Wyre Forest Labour Proudly serving the people of Kidderminster, Bewdley & Stourport
The lack of vision of Conservative-led Worcestershire County Council and the fact that they have already cost Worcestershire £130k in lost investment in cycling due to their failed “Active Travel Phase 1” bid was brought into focus again this week, as the Prime Minister announced government plans to actively boost cycling and walking, in an effort to help tackle the country’s health and environmental challenges.
The new government measures include:
- GPs being able to prescribe cycling, with patients able to access bikes through their local surgery;
- “Fix Your Bike” vouchers ( available here – https://fixyourbikevoucherscheme.est.org.uk/);
- Residents getting new powers to banish through-traffic from local streets and councils being prevented from building substandard cycle lanes.
Stephen Brown, Wyre Forest Labour said: “The Department for Transport is really keen for meaningful proposals to come from councils that truly favour walking and cycling. After only receiving 50% from the government’s Active Travel Phase 1, it is really important that Worcestershire County Council do not waste the opportunity to get all the money available to the people of Worcestershire in Phase 2 which is worth just over £1m for our county.
We welcome these additional proposals from the government in order to encourage walking and cycling throughout England but we also believe the government needs to do more to ensure that failing administrations like Worcestershire County Council are provided with the support and expertise they clearly require in order to develop the real cycling infrastructure and a better-connected cycle network that is needed for the future of this county. The deadline for the council to submit their bid is 7th August, so they do not have any time to waste.”
Further information here: