In something of a groundhog day moment I received reports yesterday that Holmfirth Footpath 150 has been “reobstructed” so to speak. This long obstructed footpath was only opened up in April 2018 following pressure from user groups and the public. Kirklees Council served several notices on landowners here to clear the path yet it is now mysteriously blocked again.
Either some misguided member of the public has decided to lug a hefty pallet and a plastic thing up there for reasons only they know and understand or,more probable perhaps, those same landowners just can’t help themselves and have blocked the path again.
The path needed some maintenance works such as strimming and a sympathetic pruning of a holly tree which Kirklees had undertook to carry out but this has not been done. From the images I’ve seen the path is again in a right state and pretty much unwalkable.
Perhaps if the council took a more robust approach to enforcement, prosecuting more often and recharging it’s costs where it can this sort of thing would be less common? Perhaps if the council had gone up to strim the path,cut back the holly and waymark the route an impression of giving a toss could have been cultivated?
It’s not like Kirklees don’t have any spare cash for this kind of work,they do! Cllr Graham Turner is quoted in the local paper on 2nd July 2018 saying they have some £6 million they didn’t know they had!
Perhaps it’s time they put some serious resources back into public rights of way in Kirklees?
Path Watch 