The future of Keighley's footpaths rest with the area's inhabitants.

Bradford council's footpath experts want to know your views on the 400-plus paths which criss-cross the district, and how they should be maintained. Over the next eight months, the authority will be talking to walkers, horseriders, neighbourhood forums, community groups and businesses about it. The aim is to encourage more people to take up walking and take a greater interest in the local environment.

The major consultation process follows a two-year survey by the council of every public footpath, bridleway and by-ways in the district, as revealed in last week's Keighley News. The detailed survey, carried out by four rights-of-way officers based in Goulbourne Street plus a team of volunteers, will be completed this summer.

Of the 641 paths in the entire Keighley area (except Denholme which still has to be fully surveyed), 35 are totally blocked - either by walls, landslips or bridges missing. The survey has also found that a quarter of all rights of way in the district are suitable for people in wheelchairs. A further one in five could easily be adapted for the disabled if the path surfaces are improved and gates/stiles altered. But only one in five footpath signs are in place, around 100 gates and stiles need replacing or repairing, and one in 20 paths are difficult to follow even with a map.

The cost of bringing every path back into 'working order' will be enormous - signs alone cost £120 - so rights-of-way boss Cllr Phil Thornton wants the public to decide how the council's money can be best spent.

"This is the first time this has been tried by any local authority," he explains.

The Keighley News will give more details of how you can take part in the footpath consultation when it begins around Easter. Until then the footpaths' team can be contacted on 618316/618317. For problems with path maintenance call the highways department on 618300.

Our figure of one in five blocked paths in last week's paper was based on preliminary figures from Bradford council.

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