A LABOUR councillor has launched legal proceedings against East Sussex County Council after years of neglect left a busy Pebsham footpath impassable, forcing pedestrians – including wheelchair users and parents with pushchairs – to step into traffic.
Cllr Gareth Delany, Labour councillor for Pebsham & St Michaels Ward, submitted a formal Section 130 notice (Form 1) under the Highways Act 1980 to East Sussex Highways on Monday, 9th February, warning of magistrates court action if the authority fails to clear the obstructed footpath on Hastings Road near the Glyne Drive exit.
Cllr Delany first raised the issue in 2024, following persistent complaints from residents about slipped banking and overgrown vegetation that has rendered sections of the footpath unusable. The route is particularly busy during school pick-up and drop-off times.
On Friday, 13th February, residents and councillors gathered on the affected stretch to highlight the dangerous conditions. Among them was Brian Giles, a resident in his nineties who has been taking his own clippers to the path in an attempt to keep it clear.
“Brian first raised this issue with me back in 2024,” said Cllr Delany. “The fact that someone in their nineties feels compelled to do the work that East Sussex Highways should be doing is both inspiring and damning. He’s an absolute inspiration, but he shouldn’t have to do this.”
Also present was Dave Jarvis from Bexhill’s Rollin’ Crew, a group advocating for accessible streets for wheelchair and mobility scooter users, and fellow Labour councillors Mark Legg (Old Town and Worsham Ward) and Ruairi McCourt (Central Ward).
Last summer, Cllr Delany, fellow District and Town Councillors as well as local residents took direct action, cutting back vegetation and digging back sections of the slipped bank. “But there was only so much we could do,” Cllr Delany explained. “This needs proper professional work that East Sussex Highways should have done years ago.”
“Although I’m launching this legal action, this is very much a collective effort,” Cllr Delany emphasised. “This isn’t about one councillor – it’s about a community that won’t accept being treated as second-class citizens by an unhearing East Sussex Highways.”
East Sussex Highways now has until 9th March to respond with a plan of action. If their response is deemed inadequate or fails to materialise, Cllr Delany will submit Form 4 to the magistrates’ court to force remedial action through legal proceedings.
A spokesperson for East Sussex Highways said: “An East Sussex Highways spokesperson said: “We are aware of the issue affecting the footpath in Hastings Road. Work to clear the footpath of vegetation is planned but due to the location, and for the safety of workers and road users, it will require temporary traffic lights to be installed.
“Once this has been arranged, taking into account the impact of traffic management for gas works on nearby Bexhill Road, the work will be carried out.”
