Guts—not cuts
In the latest edition of Open Space magazine, our general secretary, Kate Ashbrook, urges the new government to be bold in securing new and better access. She writes:
The new Westminster government arrived sooner than expected. Does this mean new access sooner than expected?
The government has so far been silent on this subject as it no doubt considers the severe financial situation. But Labour’s manifesto promised to ‘improve responsible access to nature’, and to create nine new national river walks in England. These are great soundbites, but they won’t become real without guts.
It’s no good for politicians to believe they can achieve these by agreement with landowners. The experience of the Labour government 25 years ago was that one cannot bank on voluntary access—that is why we have the part I of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 since most landowners will offer nothing unless compelled to do so.
River Walks
Hence the river walks will require the designation of new national trails, and the use of creation orders under the Highways Act 1980, and access orders under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, to guarantee rights beside and on the water.
Labour promised a white paper on access. We hope to welcome this—and soon—as a sign that ministers mean business. It must be premised on more and better freedom to roam, with existing laws or new ones to be used fearlessly when needed.
And ministers must determine how to beef up our rights of way, the prime means by which people can enjoy the countryside. Most will not go where a path is not obvious, meaning that many miles are unused because they have no signposts and waymarks, or are ploughed, cropped, overgrown, or otherwise abused.
An immediate money-saver would be the repeal of the 2031 cut-off for claims for historic paths; otherwise, officials must spend many hours determining how it will work. The Welsh government already has that repeal in hand.
Preoccupied
Natural Resources Wales is preoccupied with severe cuts, causing numerous visitor centres to be on the brink of closure. Photo: Marc Pell
We are still waiting for Welsh ministers to implement the access reform proposals made in 2021. Our suggestion that the government should test some of those ideas (such as shared use) on its own land has fallen flat. Disastrously, the recreation agency, Natural Resources Wales, is preoccupied with severe cuts and is on the brink of closing three mid-Wales visitor centres, with other services for the chop.
Of course, we know that there is no spare money, but both governments must realise that paths and access provide astonishing good value by reducing costs to the health service. A 2023 report by the Ramblers and New Economics Foundation showed that the path network provides at least £2 billion worth of well-being—over £33 per person—in England and Wales.
Small sums spent on maintaining paths produce massive returns. Ministers only need the guts to slash a few expensive road schemes and the path network could be transformed.
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