Decision details

The Chair welcomed Debbie King, Head of Service Environment and Climate, and David Goode, Public Rights of Way Manager to the meeting. County Councillor Shaun Turner, Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change also attended for this item.

The report provided an overview of the responsibilities of the council in relation to Public Rights of Way and how those functions were delivered by the service. The officers provided a brief verbal update at the meeting and took questions from the committee.

Comments and queries raised from the committee were as follows:

• Obstructions counted for a considerable number of investigations carried out by the Public Rights of Way team. Examples included the public assuming they could redirect footpaths from their property without proper process or believing that livestock in a field was grounds for redirecting a footpath. It was highlighted that the team covered maintenance and enforcement and in providing context to this work, the committee was informed that if a landowner did not fix an issue, such as a broken gate, it would become an enforcement matter for the county council.

• It was clarified that the county council had the power to confirm unopposed right of way Orders, but not opposed Orders. Opposed Orders were processed by the Planning Inspectorate.

• The report highlighted numerous unresolved defects or obstructions, some of which had persisted for years. However, it was noted that there had been no specific plans to address those unresolved issues, as they often were resolved naturally (e.g. weather related issues) or were fixed by landowners. Any safety related issues would be prioritised and responded to on the same day where possible.

• Integration between the Public Rights of Way system and the Love Clean Streets app would depend on the review of the highways asset management system (HAMS) to determine whether data would be integrated with the Love Clean Streets app or an alternative system. As the systems were not integrated, it was suggested that the instruction on the county council's website to use the Love Clean Streets app for reporting public rights of way defects be removed. Officers agreed with the suggestion as the app also often led to unresolved issues and confusion due to its street-based maps functionality. Email was often the preferred method for contacting the Public Rights of Way team instead of using the Love Clean Streets app, as administrative staff were available to assist the public in accurately reporting issues, ensuring better service delivery.

• The Local Delivery Scheme grants had been designed to pump prime local projects and encourage local ownership of public rights of way. It was suggested that providing generic suggestions or examples of what could be achieved could help parish and town councils prioritise important local projects and these could be included in future correspondence.

• Whilst one member felt the £500 Local Delivery Scheme grants were not considered sufficient by some parish and town councils, it was noted that the grants were intended for minor works that were important to the local community but may not be a priority for the county council.

• Due to the limited number of Public Rights of Way Officers operating in the field, it was not possible for the team to adopt the highways service model of having a dedicated officer and point of contact for each district in the back office.

• It was highlighted that the geographical information (GIS) for public rights of way available on the county council's MARIO website needed to be aligned with the legal record (Definitive Map and Statement) and if completed would largely avoid any confusion with local search information. It was acknowledged that digitising the Definitive Map would be a significant task and it was suggested that this task be prioritised by the Cabinet Member, and for a timescale to be provided for when this could be achieved by.

• In formulating recommendations, it was further suggested that the Love Clean Streets app be improved to log incidents in rural areas by capturing GPS locations at the time of initiating a report, rather than when a phone signal was received. It was felt this could ensure the accurate reporting of issues, even when in areas with poor mobile phone signals.

The Chair thanked the Cabinet Member and officers for attending and answering the committee's questions.

Resolved: That;

  i.  The prioritisation of digitising the Definitive Map be recommended to the Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change for consideration.

  ii.  The Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change also gives consideration to further publicising with examples of what could be achieved with use of the annual Local Delivery Scheme grant available to Parish and Town Councils.

  iii.  The Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport gives consideration to reviewing whether the Love Clean Streets App can capture a GPS location at the point in time of initiating a report rather than when a phone signal is received.