KENDAL Town Council is considering entering into a partnership agreement with the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) in a bid to improve the standard of the town's urban and rural footpaths.

Council clerk Hugh McClorry reported he had held constructive talks with representatives of the BTCV and said the organisation was keen to work with the town council to not only upgrade countryside footpaths but those in the town centre as well.

He said with the BTCV on board the town council could make a local heritage initiative application with the potential to apply for grant aid worth £25,000. "It would also help our case if we enlisted the civic trust's help or maybe Kendal College to do a photographic survey," said Mr McClorry.

Members were reminded that a couple of years ago the highways committee of the town council took on an initiative to look at the condition and the scope for improving the 150 footpaths in and around the town.

Each member of the town council walked the footpaths in their ward and noted what improvements should be made in terms of whether they could be better lit, if a hand rail should be provided or whether they could be better maintained.

He said the plan was to tackle the problems highlighted in "bite-sized chunks" on a priority basis from the centre of the town outwards, but that proved prohibitive on the basis of cost.

However, SLDC had provided the town council with a few dozen footpath signs to put up in the town's yards and footpaths but Mr McClorry added: "The district council is telling me now that it does not have the wherewithal to erect the signs."

He said that it could be possible to weave the erection of the signs into the town handyman's programme.

Councillors were keen to progress the partnership agreement and Mr McClorry will produce a report for a future meeting of the council.

May 15, 2003 12:01