A LITTLE boy’s wish to see his rusting playground improved is set to be realised after a council finally admitted their playground could do with a makeover.

Young Thomas Downes has written a letter appealing for improvements to Mile Oak Recreation Ground and councillors are looking into improvements.

He wrote that he walked to the park but the swings are “very rusty” the rockers are “dark brown” and asked for the roundabout to be improved.

He was among the Mile Oak Primary School and Portslade Aldridge Community Academy pupils calling for work and Brighton and Hove City Council officers have agreed to install a wild gym at the site.

Labour’s Hove parliamentary candidate Peter Kyle has been inundated with letters from youngsters which he hopes to hand deliver to environment, transport and sustainability committee chairman Pete West before the park is discussed.

Included in Mr Kyle’s postbag was the heartbreaking letter from little Thomas.

But campaigners say they will not be “popping” the champagne corks just yet after council officers confirmed there is no budget for any more new equipment.

Parents launched the Mile Oak Rec Action Group (MORAG) campaign for improvements to the playground off Chalky Road last year complaining that their park had been forgotten and neglected.

Campaigners also managed to collect a petition of almost 1400 signatures backing the call for improvements, which led to the issue being debated at full council last year.

In August a council spokeswoman told The Argus that the playground had received £70,000 worth of investment in 2010 and there were no “immediate plans” for further works.

Now councillors at today’s committee will plan for council officers to work with MORAG to develop new landscaping, a bee bank and a wild gym made from locally sourced materials.

Officers will also support efforts to find grant funding for “more significant improvements” because the annual £156,000 budget for playground maintenance is “insufficient” to pay for major improvements in the existing play equipment.

But significantly, officers have now conceded that the “popular” play area would benefit from improvements.

And Mr Kyle said the outdoor gym would add a “fantastic new dimension” to the Rec.

He added: “It’s a great start, but the champagne corks won’t start popping until the children's section has also received the attention it deserves.

“The council must complete its report into the play area and work alongside the community to see this job through, the children of Mile Oak deserve nothing less.”