Marlow Town Council risks becoming ‘inert’ unless it ‘leverages its contact with Buckinghamshire Council’ to press for solutions to local issues, according to leader Chris Funnell.

Cllr Funnell said it was the duty of the town council to “see if Buckinghamshire Council is serious” about maintaining parts of the town including its Grade-II listed bridge and Higginson Park during a meeting on Tuesday, April 16.

He expressed concern that the lower rung of local government could “become a little inert” if it doesn’t put pressure on Bucks Council to be “serious about maintenance jobs and following through” on Marlow-based projects.

Speaking to the Free Press in March, Mayor David Brown said he believes action should be taken to ensure the longevity of the town’s historic structure.

He said: “It would be awful if nothing is done. Unless something changes, it might end up having to be pedestrianised or something similar. At some point, it will reach its limit.

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“We do our best to look after the bridge and ask Buckinghamshire Council to monitor and maintain it. our priority is keeping it the local landmark that it is.”

Last month, Steven Broadbent, Cabinet Member for Transport at Buckinghamshire Council, described preserving Marlow Bridge as “of the utmost importance” to the unitary authority.

He added: “We have sought to install an Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) camera, but current legislation prevents us from doing this and so we must look at the alternative methods available.

“We will do all we can to protect it, but we also need drivers to take responsibility for their actions and help us to preserve this important structure.”