A countryside access emergency should be declared in Powys.

At a meeting of Powys County Council’s Planning committee on Thursday, October 29, councillors received the annual report for 2025/2026 of the Powys Local Access Forum (LAF).

LAFs are usually made up of landowners, members of cycling or walking groups, horse riders and conservationists.

These forums advise organisations such as county councils and national park authorities on issues such as improving public access, outdoor recreation, travel and land use.

During 2025/2026, 1,119 new problems were reported to the council, but only 63 were resolved, and some of these dated from previous years.

The total number of “outstanding problems” facing Powys rights of way is now 12,149.

In comparison, Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority (BBNPA), which also covers a portion of the county, sorted out 313 outstanding issues last year.

Cllr Gareth E Jones (Powys Independents – Llanelwedd) is the council’s representative on the LAF.

Cllr Jones pointed out that the countryside services department within the council, which looks after rights of way, does “great work” despite being underfunded.

Cllr Jones said: “I find it alarming we only resolve 63 out of 12,000 issues when the national park have resolved 313.

“I don’t know how many are on their list, but I assume it’s a lot less.”

He added that he would be highlighting the lack of funding for countryside services and going in to bat for them in next year’s council budget round.

Powys LAF chairman Graham Taylor pointed out the “starkly” different experience of walking a path inside the national park.

Mr Taylor said: “Yesterday (Wednesday, October 28) I went down to Talgarth with a group and it was a joy.

“We spent four hours walking county paths, climbing over stiles and with no obstacles at all, lots of waymarks and signposts.

“That’s what it should be like in the rest of Powys.”

Mr Taylor continued: “Without urgent action now, future generations will not have the benefit that we have of accessing the countryside.”

This is because the lack of maintenance means pathways and stiles are “rapidly falling apart”.

Mr Taylor continued: “That’s why I’m suggesting the council should seriously consider declaring an emergency about access to the countryside in the same way we have done about the climate and nature.”

He explained that he had watched how the council had galvanised an authority-wide response to a highly critical report by Estyn with a “council-wide approach”.

Mr Taylor gave an example of how this could be done with rights of way.

Mr Taylor said: “The farms policy has been redeveloped, and it makes specific reference to the importance of rights of way on council-owned farms and how that needs to be protected and how people doing things about that would be supported.”

He added that council planners needed to make sure developers enhanced rights of way on their property because that is a policy within the Local Development Plan (LDP).

Mr Taylor said: “People do block rights of way and that’s something that needs to be addressed and the enforcement team should have due regard about the importance of those things.”

Cllr Jones said: “I like the idea of declaring an emergency for accessing the countryside.

“We’re all getting older and access to the countryside could have a massive impact on health and wellbeing if we can’t get to those footpaths.

“Perhaps two or three paths that are identified as having high levels of use in each community should be prioritised.”

Mr Taylor said that this could be looked at when the council holds its next review of rights of way.

The Planning committee accepted the report.