FOOTPATHS AND BRIDLEWAYS (Hansard, 10 July 1978)

§ Lord DAVIES of LEEK
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

§ Baroness STEDMAN
My Lords, responsibility for the maintenance and waymarking of public footpaths and bridleways lies with the local highway authority in whose area the right of way runs. These authorities also have a duty to prevent, so far as possible, their stopping up and obstruction. These functions may be delegated to district councils. The Public Rights of Way Advisory Committee to which my noble friend refers has no executive responsibilities in these respects. The Committee advises the Countryside Commission on the experimental and research work it might undertake and on such other subjects as the Commission may refer to it. However, the Countryside Commission has a policy of grant-aiding approved recreational footpaths, including their waymarking.

§ Lord DAVIES of LEEK
My Lords, while thanking my noble friend for that Answer, may I ask whether she is aware that in the Tenth Report of the Countryside Commission page 23 refers to the lack of funds of local authorities for carrying out waymarking and keeping of footpaths? In other words, there has been a draconic cut-back. Also, although as regards pathways one wants to reconcile the needs of agriculture with the needs of the rambler, does my noble friend not believe that more publicity should be given to the Country Code, and also that higher fines should be imposed on those who dump rubbish and litter in our countryside, small as it is now becoming?

§ Baroness STEDMAN
My Lords, I accept that money is not as plentiful as it might be in very many fields in local government, including conservation of our countryside, but there is little doubt that local authorities are aware of their responsibilities towards maintaining and signposting footpaths in the countryside in general. The Department of the Environment is not content with the progress of all of them, but it would not be right in our present economic situation, which poses very difficult questions and decisions for local authorities as to how they shall allocate their resources, to over-emphasise this particular aspect of their work. What I should like to do at this time is to pay tribute to the very valuable help that many local authorities have had from voluntary bodies, Which have taken over the waymarking and maintenance of public paths. We all regret the dumping of rubbish on our footpaths, in our ditches and what-have-you; and the maintenance is a matter for the highway authorities. It is also a matter for more education and more publicity. But all those things cost money, which at the moment is not in over-plentiful supply.

§ Lord SANDYS
My Lords, while recognising the responsibilities of local authorities in the matter of waymarking, will the noble Baroness draw the attention of the Countryside Commission to the fact that money and time are very well spent on making recommendations for the amalgamation of footpaths as well as for providing waymarking?

§ Baroness STEDMAN
My Lords, I am sure that local authorities and the Countryside Commission are aware of that.

§ Lord MOLSON
My Lords, may I ask the Government whether they are aware that the Countryside Commission produced a policy statement called Bridlenays for Recreation, and that it is in the process of producing another booklet on the subject of footpaths for recreation? Is it not the case that some £40,000 was paid out by the Countryside Commission last year in order to help with the preservation of these footpaths?

§ Baroness STEDMAN
Yes, my Lords; the Countryside Commission has only 1306 limited amounts of money, but it has given grants of money and has done a very great deal in order to safeguard our footpaths.

§ Lord DAVIES of LEEK
My Lords, will my noble friend believe me when I say that I do not wish to denigrate the Countryside Commission, which has spent £30 per kilometre on keeping long-distance paths open? Nevertheless, may I say to her that this matter is something to be taken note of and something which is worthy of a higher amount of expenditure so as to cover the recreation of people from industrial areas as well as of those from country areas?

§ Baroness STEDMAN
My Lords, I have already accepted that there is a need for more money to be spent, but at the moment the money is not there. The Countryside Commission considers schemes which involve initial costs totalling £1,000 or more, and it does give grants towards them. Voluntary organisations have done a lot of work in this matter and local authorities, where they have the will and where they are willing to allocate resources, have also done a lot of work.

Lord HAWKE
My Lords, is not one of the great problems, particularly in clay country during the winter, that the footpaths are almost obliterated by galloping ponies so that they become virtually impassable because the pony-riders turn footpaths into bridleways?

§ Baroness STEDMAN
My Lords, that is another question, which raises problems about bridleways and other types of user apart from ramblers.