Shropshire ramblers in rights of way plea
Thursday 24th November 2011, 1:59PM GMT.
Dozens of banner-waving ramblers staged a protest march in Shrewsbury today calling on council leaders to reverse a decision to slash the county’s rights of way budget.
More than 3,000 people have signed a petition set up by Shropshire Ramblers claiming the council has cut the budget by 40 per cent this year.
About 70 people from the organisation took part in the march which started at Abbey Foregate car park at 11am and took a circular route to Shropshire Council’s headquarters Shirehall via a footpath on Old Potts Way.
As part of the group’s protest, Rodney Whittaker, chairman of the trustees of the Ramblers’ Association, came to Shrewsbury to help present the petition.
He called for the council to conduct a study into how much walking was worth to the local economy.
He said: “It is so important they get an idea of the value of walking to the Shropshire economy.”
He was due to speak to a meeting of the full council this afternoon to explain the reasons behind the petition.
John Newnham, from the Shrewsbury branch of Shropshire Ramblers, said cuts to the right of way budget could effect future tourism revenue for Shropshire.
He said: “It is not a lot of money that is spent on the rights of way budget but cutting it is going to have a major effect on visitors to the county. If they find paths blocked they won’t come again – it is as simple as that.”
He said about 400 to 500 people signed the petition when it was taken to Carding Mill Valley, near Church Stretton, recently and about two thirds of those were from outside the county.
Mr Whittacker said that he was delighted with the turnout at the march, as well as the number of people who had signed the petition.
“We need 1,000 signatures to a get a debate and we got 3,000. It has been a tremendous show of support,” he said.
By Chris Burn
UK News
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There are cuts everywhere, things like rights of way come very low down on the list. It’s sad but it’s the way things are.
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Cllr Steve Charmley is reported as saying the Council has prioritised the highest usage routes – a damaging self-fulfilling prophecy producing progressive inaccessibility to routes which otherwise could & would be. The right priorities have not been set as even the tourism ‘flagship’ Shropshire Way which we’re currently walking is in very poor shape in places. Shropshire’s never had a good reputation for maintaining its footpaths – this just makes a bad situation worse. It must be costing the local economy £millions.
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I have a right of way through my garden. Hereford maintains it so well. That is the way it should be.
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If things are so bad, why don’t the ramblers do the job themselves, keeping these rights of way open?
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First of all let me state that I am a very active walker. I prefer not be called a rambler as I don’t want to associated with the red-socks brigade.
But here’s the maths: The council looks after 5500km of paths, so thats less than 2km each for all of those 3000 petitioners.
Why don’t each of them take responsibility to look after there own allocated 2km? Liase with landowners who are responsible to keep the paths open.
Maybe local involvement could generate good will with landowners creating suitable diversions and permissive paths.
From the picture above the Ramblers look like a bunch of bobble-hat militants! Time’s have changed, the battle of Kinder Scout is over!
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Kinder Scout. Think nest Wednesday. I am a landowner. Ramblers are always welcome at my place.
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But none of them appear to be wearing a bobble hat.
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……….or red socks!
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The money should go towards hospitals and schools before footpaths hardly anyone uses.
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There’s already a fortune spent on hospitals and schools. Our footpath and bridleway network has been underfunded for years and the small amount spent has been cut back further by the Labour government and now the Conserative government.
For years there has been insufficient money to maintain the footpaths and there are huge backlogs in modification orders. It’s time to increase funding for our rights of ways and make improvements, not neglect it further.
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Sorry, it’s still very low down on the list of things we should be funding.
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If there’s no money then it’s tough!
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No, Lucy, Kinder was politically VERY important. Is wasn’t about rambling. It was about how we share property.
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K deG, I am merely saying times have changed and outdoors enthusiasts need to change their approach. Indeed you use the word ‘share’ which is very good. These ramblers don’t seem to want to share the responsibility that goes with access to the countryside. They want everyone else to take the responsibility.
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We have been relatively lucky in the Forest of Dean but have had fences destroyed by ramblers who get lost and find theselves trapped in the garden.
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That’s a first. I’ve never heard the words ‘lucky’ and ‘Forest of Dean’ mentioned before in a single sentence.
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Bits of it are magical:)
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No doubt many of the ramblers voted Conservative or Lib Dem….chickens coming home to roost.
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If you look up to the reply of number 4, Phil says they’ve been neglected for years..
Thats 2 for the present government and anything up to 13 for the previous one.
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You’re off the track!
It’s the Condem govt that is actually making the cuts that ramblers are protesting about.
It’s the Condem Shropshire council that is slashing funds.
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Considering that pretty soon nobody will be able to afford to drive I consider cutting money on footpaths to be a monumental blunder.
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I’m a fairly active hillwalker and enjoy pathless, wild terrain as much as waymarked routes. I’m yet to meet an angry “get orf moy land” farmer when I cross private land and when i go walking with friends its in relatively small groups.. half the issue with ramblers is they trample over the countryside like gangs hoodies and if they don’t have a highway across a farmers field the whole world has to hear about it. As said above, I’d much rather have a well staffed hospital open all hours than a stile over a bit of barbed wire.
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I agree with everything you’ve said.
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shropshire has always been conservtive, as far as i know and i lived ther 54 years
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The ramblers seem to just like moaning. There are plenty of places to walk, the tourist industry isn’t going to suffer. They’ve just closed the Wakenan, if we had the money it should go to schools first, not unused footpaths.
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Shrewsbury Ramblers already carry out voluntary work to maintain the footpath network.But lack the legal authority to deal with access problems.Walking promotes health. Why not join us on a walk?
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Because I can’t walk that slowly, I’d get bored.
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