Funding to replace stiles
Case reference FOI2024/01329
Received 3 August 2024
Published 29 August 2024
Last amended 3 September 2024
Request
Response
Why was £250,000 allocated to parish councils for replacing stiles when it is the responsibility of the landowner to maintain stiles, not the Council's?
Answer: The Service Area have advised the following: Under s.146 of the Highways Act 1980, landowners are responsible for the maintenance of stiles and gates and are entitled to claim a grant of a minimum of 25% towards the cost of the works.
Under the same section, Herefordshire Council has the power to carry out all the work at their own expense if they so wish. Herefordshire Council has adopted the principle of the least restrictive option when looking at access points along a path. This means consideration will be given to improving access along a route and upgrading furniture to remove as many obstacles as possible. In practical terms this means removing a stile or gate to leave a gap, replacing a stile with a gate, replacing a kissing gate with a pedestrian or fully accessible gate, or installing an easy access stile.
On receiving a report of a damaged or broken stile, efforts will be made to secure access improvements. To facilitate this, Herefordshire Council will, as far as budgets allow, offer to supply and install a gate if it replaces a stile, remove a stile or gate if it leaves a gap, install a cross step, or carry out any other work that is regarded as access improvement, at no expense to the landowner. If the landowner does not wish to have access improved, they will be requested to either install a gate or stile supplied by Herefordshire Council in lieu of the 25% statutory grant or requested to install a stile or gate to the satisfaction of the responsible officer and invited to claim a minimum of 25% of the costs incurred.
Documents
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