Worcestershire County Council Given Level 0 Rating by Active Travel England
Worcestershire County Council (WCC) has been given a zero rating by Active Travel England (ATE). When it comes to cycling and walking, Worcestershire has got a lot of sauce but no bottle.
In August, local authorities were asked to self-assess their own performance on active travel. The assessments were to determine revenue allocations from the £30 million Capability and Ambition Fund.
There were five possible levels, from Level 0 to Level 4. Authorities had to rate themselves on:
- local leadership and support
- Local Cycling & Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) maturity and
- scheme delivery
The weighting of the three areas was 40-30-30.
Reasons for the Level 0 Rating
The reasons given for WCC’s Level 0 rating were:
- lack of evidence of ambition – presumably related to local leadership and support, and
- no track record of delivery
The self-assessment was not taken at face value by ATE but ‘assured and moderated’ using 13 data sources.
Consequences of the Level 0 Rating
The consequences of the Level 0 rating are that WCC will not receive Capability and Ambition funding, and will not be eligible to bid for money from the Active Travel Fund 4.
‘Our funding is limited and we need to invest it in areas where we are likely to achieve our long term outcomes. Unfortunately, we have assessed that the evidence you have provided does not demonstrate the minimum levels of local leadership and/or delivery track record that we require. We are therefore taking the difficult decision to withhold Capability and Ambition funding from your authority this year. It means you will not be eligible to bid for Active Travel Fund 4 while you remain at level 0.’
ate letter to wcc
ATE also said that they would like to work closely with WCC to achieve Level 1 as soon as possible.