On behalf of Jean Lamb, 18th Oct 2024:

Questioning our Parish Councillors as to why the steps/pathway that have been walked/used for over 100 years were blocked off on Station Road?

Trimdon Foundry parish councillor's informed me that the steps were not a pathway and were blocked off by a PCSO officer and DCC Community Safety officer, due to ASB, something we are all dealing with.

After researching on the pathway, land and a past Community Group , Friends of the Heritage Trail, who have also done a lot of research, I questioned the Councillors about the Heritage Trail.
Their verbal reply at a meeting was “we know nothing” and “it’s not a public pathway”.
Their answer in a letter, after omitting it from the minutes, was “it was researched several years ago and initial surveys determined the project was cost prohibited ”.

What they failed to mention was they were also involved with the project, offering help with stationary, insurance and funding, funding was received from them and others, and it was held in the Parish Council bank account.
They had consulted with charities & groups, including Groundwork and Sustrans, a cycle/walkway charity, to which money was paid for surveys of the Heritage Trail/walk/cycle/bridle route . Both Councils knew nothing of any dealings with Sustrans when I asked. However, they were noted in archived minutes. The project stopped for reasons unknown, and the money was spent on drainage for the Heritage Trail and another project.

So, from “we know nothing”, we went on to find out an awful lot about what we as a community could have had but were denied.
Our Councils should be our backbone, our go to for questions, answers and problems. Yet the reception a group of us received when attending Parish meetings was, let’s say, unpleasant.
The order of having the pathway reinstated on the map is going to consultation sometime soon.
Our Parish Council voted at the September meeting to keep the steps blocked off, due to the ASB two of the residents have encountered.

Thank you to everyone who filled in user forms and signed the petition, despite all being labelled for doing so at the Parish meeting by one resident who owns the land as “irresponsible adults”.
Whatever the outcome of the pathway matter it has brought a lot of truths to light!  Thank you to all involved and to our Clerk for passing on information found on the Heritage Trail.

If there are any remaining forms out there with signatures on, please pass them to me and I will send them on to the PROW team.
A big thank you once again.

Jean Lamb

 

Page added 18th October 2024

-