North Devon’s indoor play centres call for more help amid rising costs

The temporary financial support given to pubs should be extended to indoor play centres, according to operators in North Devon.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has confirmed pubs will receive ‘more temporary support’ in a climb down from a Budget decision after an outcry over the impact of an upcoming hike in business rates.

The Chancellor said temporary financial relief granted to the hospitality sector during the pandemic “does need to be unwound”, but added “it’s about the speed at which you do that”.

Now the operators of play centres in North Devon are backing calls from the Association of Indoor Play to extend any proposed business rates concessions for pubs to include indoor play centres and children’s leisure venues amid growing backlash over rising business rates.

Their calls have also received the support of North Devon MP Ian Roome.

Maria Cantarella, CEO of the Association of Indoor Play, said: “We welcome the Government’s recognition that pubs are vital community assets and deserve protection from punitive business rates.

“But it is impossible to understand why venues that serve alcohol are seen as more worthy of support than venues that serve the nation’s children.

“Indoor play centres support early years development, physical activity, school readiness, parental employment and family wellbeing in thousands of communities across the UK. In many towns and cities, they are among the last remaining safe, warm, affordable indoor spaces for young families.”

Above: Scribbleton at Winkleigh offers a range of indoor play facilities for families. Credit: Scribbleton

Indoor play operators in North Devon have backed the association’s stance. Sarah Cole, director of Scribbleton, an indoor play centre at Winkleigh, said: “We absolutely recognise how important pubs are to their communities and agree they should be supported, but we believe the children and families who rely on businesses like ours deserve the same consideration.

“Venues like ours aren’t luxuries; we provide safe, accessible spaces for play, learning and connection, which are particularly vital for rural families where options are already limited.

“We employ local people, especially young people in need of a first job which is hugely important for the areas we operate in.

“We’re facing a perfect storm of rising business rates, increased wages, soaring energy costs and higher food and ingredient prices, all at once, after already absorbing significant increases last year.

“For small, independent venues this isn’t just challenging, it puts our survival at risk. In 2025, several loved venues across Devon closed for good a huge loss for their communities.

“Indoor play centres support early development, social interaction and family wellbeing, yet we’re being left out of the conversation entirely. If the government believes community spaces are worth protecting, children’s spaces must be part of that too.”

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Ms Cantarella echoed this, saying: “Our sector faces exactly the same cost pressures as hospitality – soaring energy bills, staffing costs, food inflation, insurance and business rates – yet receives none of the targeted relief. We are labour-intensive, space-dependent, low-margin businesses, and business rates hit us disproportionately because of the large buildings we need to operate.

“If ministers accept that pubs merit special consideration because of their social and community value, then they must also accept that children’s play centres and family venues are just as much a part of the social fabric – arguably more so.”

Another indoor play centre in North Devon, Junglaroo in Barnstaple, has backed the calls for more support.

Owner Graham Ruhleman said: “Play centres across the country offer a community hub for parents to gather and support their children in their early years development. So far, everything from this government seems to penalise small businesses and the local communities that use them.

“The huge increases in costs just can’t be absorbed within our existing income which in turn will mean higher costs for local families. That will also mean that families will just stop coming and local businesses will be forced to close.”

Above and below: Junglaroo in Barnstaple is also facing a huge increase in costs, says its owner. Credit: Junglaroo

He said that there were other ways in which the government could support the indoor play sector, such as a reduced or zero rate of VAT in child admission.

Mr Ruhleman added: “The Indoor play sector is quite unique, it is mainly run by local family businesses offering a community hub for local families. We offer support to children’s wellbeing but have to pay the same rates and costs as major corporations in the leisure industry.”

North Devon MP Ian Roome said: “Indoor play centres are an important part of community life, especially for families looking for affordable things to do year-round. I’ve read the Association of Indoor Play’s statement, and it echoes what I’m hearing from lots of small businesses locally: costs keep rising, but the only ways to cover it are either putting prices up (and pricing families out) or cutting staff.

“From a Liberal Democrat point of view, we’ve been clear that small businesses need a fairer deal. That means proper reform of the broken business rates system, which is unfair on companies, bad for our local communities and damaging for our national economy.

“It also means not piling extra costs onto employers without a plan to support jobs and growth, especially in rural areas like ours. I voted against the changes to employer National Insurance contributions at every opportunity and am continuing to call on the Government to reverse this position.”

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