Question reference: S6W-17135
- Date lodged: 24 April 2023
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Current status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 9 May 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what financial support it (a) is providing in 2023-24 and (b) will provide in each of the next five years, to local authorities for active travel.
Answer
The Active Travel budget for 2023-24 is £189 million to deliver a range of infrastructure, behaviour change and access to bikes programmes. Local authorities are the predominant recipients of active travel related funding, either directly or through delivery partners such as Sustrans and Regional Transport Partnerships.
In 2023-24, around £60m funding is committed to be invested in local authority infrastructure delivery projects through Sustrans’ Places for Everyone (PfE) programme.
The Cycling Walking Safer Routes (CWSR) grant of £35 million goes directly to local authorities on a pro rata basis. Local authorities can use this to design, develop and construct active travel infrastructure measures based on identified local priorities.
In addition to PfE and CWSR, local authorities can bid for funds via Regional Transport Partnerships with cross boundary work being prioritised, and through the Active Travel Transformation Fund introduced in 2023- 24. As part of the Active Travel Transformation Fund, Transport Scotland will assume direct responsibility for funding Local Authorities and other partners to deliver infrastructure projects at construction stage, with around £20m budget allocated this financial year.
The details of the levels of active travel capital funding for the next five years will be discussed and agreed as part of the Scottish Government annual budget setting process.