Council passes no confidence vote over Keswick path plan

Keswick Town Council has passed a motion of no confidence in the Lake District National Park Authority over its decision to resurface a path along a former railway line.

Repair work is underway to [**improve**](http://Lake District Authority launches survey on the Keswick to Threlkeld Railway path) the multi-user trail along the stretch, between Threlkeld and Keswick, which was heavily damaged by Storm Desmond in 2015.

Friends of the Lake District say that using tarmac will compromise the historic and rural character of the route and it will be more dangerous in icy weather.

A meeting of the Keswick Town Council passed the motion after a disagreement between councillors and the park authority over the controversial plans.

The Mayor of Keswick, David Burn, said: "We have totally lost confidence in the national park's willingness to listen to the people who live in the national park, and to their elected representatives."

But Chief Warden Mark Eccles, from the LDNPA, says the public want to see plans completed.

It's being upgraded at a cost of £8 million pounds after two of the old railway bridges that cross the River Greta and around 200 metres of the trail were washed away.

The path, which is popular with cyclists and walkers in the area, has been partly unaccessible since December 2015.

Read more: