Sir – The appeal by the Ramblers and the Oxford Fieldpaths Society for volunteers (Letters, December 1) to help maintain the public-path network is no doubt a worthy contribution to ‘the big society’, whereby the Government aims to replace professionals by amateur part-timers.

Oxfordshire County Council is under a statutory duty to keep public paths open for public use and enjoyment (Highways Act 1980 section 130 and elsewhere). Its attempt to do so is not ‘valiant’ as your correspondents claim. It is feeble — not least because the council wastes resources. It is not under a statutory duty to alter the route of paths at the whim of local property-owners who want them out of the way but it does just that, very frequently and at heavy cost.

At the end of October there was a public inquiry lasting two-and-a-half days into the council’s proposed diversion of footpaths at Bodicote. This was undertaken because the residents at Bodicote Mill do not like having a path beside their house; yet they bought the property knowing the path was there.

At the inquiry the county council fielded two members of staff (including a senior rights of way officer whose dedicated role is to deal with such cases) plus a solicitor (fee unknown) to promote the case. The council admits having paid at least £800 to hire the Cherwell District Council chamber for the inquiry. Prior to this the case had generated two weighty files of paperwork (I have inspected them).

Unfortunately we don’t know how much these years of bureaucracy cost because the council does not record time spent on such matters.

If Oxfordshire County Council stopped spending money to appease greedy property-owners by moving ancient paths, it would have less need of volunteers to keep paths open.

Chris Hall, Oxfordshire representative, Commons, Open Spaces and Footpaths Preservation Society, Henley-on-Thames