THE latest community news from Powys.

Ramblers

POWYS Ramblers Area Council, attended by representatives from the three Powys groups, East Radnor, Four Wells and Welshpool and other interested Ramblers members, met in Newtown last week to discuss issues affecting Public Rights of Way (PROW) in the County. High on the list of topics for discussion was ‘Restoring the Record – lost ways’, an essential project to make sure that we don’t lose our public footpaths and bridleways that have been used in the past but are not currently recorded as PROW. This legislation also threatens some existing routes if a small section of the route used has not been recorded as a PROW. In 2000, Parliament decided that old rights of way that had not been legally recorded by 2026 would be extinguished, thereby putting pres-sure on the rights of way community to lay claims to paths before this deadline. “At the moment the 2026 deadline only applies in Eng-land but there is every chance that Welsh Government will introduce similar legislation” said Chair Alan Austin, “so it’s good to know that Powys Ramblers is ahead of the game in making sure that Public Rights of Way are recorded rather than removed from the County’s records. If you know of a footpath or track that is used or was previously used but is not now on the Ordnance Survey map, please do let us know. It could be permanently lost if nobody records it”.

Members also discussed the newly revised Paths for People leaflet which is to be circulated to all town and community councils in Wales with a view to engaging these councils in footpath work by making it easy for them to know how to go about it, what their powers are and so on. Hard copies of the Paths for People leaflet are available or you can download it from the Ramblers website in Welsh or English at www.ramblers.org.uk If you would simply like to know more about Powys Ramblers and what they do to protect your Public Rights of Way, visit their website or phone Alan Austin, chair, on 07791 775612.

County council

RESIDENTS are being given a chance to comment on how the county council can reduce spending by £22m over three financial years with an online budget-balancing exercise.The online consultation exercise which runs ‘til the middle of January, sets out a range of options that could be used to generate savings over the coming three financial years. Residents can show their support for services by increasing or decreasing funding support and seeing the impact on the service and council’s overall budget.

Cllr Wynne Jones, Cabinet member for finance said: “The council has to produce a balanced budget. This is an opportunity for residents to see the challenges we face and show their support for service areas by allocating money to one area balanced with a reduction from another.“We introduced the budget simulator last year using projected figures for a three-year period. This time we are looking at the period 2017/18 to 2019/20 and showing the impact of decisions on the overall budget. There will be elements that look familiar to residents but the exercise will help the council identify priorities for the coming years.“A new element this year is an opportunity to express a view on the level of council tax and the scale of future increases. Our long-term budget plans are based on an assumed increase of at least 3.75 per cent. As last year we will be making arrangements at libraries for residents who do not have access to the internet to take part.”

“The information provided by residents will prove valuable information for both the cabinet and the council, as it will show where residents think the savings should be made, in order to achieve the £22m target,” he added.The budget simulator will be on the council’s website under the ‘Have Your Say’ section: www.powys.gov.uk/haveyoursayThe consultation runs from 19 December to 15 January.

If you’re a member of a club, society or group, send your news to [email protected]