# Public Rights of Way Work

In the last Annual Review I outlined the organisation of public rights of way work and appealed for members to step forward to help fill our vacancies. If you don't remember the article then please do dig out your 2023 Annual Review and re-read it because our public rights of way work is so essential to understanding what Kent Area is about and why we need your support.

I am pleased to say that we have made much progress in filling vacancies during 2024. In particular Margarethe Batteson stepped forward first to take on a Local Footpath Officer role for a tranche of parishes in Sevenoaks, thereby allowing Jim Fergusson to retire after fifty years helping to protect footpaths in Kent. Margarethe then agreed to take on the long-vacant role of volunteer Public Rights of Way Manager. At the same time Glyn Lewis agreed to become LFO (Local Footpath Officer) for a tranche of parishes in north west Kent and then also agreed to be Sector Coordinator for north west Kent and London, taking over from Richard Wilkes. When Stephen Uttley came forward to take on the parishes in Sevenoaks for which Richard had been the LFO, Richard was able to retire after 40 years' service. We should be hugely grateful to Jim and Richard for all they have done.

Last year I put out a plea for volunteers to take on the LFO roles for a large tranche of parishes in Tonbridge & Malling that Dave Wetton had just given up due to failing eyesight. I am pleased to advise that Yasmin Vawda stepped forward early this year to take on half the parishes and Fiona Wallin has recently agreed to take on the other half. This means that we now have an LFO for every parish in west Kent and can move on to attempt the same feat in east Kent.

Filling roles in east Kent may be more difficult than in west Kent. Our members are not evenly spread across the county. There are large swathes of countryside, especially in the east, that have plenty of fine footpaths but only the sparsest scattering of members. It follows that we are unlikely to be able to fill our vacancies by relying on the members who live in the relative parishes.

I therefore want to stress that a Local Footpath Officer does not need to live in or near the parishes for which he or she is responsible. Much of the work is desk-based involving the examination of documents, particularly planning applications and proposals to divert or extinguish paths. Site visits and meetings will be required from time to time but only when issues arise on particular cases.

Bearing this in mind, I would like you to consider whether you could take on the LFO role for a group of parishes in east Kent. We have grouped nine available parishes in Folkestone and Hythe District together because they are the only available parishes in the District and we hope that someone will take them all. The applications for diversions and extinguishments over the last 24 years number 16 in total. These do not represent all the work generated by these parishes but they are a good indication that the role is not onerous. Indeed, anyone taking on the role might wish to take on a couple more parishes, perhaps Waltham & Petham, in order to have a more stimulating flow of work.

If you think you might possibly be interested in this role, do please get in touch for more information. You can contact us on prow@kentramblers.org.uk. These are not of course our only vacancies. You can see a full vacancy list and map at www.kentramblers.org.uk/volunteering/fp_vacancies.htm.

*RP*