Councillors' direct action on neglected, overgrown path (Brentwood & Ongar Liberal Democrats)

Brentwood & Ongar Liberal Democrats <info@brentwood-ongarlibdems.org.uk>

Councillors' direct action on neglected, overgrown path

July 28, 2010 3:43 PM

Cllr Karen Chilvers bags up one of the ten bags of green waste in the pathway between Tower Hill and Weald Road

Brentwood West's two Liberal Democrat borough councillors, Karen Chilvers & Nigel Clarke, took direct action last week to tidy up an area that had become overgrown in their town centre ward.

Cllr Nigel Clarke gets to work with the strimmer

The pathway, between the back gardens of Tower Hill and Weald Road, had become a real mess over the years. The councillors were told it was not council land and therefore was not and would not be maintained by the council so, whilst they were waiting to find out who the land belonged to and to assist the residents living there (a number of whom are elderly) they decided to take the matter into their own hands with a hand strimmer, some secateurs, a broom and a roll of green bags!

BEFORE: The overgrown pathway

They spent an afternoon tidying the area of weeds, cutting back overgrown shrubs and sweeping the area to make it more accessible and easier to maintain in the future.

AFTER: A more pleasant environment following an afternoon's work

Subsequently, Karen & Nigel have been told that it IS council property and now Cllr Chilvers wants questions answered as to why it had been neglected for so long. She said:

"Although Cllr Clarke and I enjoyed helping out and making the area pleasant again but I am none too pleased to find out that it actually is an "urban pathway" and should have been subject to regular maintenance by the council. I was told twice, quite emphatically, that this was not the council's responsibility.

"From what residents have told me, this is a problem that goes back seven or eight years at least and I want to know why this area was absent from the council's regular maintenance programme."

The area should now be regularly maintained by the council and the problem should not reoccur.