Basford Footpath Question

I understand that the Basford- footpath question will again come before the Wolstanton Council, at next Monday's meeting. The proposal is that a portion of the footpath which takes off from Basford Bank parallel with Oxford-road should be dosed, to enable the land to be sold to the Tennis Club, and for the convenience of the owners and tenants of the adjoining property. For reasons which I have already explained, I am in favour of the footpath being closed. and I hope the Wolstanton Council will confirm this on Monday. Years ago, the footpath might have been a necessity, but there is now the broad thoroughfare of Oxford-road taking off a few yards higher up Basford Bank, and the footpath is not necessary. Oxford-road is in every way better. On the other hand, the Tennis Club is losing its present ground, and unless this new site can he secured, there is a probability of the Tennis Club in the large end growing suburb of Basford collapsing. It would be a dog-in-the-manger policy to say that the residents of Basford, who are large ratepayers, should not be allowed a Tennis Ground. I feel sure that the "working classes" do not take any such limited view, and would repudiate any appeal to a "class war" on such a matter. So I hope the Council will confirm the proposal to c close an unnecessary footpath, and will seek to promote the genuine public interests involved.

Staffordshire Sentinel, 27 December 1924
Courtesy of The Sentinel News & Media