WORCESTERSHIRE County Council has received a ‘zero rating’ from Active Travel England, which has cut the county off from receiving additional funding for cycling and walking routes.
Active Travel England is a Government inspectorate and funding body responsible for making walking, wheeling and cycling the preferred choice for everyone to get around by allocating funds to councils.
A rating of zero means an area has no local leadership or support for active travel, no plans in place, and only delivers lower complexity schemes.
Sharon Harvey, a member of the Redditch Labour Party, said: “This zero-rating confirms that Worcestershire residents have been seriously let down by the county council.
“Redditch is a beautiful town to walk around and explore.
“Failure to invest in walking and cycling means many visitors will miss out on the opportunities presented by safe and well organised routes.
“Redditch deserves better than a county council full of representatives who cannot fulfil their minimum obligations in this area.”
In a self-assessment, the County Council rated themselves a level 1 for their performance on active travel due to some of the improvements they have said to have made.
One of these includes a Redditch Arrow Valley Park Path and small improvements to pathways across the county.
Councillor Mike Rouse, cabinet member with responsibility for highways and transport, said: “As a County Council, we spend more than £20m per year on active travel measures.
“It is disappointing that Active Travel England decided to override our fair and reasonable Level 1 and put us at Level 0 instead, potentially cutting us off from funding opportunities.
“I have written to the new Secretary of State at the Department for Transport to voice my concern at this assessment, and I have invited her to come to Worcestershire, to hear our plans and see the difference increased government funding could make to the county.”
