Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the powers of councils to improve street accessibility.

Local authorities are bound by the Public Sector Equality Duty and it is for them to ensure any schemes they take forward are delivered in a way that allows them to comply with this duty. The Department provides guidance in Inclusive Mobility on designing accessible public realm, and the need for streets to be accessible to all is highlighted in other guidance documents as a matter of course.

In 2018 local authorities were asked to pause any new shared space schemes that incorporated a level surface and were at the design stage. Existing schemes or ones that were contractually committed or under construction were not in scope to avoid incurring financial penalties. This is still the position, and it is for local authorities to determine what changes may be required to existing schemes, taking into account their obligations under equalities legislation.