Member

Quite separately, we all know that the Government’s policy—the policy on both sides of the House—is to open up the countryside to all, and this access is increasingly cited as a provision of significant mental health benefits to urban dwellers, and to all. There is a desire that citizens of towns and cities should have easy access to the countryside, and footpaths are the key to this, as they are traffic-free and, of course, walkers are surrounded by the flora and fauna of the wonderful countryside. This amendment appeals directly to that ambition. The wider farming community, which is not so keen on rights of way for very good reasons, is finding its subsidies linked to the greater good of the environment and of society as a whole, which is a further convincing reason to open up long-forgotten but traditional routes through the countryside.