IN 2021 BCP Council dug up Harewood Avenue, between College Drive and the Littledown Ave roundabout (between the two crossings) to resurface the road.

December 2023 I decided to ask them to sort the path out, as it had been left covered in soil and stones from the works in 2021 (yes it took me a while to get around to it, but I would have expected the council to beat me to it, as they sweep the paths on a regular basis)

I didn't hear back from the council so I submitted a second request on their website and eventually heard back from BCP Council around the 11th January when they said the work had been completed. Which actually meant a man in a road sweeper drove over the path. So on my next school run I could see there was no change.

I then contacted the local ward councillor, who said he would pass on my issue to the director, who I assumed was at the council.

This email is dated the 11th of Jan and unsurprisingly I never heard from that director, but I have heard from the council saying I submitted the wrong 'the path needs clearing' request, so they have forwarded that on to the 'path needs clearing' department. That was on the 2nd of Feb 2024 (yes three years after the resurface was complete)

Ten days have now elapsed and the public (tax payers I think they call them) have become accustomed to traversing onto the shared cycle path due to the mud slide and puddles, and got very adept in avoiding the children riding to school, but enough was enough, so I did it myself.

I appreciate this is a first world problem and there are far far far worse issues going on out there, but it would be nice to think that the local council and local councillors gave a hoot about the public (tax payers) they represent.

James Rowe

Hartsbourne Drive,

Bournemouth