I had high hopes for yesterday’s Budget announcement. Today, I’m feeling deflated and defeated – was I just too optimistic?
The Budget announcement has been tentatively welcomed by Cycling UK and Sustrans, as the £100m for cycling and walking infrastructure goes some way to undoing the previous cuts. However, it’s a drop in the ocean compared to budgets for roads – where £500m has been allocated to maintenance – and the fuel duty freeze remains in place, effectively subsidising private transport.
Responding to the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget statement and how it relates to transport and active travel, Sarah McMonagle, director of external affairs at Cycling UK, said:
“Credit where credit’s due; today the Chancellor has helped to recoup funding for active travel that was cut in March 2023 by committing an additional £100m to cycling and walking infrastructure. However, much greater investment is needed if the government is to achieve its ambitious health and economic growth missions. We know that for every £1 spent on cycling and walking schemes, £5.62 worth of wider benefits are achieved. This far surpasses the return on investment for road building.
“We were disappointed to see that fuel duty has been frozen yet again, which means the cost of driving is not increasing in relative terms. Research suggests that in the past, savings from the fuel duty freeze have not been passed down to consumers. Revenue raised from an increase in fuel duty could make public transport more affordable, and cycling and walking much safer through more investment in active travel.
“Increasing investment in walking and cycling stands to benefit us now and in the future. There’s still time to take bold action, and we will continue to impress upon the government the potential for cycling to transform our communities into greener, healthier and more prosperous places to live.”
Xavier Brice, CEO of active travel charity Sustrans, said:
“Amid a tight spending landscape, it’s great to see investment in transport. Alongside investment in buses, rail, and fixing potholes and pavements, we welcome the additional £100 million investment in cycling and walking paths, reversing previous cuts. This will boost the economy, improve people’s health and help us all get around.”
While the budget does make provision for incentivising electric cars and vans, there’s nothing in there to help people purchase car-replacement electric cargo bikes. In a budget peppered with mentions of decarbonisation and economic growth, it seems to me a missed opportunity not to provide more incentives to get people on bikes.
Of course, some see cycling as a sport, and there’s a budget allocation for sport:
Supporting elite and grassroots sport by investing in multi-use facilities across the UK and scaling up work so DCMS can deliver on plans for the UK and Ireland to host the 2028 UEFA European Football Championship. DCMS will also provide UK Sport’s Olympic and Paralympic programme with an increase in funding of over 10% , providing £9 million a year extra to support hundreds of talented athletes across the country as they go for gold at the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. This multi-year investment will mean a total of £344 million is invested over the next cycle.
Budget 2024
However, it’s worth noting that UK Sport deals with the elite end of things – theirs is not grassroots funding – and supports around 1000 elite athletes, with the help of additional funding from the National Lottery. In the funding:people impacted stakes, this is a vast sum of money compared to that allocated for active travel. It’s perhaps no surprise then that UK Sport has welcomed the budget:
Sally Munday, CEO of UK Sport said;
“The Government’s commitment to a multi-year investment of £344 million over the next four year cycle in the UK’s Olympic and Paralympic sports is incredibly welcome.
“We are confident that the amount announced, alongside the excellent support provided by The National Lottery, will enable British athletes to pursue their ambitions at Milan Cortina 2026, LA 2028, and beyond. It means that Olympic and Paralympic sports in the UK can deliver more extraordinary sporting moments like we proudly witnessed at the recent Paris Games.
“Investment into Olympic and Paralympic sport is incredible value for money as it drives economic growth and inspires and unites people and communities across the country.
“The money invested into Olympic and Paralympic sport allows world class support to be provided to British athletes. This includes enabling investment into some of the best coaches, sports science and medicine in the world and contributes towards costs of training environments, camps, travel, accommodation, and entry into international competitions outside of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. It also enables over 1000 athletes across 50 sports to receive grants to contribute to their living costs.
“I would like to place my thanks on record to the Government for the commitment and support they have shown to British Olympic and Paralympic sport and athletes today – it will make a real difference.”
I’ve asked Sport England if they know if the Budget has had any impact on their funding – as they’re responsible (alongside their home nations equivalents) for the grassroots stuff that affects many of us.
The other key budget area for mountain bikers and outdoor enthusiasts generally is the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs. Here, there is some money for tree planting and peatland restoration, but that’s about as close as it gets to money that might impact on the places and trails we ride. There’s nothing in there about funding for increasing access to the countryside, for example. Equally, there are no huge pots of funding for Local Government to help them work through the many issues on our Rights of Way network.
Away from places to ride, the Budget may put further pressure on the many small businesses within the UK bike industry. Some of the smallest players will perhaps escape the extra cost of the rise in National Insurance, but there will be others who are outside the increased employer’s allowance threshold and will feel the squeeze on already tight margins. To add to that pressure, business rates are also set to rise, making it harder still for those with a shop front. If you’ve got a favourite local bike shop, don’t forget to use them.
Is there a glimmer of hope in there somewhere? Maybe, or at least if you live in certain areas:
Providing over £650 million of funding for local transport beyond City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements in 2025-26 to ensure that transport connections improve in our towns, villages and rural areas as well as in our major cities. This includes funding to progress transport-related Levelling Up Fund projects from Rounds 1, 2 and 3. The Transport Secretary will set out further detail on how this funding will be allocated in due course.
Budget 2024
The Transport Secretary has previously made encouraging noises about active travel funding, although this budget doesn’t appear to be delivering the ‘unprecedented’ levels of investment some of us might have hoped for. Perhaps we may yet see further incentives and investment for cycling being opened up through legislative changes in the planning system? I’ll certainly be watching carefully.
We were told it was going to be a tough Budget, and from a cycling perspective it certainly looks that way. Have you spotted any reasons to be cheerful? And how much of it is on the government to support cycling, how much is on the cycling industry, and what’s just up to us to get on our bikes and get on with it?
