Decision delayed on bridge upgrade

Twm Owen, Local Democracy Reporter

Upgrades to make a bridge to a popular beauty spot accessible to those in wheelchairs will be discussed in future, a top councillor has promised.

Torfaen Borough Council had previously said accessibility improvements to the stepped footbridge leading over a railway line and to Cwmbran Boating Lake would only be considered in the longer term.

But after Llantarnam councillor David Thomas again raised the issue at the council’s May meeting the cabinet member responsible for equalities, Peter Jones, promised to ensure the bridge is discussed when the council considers capital, or one-off, spending plans.

Reform UK’s Cllr Thomas had asked about the bridge, in March, and said council officers had told him there was a lack of funding available to make it accessible.

At that time Labour cabinet member Cllr Jones said cost wasn’t the only factor in the council’s decision as it had also considered a ramped access wasn’t feasible or deemed a “proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim” under the 2010 Equalities Act.

Cllr Jones had said the council had to consider whether it was “fair” to allocate time and people to a “substantial project” and whether it would “deliver the greatest benefit for disabled residents compared with other borough-wide improvements”. He also said there were other alternative routes to the lake, with improved disabled parking and suitable paths.

At the May meeting Cllr Thomas asked for an update and “what specific investigations, assessments, or discussions have taken place to address the ongoing lack of wheelchair access for disabled residents, parents with pushchairs, and those with reduced mobility?”

Timeline

After Cllr Jones said he’d set out the “council’s position” in response to a similar question in March Cllr Thomas said he wanted to “push” Cllr Jones on whether there was a “clear timeline for actual improvements rather than just allowing it to drift”.

Cllr Jones reminded Cllr Thomas the council was “committed to monitoring the bridge’s structural position and seeking a fully accessible solution in the longer term and said: “What I’ll commit to is in the future when we have discussions about capital spending I’ll make sure this issue is raised.”