IT'S MORE LIKE THE CHARLIE CHAPLIN VERSION...

"I SAID CLOSE THE FOOTPATH!"

Sitting down to write this, my most difficult decision was not where to start, but what to leave out.

The article, penned by Max Wieland, in this week’s Reporter entitled: ‘End of the road for controversial footpath’ must be held up as a perfect example of a horror story of a "little Hitler" who all too often seem to populate the lower levels of local and regional government.

Reading the coverage of the toing a froing from opposite sides at the recent Dukinfield Speakers Panel, it would appear that Cllr Taylor, after hearing the arguments from residents both for and against a problematic footpath, assumed the roll of some sort of dictator, and declared, “I understand why people objected and “I” do have sympathy for them but “I” have to weigh-up what is best and safest for the community and that is closure of the footpath!”

Never mind the 398 people who were observed using the footpath during a two hour peak period, or the children taking a short-cut to school, or old folks going to the bus stop or the Doctors; oh, no - a legitimate footpath that has served the community for donkey’s years has been closed because it doesn't suit Cllr Taylor’s personal opinion that the spurious reasons for its closure couldn’t be addressed.

According to the report, the problems connected with this footpath have been going on for at least 10 years, and the council applied, unsuccessfully to have it closed then. But an independent inspector found it to be a ‘valuable asset’ and ruled that it should remain open.

Therefore as a ‘valuable asset’ is Councillor Taylor actually saying that he and his council have allowed problems to continue unaddressed for the last decade?

During his time as a Dukinfield councillor, why, on first hearing about these problems didn’t he sort them out?

Why is it that councils, rather than confront and remedy specific culprits, find it easier to ban or close the facility and penalise everyone?

The phenomenon of officious public servants is universal, every country has its share of bureaucrats who have little authority, but it would seem that councillor Taylor; acting as the new ‘Sacha Baron Cohen’ of Tameside council has now taken his role to its nth degree!

Anyway, the upshot is that 140,000 miles of footpaths in England & Wales have just been made a little shorter by the closure of Footpath No 27, thanks to Tameside’s Obergrupenfuhrer Taylor!