THE LAST WORD
Public sector spending axe could mutilate rural economy
The rights of millions of people who love the countryside, and the livelihoods of thousands who depend on it are at risk, for the sake of a “quick fix” for local authority balance sheets, says Marilyn Meeks
T
wenty years of hard work creating and building a countryside
access network at the heart of a multi-billion pound rural economy could soon be thrown away.
Highway authorities throughout the country are buckling under the pressure of government spending cut demands. I am dismayed at the number disregarding the future of the countryside by proposing to severely prune, even axe, their rights of way services.
Although the cheapest and most environmentally friendly part of the transport network, public paths are historically an undervalued local authority responsibility, already pared to the bone with big backlogs of work after years of chronic under-funding.
We know how vulnerable the public paths are – only a year of foot and mouth disease turned great swathes of the countryside into no-go areas.
With maintenance work impossible and no access by officials, hundreds of miles of paths became overgrown and obstructed. Starved of ramblers, cyclists, horse-riders and tourists, the rural economy lost an estimated £5bn.
Yet less than a decade on I am horrified to hear talk of rights of way management being “picked up” by other departments. As if it was that simple!
Rights of way professionals provide irreplaceable legal and technical expertise and
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play a crucial role in reducing expensive maintenance and legal issues. Without them, we could see many rights of way disappearing; lost to walkers, cyclists, tourists and riders, possibly for good. Faced with deteriorating, neglected paths, local authorities could be left unravelling costly legal wrangles for years, when currently rights of way officers take a ‘step in time’ to nip issues in the bud by their specialist action.
It isn’t just the countryside either, safe routes to schools and shops and local dog-walks will also suffer.
Is this a sensible route to economic recovery for a country of some three million horse riders, five million regular cyclists and nine million walkers who generate more than £6bn a year for the rural economy?
A country where walking is the joint most popular activity (along with eating out) for people taking days out in England?
Where ‘mini-breaks’ are one of our few areas of economic growth?
Where obesity-related health complications, such as Type 2 diabetes, (which could be reduced by exercise) already cost the NHS more than £4bn a year? You only have to look at the great work being achieved by the Walking for Health scheme to prove this.
Where we have a moral duty to protect safe routes to schools or work, cycle routes and those that
offer disabled access?
Where lack of traffic-free routes is cited as the greatest impediment to walking or cycling for local journeys or for exercise?
Jeopardising our rights of way network defies common sense. Countryside access is a powerful tool in restoring the health and wellbeing of millions of people.
The great outdoors is good for us. It’s a place where anyone can exercise for free, escape the pressures of modern day living, enjoy fresh air and breathing space. It gives us the chance to connect with nature and it’s been proven to help relieve stress.
Maybe the vision of ministers for The Big Society is to have all the work picked up by volunteers. But that’s not new – unpaid workers have always been involved in rights of way work but, as council officers know very well, it is only successful with a lot of specifically skilled input from employees to keep the work on the right track, and to maintain motivation and commitment so work is not left half-done.
Without stringent supervision, unskilled work so quickly falls foul of the legalities of public paths, creating massive problems for homeowners, developers and farmers as well as users and high costs for the highway authorities who are accountable.
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Nov/Dec 10
I’m sure that all authorities will be looking to increase community involvement in caring for paths but with such complex laws and regulations, good intentions simply cannot replace professional expertise.
The draft White Paper, currently out for consultation, makes little if any reference to making the countryside accessible.
The focus is on conservation and agriculture – even though the contribution to the rural economy from recreation and tourism dwarfs that from agriculture.
IPROW members are not naïve. We recognise that economies have to be made. But the answer lies in driving forward greater efficiencies and amending regulations to improve practices by working together to increase best practice throughout the country, not by slashing budgets to a level where nothing at all can be done.
I believe that we can work with government, countryside users, landowners and voluntary organisations to make savings that will not endanger the prosperity and wellbeing of those who live, work, exercise, socialise and relax in the countryside.
Marilyn Meeks is newly elected president The Institute of Public Rights of Way and Access
Management, the national organisation representing professionals working in rights of way and countryside access.
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