Andrew has welcomed news that Wiltshire is set to receive an additional £681,000 from the Government’s Active Travel Fund (GATF) – designed to create safe space for cycling and walking.

The Government has pledged a revolution in walking and cycling as part of its plans to level up the whole county, with the Prime Minister pledging a record £2 billion investment to double cycling and increase walking by 2025. This comes on top of more than £27 billion that will be invested in England’s roads over the next five years, ensuring the road network is safe, reliable and efficient.

The Wiltshire GATF allocation could be used to fund measures such as pedestrianised streets outside schools during school hours, low traffic neighbourhoods and segregated cycle lanes. In total, £175 million is being allocated to local authorities across England in the latest round of allocations from the fund.

Following discussions with local MPs, the Government has stipulated that councils receiving money will have to meet tough new conditions to ensure that schemes are properly thought out and that their impact on other road users are closely weighed up. Councils will also have longer to spend the money, ensuring there is time to consult local communities. If these conditions are not met, future funding allocations will be reduced, and the Government could clawback some of the money already provided.

Commenting, Andrew said:

“As many of us have tried to avoid public transport in recent months, we’ve seen a huge increase in the number of people opting to walk or get on their bike when moving around.

“I’m delighted that Wiltshire will benefit from additional funding to make our local area more bike and pedestrian-friendly, while maintaining the access and space other road users still need.

“This Conservative Government was elected on a promise to level up the whole country – and investment such as this into our local infrastructure shows we are delivering exactly that.”