Active Travel England (the Government body responsible for building Active Travel capabilities across the country) have rated each Local Authority on their capabilities (with regard to active travel).
The scoring was out of 4 and no Local Authority has achieved the maximum.
Both Derby and Derbyshire achieved a score of 1 out of 4 which is defined as “Some local leadership with basic plans and isolated interventions that do not yet obviously form a plan for a network.”
Locally, Leicestershire “achieved” only 0, Nottinghamshire achieved 2/4 and Nottingham and Leicester both achieved 3/4.
These scores matter as they influence the amount of funding that will be provided from central pots for Active Travel initiatives. Higher rated authorities are eligible to access more funding. Zero rated authorities will not be able to apply for certain pots.
The ratings were marked under the topics of local leadership, plans and delivery record. The next review is due in Summer 2023. A track record of removing schemes before they have been properly assessed impacts negatively on the rating achieved.
It’s disappointing to see Derby and Derbyshire rated lower than a lot of other counties particularly in view of the Derbyshire (including Derby) Cycling Plan goal of “being the most connected cycling county by 2030”. It’s particularly disappointing to see the rating of Derby (1) compared to Nottingham (3) and Leicester (3).
We note that Active Travel England are offering advice and training to help poorly rated Authorities to improve and hope that, locally, these opportunities are taken advantage of and that both Derby and Derbyshire achieve a better rating in the next review (this summer).
The Derby Telegraph have reported on this news and their article includes quotes from the Councils and Councillors. As always the comments below the article are mostly from those who haven’t really read the article but have some extreme view to express anonymously and thus are best ignored.
We call for much clearer leadership on, and commitment to, Active Travel from the leaders of both Derby City and Derbyshire Councils. As a Group we have extensive experience and a wealth of ideas amongst our membership and we’d be keen to work closely with the Local Authorities to help improve the ratings.
