The right of access introduced under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CRoW) allows access to mapped areas of open countryside in England and Wales and is managed at a local level by the Access Authorities.
The Access Authority is usually the local Highway Authority (county council, unitary authority, metropolitan or London borough) or, if the land is inside a National Park the relevant National Park Authority. These should not be confused with Relevant Authorities who are reasonable for administrating and granting restrictions on access land.
Access Authorities
The CRoW Act gave Access Authorities a number of powers to help manage access land but does place any duties on them to use these powers. They are expected to co-ordinate local arrangements for open access and set up Local Access Forums.
The CRoW Act gives Access Authorities the powers to:
- Make byelaws, usually as a last resort where all other forms of management of access has failed, to preserve order or prevent damage to the access land.
- Appoint wardens to give advice both to access users and landowners, and enforce byelaws and restrictions.
- Erect and maintain notices, access symbols, information points and restrictions notices.
- Provided new gates, stiles and other "means of access" and improve, repair or maintain any already in place. This can be done with or without the landowners consent.
- Enter land to exercise these powers
Funding for access
Access Authorities may apply for funding to pay for wardens, put up signs and stiles etc. Unfortunately this scheme is not intended to be permanent and is set to end in 2007. When this scheme ends Access Authorities will have to fund this work is via the Standard Spending Assessment that each authority receives from central government. This means that the money for access, like the money for rights of way, will not be ring-fenced in any way and must compete with all spending priorities the authority may have.
The Ramblers would like to see the Access Management Grant Scheme extended and believes that money needs to provided every year for access work and if it is not Access Authorities will not provided inadequate funding for access.
Relevant Authorities
Relevant Authorities run and administrate the closures and restrictions system. Normally this is Natural England but inside National Parks it will be Park Authority and inside woodland the Forestry Commission.
Local Access Forums
The right of access introduced under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000(CRoW) is managed at a local level by the Access Authorities who are advised by Local Access Forums
Local Access forums are statutory advisory bodies who give independent advice on improving public access to land in their areas for all types of open-air recreation. Forums are made up of volunteers from recreational users, landowners, and other local interests, such as conservation, tourism and business.
Access Authorities are obliged to take a forum's views into account when taking decisions on a number of issues such as:
- long-term restrictions on access land
- appointing wardens
- making byelaws
- rights of way improvement plans
If you are interested in the work of your local forum you should contact your local authority - county council, metropolitan borough or unitary authority - or the national park authority if you live in a national park.
Ways you can help / Reporting problems
If out walking you come across a problem then please report it to us here at the Ramblers' Association and the Local Access Authority. To report a problem, fill out our
online problem report form. Please e-mail your report form to
walking.environment@ramblers.org.uk.
