Reluctance to enforce footpath policy

I refer to the footway-outdoor dining policy of Gosford Council.

Council has issued guidelines for areas approved on public footways limited to areas directly adjacent to approved and existing places of dining.

Why does council condone breaches of its own policy?

"A clear distance of a least two metres of footway must be maintained for pedestrian traffic."

A one-way area exists outside a local delicatessen, where pedestrians have to give way to each other because the area is clogged up with excessive tables and chairs.

A large portion of the footpath has been taken over outside a seafood shop also.

"Furniture made from plastic and other light-weight materials will not be permitted."

The council advises that it had carried out an inspection of Woy Woy, Umina and Ettalong in August 2002 and stated that proprietors who had not formalised agreements would be forced to remove items from the footpath.

The inspection must have been carried out in the dark, as no changes have been made by the proprietors and no action taken by the council.

Just recently, council changed the Footway-Outdoor Dining Policy which has now made complying with the policy easier.

Is it: "If they won't comply, then we will change the policy so what they are doing complies"?

Various ratepayers have advised council on numerous occasions and nothing has been done.

It appears council's reluctance to enforce its own policy could be because friends and relatives are in the business of footway dining.

Gosford Council is unwilling to enforce sections 626 and 627 of the Local Government Act 93 (non comply and illegal use) and this is just another example of Gosford Council's poor track record when doing their job is concerned.

RA Smith, Umina