Contact: Andrew Smith, ext 6003 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1. The Countryside Service works in partnership with many local communities to improve access, contributing to the Corporate Strategy aims, in particular those of Building Strong and Safe Communities, Stewardship of the Environment, and Maximising Life Opportunities. To extend this work, we are seeking support for establishing a small grants scheme open to Parish Councils and other local organisations, to part fund improvements to countryside access. It is suggested that £10,000 per annum is allocated to this scheme, and that Hampshire Countryside Access Forum, with help from Countryside Service officers, will advise upon how this sum should be allocated.

2. Background

2.1 Through the Hampshire Paths Partnership scheme, the Countryside Service works with a large number of volunteers to provide improvements to countryside access. The County Council has been swift in responding to its new duty under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act to assess the requirements of local people in accessing the countryside, and is producing a Countryside Access Plan detailing how we can best meet these needs.

2.2 Hampshire Countryside Access Forum is the statutory advisory body to the County Council on countryside recreation matters. As a `Local Access Forum' defined under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, the Forum membership includes a range of user and land managing interests and is therefore able to provide balanced advice.

3. Demand for small access improvements

3.1 Hampshire Paths Partnership has been so successful that it receives more requests than can be fulfilled; Area Rights of Way Officers are also aware of requests that cannot be met through existing resources.

3.2 Hampshire Countryside Access Forum concentrates on influencing strategy and policy However, in common with Local Access Forums in other counties, Forum members are often approached on smaller, local matters which are not appropriate for Forum involvement but for which there is a proven local need.

3.2 In November 2004, the Forum hosted an event for Parish Councils titled 'Managing Countryside Paths in Your Parish'. This provided information on contacts within the Countryside Service, new developments such as open access land and Countryside Access Plans, the role of the Forum, and help and ideas for improving and managing local paths and access areas. 160 people attended the event, representing over 100 Parish Councils.

3.3 Those attending were asked for feedback in order to guide the Forum and the County Council in responding to needs. A grant scheme was suggested, offering small sums for improvements to local countryside access (including rights of way, new or existing permissive paths, and areas of land used by the public), and production of maps, leaflets and on-site information. Nearly all respondents expressed support for such a scheme, and well over half indicated that it was `definitely of interest', giving examples of potential bids including improvements to path surfaces and furniture, providing map boards and leaflets, help with permissive paths and cost of tools.

4. Establishing a grants scheme

4.1 The establishment of a small grants scheme would allow the County Council and the Forum to respond to some of these requests and could bring substantial benefit to local people. For example, a low-cost improvement such as replacing a stile with a kissing gate can mean substantially easier access for those with walking difficulties and parents with pushchairs.

4.2 At its January 2005 meeting, Hampshire Countryside Access Forum considered feedback from the Parish Council event and agreed that a grants scheme would be a good way to respond. It is intended that this scheme would complement existing work under Hampshire Paths Partnership and would allow a greater number of locally identified improvements to be realised. As a group balanced across the range of countryside interests, the Forum is keen to advise upon the allocation of the funding with help from Countryside Service officers.

5. Operation of the proposed scheme

5.1 It is proposed that, from financial year 2005/06, £10,000 per annum is allocated to the scheme, drawn entirely from funding received through the Countryside and Rights of Way Act allocation.

5.2 If support is given, the details of the scheme will be finalised. However, initial discussion with the Forum and officers has suggested that:

· Grants would be available to fund improvements to both rights of way and wider access

· A maximum of £500 would be available per application, and any grant would require at least 50% match funding from elsewhere

· Applications should be considered by a panel consisting of around three Forum members (with involvement from New Forest and South Downs Access Forums as needed), and appropriate Countryside Service officers

· Suggestions for criteria included applications meeting local needs through contributing to actions in Countryside Access Plans, easing access, provision of facilities for people with disabilities, and provision of information about the local network

· Applicants should be asked if they have also applied elsewhere, to avoid double-funding

· Priority should be given initially to those Parish and Town Councils who expressed an interest through the feedback from the Parish Council Seminar and to those ideas which meet needs identified in the Countryside Access Plans

· Credit should be given to the Forum and the County Council on any map boards, leaflets or furniture funded through the scheme

· Any furniture or physical works must be signed off by officers as being to a suitable standard after installation

5.3 Details of the scheme would be included in the guide on Countryside Access for Parish Councils which is also being developed as a result of feedback from the `Managing Countryside Paths in your Parish' event. The scheme would also be publicised alongside other Countryside Service information through information centres, press releases, local shows and the Hampshire Paths Partnership newsletter.

6. Conclusion

6.1 Following demand expressed by Parish Councils, Hampshire Countryside Access Forum are keen to participate in offering a small grants scheme to fulfil requests for small, one-off improvements. It is hoped that through this scheme many small improvements to access are undertaken consistent with corporate and local priorities. The support of the Executive Member is requested to enable such a scheme to be established.

Recommendation

It is recommended that the Executive Member for Recreation and Heritage supports the establishment and operation of a grant scheme as described in this report.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and have been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

N.B the list excludes:

1. Published works

2. Documents that disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act

TITLE LOCATION