In Skopje's Karpoš municipality, two children's playgrounds are in bad shape for completely different reasons, but the result is the same: the children have to be more careful than the adults who were supposed to maintain them.

In Taftalidže, at the inclusive children's playground by Halk Bank, in front of the fire station, residents complain that the equipment is loose and dangerous for the children who play on it every day. "It's good that playgrounds are being put up, but they need to be maintained. The problem is that this isn't done regularly," they say, demanding an urgent response.

Whose playground is it? The Municipality of Karpoš replies that the playground was installed by the City of Skopje, so maintenance and reconstruction are the City's responsibility. The municipality says it has sent an urgent letter to the City and expects "the competent services to go out on site quickly". For now, the slides in Taftalidže are where they always were - wobbling.

In Karpoš 1, on the other hand, the problem isn't maintenance, it's vandals. The municipality said that several pieces of equipment and some of the street furniture at the local playground had been damaged, and asked the police to find the culprits as soon as possible. "Unfortunately, investments in creating safe and tidy spaces for the youngest are once again being called into question because of irresponsible behaviour and acts of vandalism," the municipality said.

Karpoš says it has 57 children's playgrounds on its territory, which it regularly maintains and reconstructs as needed, and it appeals to residents to treat public space responsibly. The appeal is fair - a wrecked playground is theft from your own children. But the parent in Taftalidže isn't asking which level of government installed the slide. They're asking who will tighten it before a child falls off.