Sir - I was appalled to read that the city council is proposing to close down 14 play areas.

Oxford's provision of play areas for children is already bad; one only has to visit Garsington, Charlbury and Chadlington to see what can be done in the county. All these play areas also have features for older children, which so far as I know do not exist in Oxford.

At the very least, shutting down these play areas should be frozen while Oxford City Council looks for funds. Play areas should be a priority: gardens are ever smaller, more children are being brought up in flats, and children and their parents need an area of space to relax and play.

Vastly more important than repaving Cornmarket, or having one-off extravaganzas in Broad Street and South Parks, which cost a great deal of money, is providing basic on-going play facilities for Oxford's children.

It is the equivalent of saying to one's children: "We can go to the theatre, but we can't have any toys at home."

It is patently absurd and we cannot be surprised if some of these children are given ASBOs. It is a short-term reaction of the city council and we should be ashamed of our city if it thinks of doing such a thing to its youngsters.

Many new houses have been built all over Oxford, so there is a lot of infill and more crowding. These houses must be paying council tax and yet the council is now saying it does not have the funds to provide the basic infrastructure to maintain, let alone improve, the playgrounds.

Rosanne Bostock Oxford