Very interesting letter ...

... from Andrew Hart. Definitely worth a read. Views?

" It is quite amazing, last week I saw a mother walking her daughter and pony around the Granby Stray, last night I saw the same people but now with 2 ponies! I actually thought it nice to see this happening on a piece of the Stray that is under utilised. The problem being of course is that it is against the law as set out under the Stray Act 1985. 

 Some how we need to get the message over that we are not at all against people enjoying the Stray or making the most of it. We are just highlighting two aspects: 

1.The Stray needs greatly improved protection and reinvestment if it is going to be used more and more for Council backed commercial ventures. 

2.That by turning a blind eye to the Stray Act 1985 just because much of it is not fit for purpose is encouraging abuse of the Stray. By that I do not mean children on ponies, adults on horses, the flying of drones, playing cricket etc, I mean cars mounting grass verges, parking on the Stray, littering, dog fouling, tree snapping, cyclists on footpaths and the grass. 

One of the biggest problems the Stray has is that very few people know that the Stray Act 1985 exists (this I blame squarely on Harrogate Borough Council and the so called Stray Defence Association). Therefore most people have no idea they are breaking the law. In most cases if they knew they would not do it. However, HBC recognise that the Act is not fit for purpose but instead of tackling that and getting it changed to reflect the present and future needs of the town, they just ignore it to the greater part. Why, you wonder do they choose to do it this way, with, might I add, the almost total blessing of the SDA? The answer is easy, it saves the Council a large amount of money and suits their political and financial agenda. The SDA, lead by Judith d'Arcy Thompson and who claims to have 400/500 members, instead of acting as the self proclaimed "Common Conscience" just goes along with it all as far as the "basic day to day" protection of the Stray is concerned. 
The Stewardship of the Stray lies with HBC but why can't they Chair a group of volunteers/representatives that truly reflect the "common people" of Harrogate - the runners, the footballers, the historians, the picnickers, the dog walkers, the immediate neighbours, the riders, the cyclists and not just the Oligarchy of Harrogate? 

I am all for the increased use of the Stray at every level so EVERYONE can enjoy it but first the HBC must start to fulfil their legal obligations and fully protect it for its owners, the Duchy of Lancaster, for the Crown and for us, the "common people" of Harrogate. Then they need to publicly accept that the Stray Act 1985 is not fit for purpose and use our MP to lobby Greg Clark MP and Communities Secretary to amend the Act to reflect the needs of us all and not just the Council " .