Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the long-term maintenance costs incurred by local authorities as a result of active travel infrastructure funded by Active Travel England.

The government is providing £7.3 billion of capital funding for local highway maintenance between 2026/27 and 2029/30 for transport authorities to maintain and improve local highways, including walking and cycling routes. This can be used to maintain schemes funded by Active Travel England, who have additionally made specific maintenance funding available to authorities as part of the wider Active Travel Fund, as follows: £48 million in 2024/25 and £128 million per year from 2025/26 to 2029/30. Authorities can choose to use this funding for new schemes or maintenance of existing schemes.