly whether it is still safe to keep, needs modification, or has reached the end of its life.