By Anna Burdett Rural affairs editor

Last updated at 14:31, Friday, 19 October 2012

Many of Cumbria’s footpaths are becoming impassable because of £400,000 in council cuts.

The Ramblers says Cumbria County Council is in the top 10 worst authorities for slashing countryside access budgets since 2009.

It has also cut five staff from its team, which looks after 4,660 miles of rights of way in the county. On average, each footpath will be checked by the council every four to six years.

Paths are becoming overgrown and stiles, gates and bridges are falling into disrepair, which is putting people off going for a walk, according to The Ramblers.

David Dixon, Lake District chairman for the organisation, said: “A few years ago footpaths started to improve in Cumbria and the Ramblers had a reasonable working relationship with Cumbria County Council.

“Funding for surveys of footpaths stopped about two years ago. Before that, five per cent of footpaths were checked every year but the county council doesn’t do that anymore.

“They are only just getting around to repairing bridges hit in the big flood of 2009 and there has been more damage caused since then.

“There is a bridge at Dalston that is taped off and one of our members was told the council didn’t have the money to repair it.”

The county council’s countryside access budget has fallen from £1.2m in 2009 to a £818,000 projected figure for the current financial year.

But it is not anticipated that this year’s budget will be fully spent as the council has had to find £64m of savings.

A spokesman said: “The Countryside Access service has made significant efficiency savings in how they operate and have changed working practices to provide a more integrated and leaner service, in line with these cuts.

“The budget cuts have been a difficult time for all of us, and our departments have had to maintain services with fewer resources.

“We have managed to retain the core knowledge, skills and experience required to run the service, and we are committed to maintaining our rights of way to an acceptable standard.”

There are as yet no proposals for next year’s countryside access budget.

The Ramblers has warned that any cuts now are storing up greater problems for the future.

“We’re not unrealistic, we accept there has to be cuts, we can’t expect footpaths to be prioritised above other services,” added Mr Dixon.

“Our major concern is that there are more cuts in funding to come .

“Our concern is that the footpath network in Cumbria will get run down.”

First published at 12:40, Friday, 19 October 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk