Anger as work begins on Otley's controversial river fence (From Wharfedale Observer)

Anger as work begins on Otley's controversial river fence

11:10am Thursday 11th October 2007

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WORK has begun on an unpopular river fence in Otley and could be finished within days - despite outrage in the town and a last-ditch attempt to stop the scheme.

Leeds City Council's (LCC) Scrutiny Board (Culture and Leisure) learnt on Monday that contractors would be starting the safety project at Wharfemeadows Park, Tittybottle Park and Manor Garth Park.

But board members, who are in the middle of investigating the decision to fence off the riverside, agreed to make an urgent request for work to proceed only by the weir for now - the least controversial area.

But LCC's principal parks manager, Sean Flesher, warned the meeting that the whole scheme - now estimated to cost £126,000 - could be completed before the executive board next met.

The outcome was plain for everyone to see by Tuesday afternoon, when workmen started installing sections of black, bow-topped, metre-high fencing near Otley Bridge.

Otley Town Council's clerk, Iain Plumtree, has been fielding complaints from angry residents ever since.

He said: "I've had people in to point out what's going on and express their severe disappointment at LCC for failing to take notice of the clearly expressed wishes of the community - and for not even waiting for their own processes to be completed.

"We viewed the scrutiny board as the first step in a long road towards bringing some trust back between the local authority and the community. But to put the fence up while the scrutiny board is meeting actually knocks the issue of trust back further.

"This community does not trust LCC."

It now seems certain the fencing work will all be in place before the scrutiny board - which had a previous request for the scheme to be suspended over-ruled - has concluded its inquiry.

Coun Ted Hanley proposed the new suspension of work.

He said: "Could we ask the executive board to ask officers to complete the fence at the weir and a short length of additional fencing, perhaps a few metres along, and then have a consultation with Wharfemeadows Action Group (WAG) and talk to the people of Otley? That way, residents and visitors could actually see what's being proposed and we could get a proper consultation going."

The meeting also heard that written legal advice received by LCC, which the board has been asking to see for months, has now been submitted to the inquiry - but cannot be made public.

Coun Hanley said: "Sadly the solicitor involved could not attend our working group, therefore I arranged to have a meeting with him. That lasted for an hour. The outcome was that he could not remember whether there were exchanges between him and counsel in any form of writing.

"To my great surprise, I received a note afterwards saying he had gone into the office to review the file and there was, in fact, some information in writing."

Tony Hartigan, of WAG, said: "It's outrageous no-one else gets to see this information. People are entitled to see what's been said. What are they frightened of?"

Meanwhile, Coun Brian Jennings urged the inquiry to find out why Otley had been singled out'.

He said: "If the people and visitors at Otley are at such risk that this fence has to be put up to save the council from serious financial harm, if somebody's stupid enough to jump in, then what about all those other stretches of water in the city?"

Coun Hanley hopes the investigation can be concluded at the board's next meeting on November 12.

But Otley MP Greg Mulholland said yesterday (Ocotber 10): "It is an absolute disgrace that Leeds City Council have ignored the views of the people of Otley and their elected representatives and gone ahead with the fencing.

"This makes a mockery of the council's duty to be accountable to the people they are employed to represent.

"The council's own scrutiny board said the work should not go ahead, with the exception of the area by the weir and children's play area, until they had carried out a full investigation.

"This is not the end of the matter and I will be working with WAG to take this matter to the Ombudsman. This is just not how you do things and we need to keep pressing until that is acknowledged."

o LCC has pointed out that Coun John Procter, executive member for leisure, has no connection with the contractors, Procter Fencing Systems.

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