Council is one of three in the country to boost active travel rating

Cheshire West and Chester Council has been recognised for its ambition to plan and deliver projects to boost walking, wheeling and cycling in the borough.

Active Travel England (ATE) has announced that the Council has increased its Active Travel Capability rating from a Level 1 to Level 2.

The Council is one of only eight councils in the country to move up a level, and one of just three that will move up to Level 2.

ATE is the government’s executive agency responsible for making walking, wheeling and cycling the preferred choice for everyone to get around in England.

This is the second round of Capability Ratings undertaken by ATE. In the first round Cheshire West and Chester was rated Level 1.

Levels ranged from Level 0 to Level 4 – with 0 the lowest and 4 the top rating.

The Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport and Highways, Councillor Karen Shore said:

“The aim of these ratings is to support committed and ambitious local authorities to boost their capability to deliver high quality active travel schemes.

“This demonstrates Cheshire West and Chester has made real progress in the area of active travel.  Moving up a level has given the Council an uplift in this year’s active travel Capability Funding allocation of £255,600 from Active Travel England.  It should enable us to access higher funding awards in future, however the funding implications of our improved rating is expected to be clarified following the upcoming Spending Review.”

In a report accompanying the new ratings, Danny Williams, Chief Executive Officer for Active Travel England said: “Our capability ratings not only recognise the progress being made in active travel across the country; they also help us to target funding.

“They were used in 2024 allocations, which will enable local authorities to continue to develop their capability to deliver high quality active travel programmes. I’d like to thank authorities across England who continue to work hard to help us give more people more transport choice.”