Bridleways
Email: christinehardaker@supanet.com
By Christine Hardaker
H
appy New Year to one and all! Hope your festivities went well and you had a brilliant time. I’m writing some of this month’s news before the close of 2013 during the quiet period between Christmas and the New Year celebrations, and I’m always hoping that the celebration fireworks are moderate and not too loud for the sake of all the pets and animals in the area. It seems each year they get louder and louder and sometimes it sounds like a bomb has gone off somewhere in Bradford! I know I sound like a party pooper, but when you have had to live with or stay with an animal that is terrified of the noise, it does slightly dampen the enthusiasm – and we used to enjoy the fireworks we had years ago that were just pretty to see and make a bit of a crackling or swishing noise. OK moan over!
appy New Year to one and all! Hope your festivities went well and you had a brilliant time. I’m writing some of this month’s news before the close of 2013 during the quiet period between Christmas and the New Year celebrations, and I’m always hoping that the celebration fireworks are moderate and not too loud for the sake of all the pets and animals in the area. It seems each year they get louder and louder and sometimes it sounds like a bomb has gone off somewhere in Bradford! I know I sound like a party pooper, but when you have had to live with or stay with an animal that is terrified of the noise, it does slightly dampen the enthusiasm – and we used to enjoy the fireworks we had years ago that were just pretty to see and make a bit of a crackling or swishing noise. OK moan over!
The weather has been quite different this winter compared to what we experienced last year. I believe we had snow early and it stayed for a long time with temperatures well below freezing on a night time. This year it has been very wet and windy with unseasonably mild spells in between. It has made decisions about which rug to put on in the mornings difficult because you expect it to be cold in winter, so you wrap up your horse in the heavyweight rug and then within a day or two you have to change back to the lightweight because it is so mild again.
I’ve had a reply to the Freedom of Information request to know the total cost to the taxpayers of the battle to ban horses on Birkhill recreation ground, but only a small part of the cost has been given.
This is a transcript of their reply “The Councils response is as follows: The cost to erect the sign was £231.65.
Due to the way Council officers record their time the Council does not hold the information of time spent on the issue up to 22nd October 2013”.
Due to the way Council officers record their time the Council does not hold the information of time spent on the issue up to 22nd October 2013”.
Once we are into the New Year, I will take advice as to whether this reply is correct and whether I should pursue the matter further for a more specific answer. I have spoken several times to a consultant solicitor who worked on the issue in the early days and he would have kept records of time spent working for Bradford Council so they may be able to estimate the cost of his time - but obviously they will not want to publicise that unless forced to.
The letter of complaint sent to request that the sign, inaccurately banning horse riding be removed, has been escalated to stage two. I had a phone call from the assistant to the director saying he wanted to explore more legislation before removing the sign as he thought the legal department could have missed something in their search for any sort of law which could support their ban. Basically he was just stalling for more time because the statement made by the council was quite specific when it said there were no byelaws in Bradford banning horse riding and “The riding of horses on the land in question is also not prohibited by any primary or secondary legislation.”
The letter of complaint sent to request that the sign, inaccurately banning horse riding be removed, has been escalated to stage two. I had a phone call from the assistant to the director saying he wanted to explore more legislation before removing the sign as he thought the legal department could have missed something in their search for any sort of law which could support their ban. Basically he was just stalling for more time because the statement made by the council was quite specific when it said there were no byelaws in Bradford banning horse riding and “The riding of horses on the land in question is also not prohibited by any primary or secondary legislation.”
So at this moment in time – the sign is giving legally incorrect information and should be removed.
We had the last meeting of the year in December of the new equestrian group Wharfedale & Airedale Horse Riding Organisation or “WHOA”. Their membership has swelled over the first year since it was formed and they have achieved much progress with bringing the problems we horse riders experience to the attention of local councils. Although horse riders are classed as vulnerable users of the highways, very little is done in comparison to cyclists and pedestrians to help us to get off the roads where it has become increasingly risky due to impatient drivers. Pam and Didy have regular meetings with the Rights of Way departments in Leeds and Bradford which is raising awareness of our problems and risks we are forced to take to get to the few bridleways available to us. They need our support in order to campaign for more tracks and bridleways and this can be as simple as becoming a free member of WHOA so they can say they are representing hundreds of riders in our area.
The group has a web site where you can download and print a membership form and once completed, you can hand it in to Country Feeds in Shipley or Wharfedale Equestrian shop at Guiseley, who will act as one of our post office boxes. It also lists dates of the next meetings and what will be the added attraction, such as table top tack sales, quizzes and interesting, informative talks by experts.
You don’t have to attend the meetings but we hope to become a pool of riders or horse owners who can help to gather information about bridleways and what problems we encounter.
You don’t have to attend the meetings but we hope to become a pool of riders or horse owners who can help to gather information about bridleways and what problems we encounter.
Our horse friendly local councillors from the Wrose/Shipley ward have been in touch with me again. I had asked if the track across Wrose rec could be opened again, it used to make a nice circular extension to the Wrose route and would mean you didn’t have to ride through the streets of Wrose to get back to Low Ash and then to Westfield Lane on what I used to call “the cinder track”. This councillor has also volunteered to attend the Bradford Local Access Forums that replaced the Rights of Way forum so hopefully he will be able to help give a balanced view (i.e. inclusive of horse riders) about rights of way issues.
Contact me as usual on christinehardaker@supanet.com or mobile 07739708727 or on Facebook, search for “Birkhill Rec or "The Commercial" is how we know it”. Please “like” my page to receive quicker updates about any progress.
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