Barnsley Council warned of ‘never-ending fight’ at £2million footbridge

Cllr Will Fielding (Dodworth, Liberal Democrats) was calling for Barnsley Council to clear the metre-tall weed around the Penny Pie Park footbridge over the summer – only a couple of weeks after the £2 million footbridge opened to the public.

Then, Cllr Fielding said glass was everywhere on the ground and the bridge was immediately vandalised with graffiti.

Months after the local democracy service’s report, Cllr Fielding told the local democracy service that the area “looks a lot better now” but they were still unhappy about the state of the bridge.

They said: “They cleaned the glass up so I’m very grateful for that – I’m just a bit disappointed it took so long.

“I’ve had lots of complaints from residents about it, quite frankly. Barnsley Council should have listened.”

Cllr Fielding added the fight against graffiti “is a never-ending war” but there was an effort to sort it by the council’s team.

They also warned of the issue regarding accessibility at the bridge.

They said: “It’s a never-ending war. At least it’s painted over, at least they’re doing it… There’s only so much you can do. Kids have to hang out somewhere, there are not a lot of services for them…

“The shame about this bridge is the layout is poorly designed. Whereas from the Dodworth Road end the access is visible and open, from the Pogmoor Rec end it’s not – it’s closed.

“For me, it’s a safety issue.”