ROWIP – Path Watch

PathWatch has previously highlighted the review of the current Kirklees Rights of Way Improvement Plan. The contract for this work was issued last summer to a private company. Despite being publicly funded and a review of a public document and highway network there has been no publicity around the review on the councils website or social media.

Councils are legally obliged to review these plans every 10 years, so it is a box that has to be ticked. It’s an opportunity to engage with the public and path users, see how the previous plan worked out , get a wide range of views and genuinely look to improve things. Or it could be done with no publicity, genuine engagement or aspiration for improvement. Is this what is happening in Kirklees?

On 7th February a questionnaire was sent out by the contractor to a limited group of stakeholders. Some very active groups seem to have been left out and there appears to be no attempt at a wider engagement with the public. The deadline for completing the questionnaire is 18th February – 12 days!

The questionnaire is here or contact

In July this year Kirklees issued a contract to an external company called Haskoning DHV UK Limited. The contract is to review the council’s out of date Public Rights of Way Improvement Plan . In all honesty the plan was outdated and clunky when published in 2010, so if done thoroughly this could be a good thing. The value of the contract is some £20k .

There is no mention on the council’s website of the review and how the public and user groups may comment or be involved. The only reference to the Rights of Way Improvement Plan is a link to the outdated version. The plan is, or should be, an important document which should seek to resolve the many issues surrounding the poor management of public rights of way in the district.

Category: ROWIP

Kirklees Rights of Way Improvement Plan Review.

Kirklees Spends £20k On Review of Rights Of Way Improvement Plan.