MK City Council receive government funding to encourage walking, wheeling and cycling

Milton Keynes City Council have announced that they will receive £4.7 million in government funding to encourage more walking, wheeling, and cycling in the local area.

The funding comes from Active Travel England and will be received over the next four years. MK City Council highlighted it has received the funding after showing a strong performance in the area, including investment in cycling programmes in schools and other initiatives. 

Each council’s funding is based on how successful they are in promoting active travel alongside population size. Councils with higher capability ratings receive greater funding support, and Milton Keynes City Council’s track record has helped to unlock this significant funding boost.  

The investment will support a range of projects, including: 

  • Increased expansion of our redway network and improving redway safety
  • Continued bike training for all school children in Milton Keynes
  • Installation of additional secure cycle parking across the city
  • Support to grow local walking, wheeling, and cycling groups and events 

The additional funding will also help the Council to continue supporting more schools to develop travel plans like Cold Harbour and Two Mile Ash primary schools, who both recently won national awards for their significant success in reducing car use and congestion around the school gates by getting more pupils walking, wheeling and cycling to school. 

Councillor Jennifer Wilson-Marklew, Cabinet Member for Transport, said, “I’m delighted that we’ve received this extra funding to help us continue building on our success in embracing cycling and walking alongside other forms of transport, especially as we’ve secured more funding because of our strong track record of delivery.  This means we can make it easier for people to choose sustainable transport for their shorter journeys’.”  

The funding is part of a £626 million national programme to help local authorities deliver walking, wheeling, and cycling schemes that improve road safety, offer greener transport options, and promote healthier communities.