£57k Court Costs For Removal Of Shoreham Pop-Up Cycle Lane

Monday, 7 March 2022 08:13

By Karen Dunn, Local Democracy Reporter

Legal costs paid by West Sussex County Council following the removal of a Shoreham pop-up cycleway came to £57,700.

The cycleway was installed in Upper Shoreham Road in September 2020 – one of six built countywide as part of a bid to encourage active travel during the first lockdown of the pandemic.

By January 2021 it was gone, after a public backlash prompted the council to remove them all.

Unhappy with the decision, Cycling UK sought a judicial review, accusing the council of acting illegally.

In January, it was reported that the council had come to an out-of-court settlement, paying the charity £25,000 in costs.

During a meeting of the full council earlier this week, Sarah Sharp (Green & Independent Alliance, Chichester South) submitted a written question asking how much the case had cost the council in total.

In his response, Steve Waight, cabinet member for support services & economic development, said the council’s own legal costs had come to £32,700, on top of the £25,000 paid to Cycling UK.

Mrs Sharp said not all councillors had been told of the costs incurred and asked if regular reports could be shared about court cases involving the council.

But Mr Waight said this would put ‘an unnecessary additional burden’ on officers given the amount of routine litigation – such as debt recovery and child protection cases – they dealt with.

He added:

“It is relatively rare for the council to become involved in litigation of this nature.

“The county council becomes involved in High Court judicial review claims perhaps once or twice a year.

“The established practice is for the relevant cabinet member to be fully briefed and for local members to be kept informed when, as in the Shoreham case, it was a matter of local interest.”