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Well done to @RamblersGB and @cornish_jack for keeping #PathExtinguishmentDay in the news and for highlighting that local authorities need resources to deliver on duties set out by Parliament. https://twitter.com/cornish_jack/status/1343503201228750848
A thread on funding promises... As the #PathExtinguishmentDay legislation was going hrough Parliament, the Minister said, "Local authorities will be properly and reasonably funded for additional rights of way tasks." Source: Hansard 10 Jul 2000. (2/N)
He continued, "The funding expected to be required as a result of the Countryside and Rights of Way Bill is identified in the explanatory notes that accompany the Bill as between £12 million and £19 million per annum." (3/N)
The Minister had a meeting on 11 Oct 2000 with NFBA, @BritishHorse and BBT in which he gave assurance that,
"The Government would make £2m available annually to the voluntary sector to assist with researching evidence and claiming new rights of way" (4/N)
"The Government would make £2m available annually to the voluntary sector to assist with researching evidence and claiming new rights of way" (4/N)
Roll forwards a few years... Hansard 23 Nov 2006 reports the new Minister saying, "At the time that this legislation was passed, ... it was estimated that the cost to local authorities of processing the resulting claims would be £1.6 million a year until 1 January 2026." (5/N)
He continued, "This was one of several new burdens arising from part II of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, which were funded by the Government through the un-hypothecated Environmental Protection and Cultural Services block of the Revenue Support Grant." (6/N)
In other words, 'we've given authorities the money (even if we didn't make that clear at the time and it was hidden in a lump sum so they couldn't have worked it out either'. Is it any surprise authorities are not spending enough on bringing the definitive map up to date? (7/N)
Also in 2006, Byway and Bridleway records that the amount of money that has gone to the voluntary sector for research activtites is precisely zero. (8/N)
So now we have five years to go to #PathExtinguishmentDay, application backlogs building up and no end in sight. We need HMG to properly fund the work or to delay or cancel #PathExtinguishmentDay. Otherwise the public will lose thousands of paths. (9/9)
