The Government recognises the vital role that public rights of way play in promoting access to nature, encouraging active travel, and supporting community wellbeing. Responsibility for managing and maintaining these routes lies with local highway authorities, who must ensure that paths are clear of obstructions and accessible to all users.

Each authority is required to maintain a Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP), which outlines their strategy for enhancing the local rights of way network. These plans include assessments of the network’s current condition and are made publicly available on the authority’s website. ROWIPs serve as valuable tools for identifying local needs and priorities, including opportunities to improve accessibility for people with disabilities, families, and underrepresented groups.

Local authorities are uniquely positioned to understand the specific needs of their communities and to allocate resources effectively. Their local insight ensures that improvements to the rights of way network are both targeted and impactful.

The Government continues to collaborate with partners to support responsible access and promote inclusive enjoyment of the natural environment.

The department’s home-to-school travel policy aims to make sure that no child is prevented from accessing education by a lack of transport.

Local authorities must arrange free home-to-school travel for children of compulsory school age, 5 to 16, who attend their nearest school and would not be able to walk there due to the distance, their special educational needs, disability or mobility problem, or because the nature of the route means it would be unsafe for them to do so. There are extended rights to free travel for children from low-income families, intended to help them exercise school choice.

The government is committed to creating opportunities for all children so that they can achieve and thrive and is working with department officials to understand how well home-to-school travel supports children to access educational opportunity.

The Government is investing an unprecedented £2 billion of dedicated funding in cycling and walking over this Parliament, which will enable local authorities across England to deliver safer walking and cycling routes in their areas, making it easier and more attractive for commuters to walk and cycle to work. The National Bus Strategy, published on 15 March 2021 and backed by £3 billion of transformational funding, will deliver better bus services for passengers across England, through ambitious and far-reaching reform of how services are planned and delivered. We are also working with the rail industry to develop a number of recovery initiatives, focused on restoring passenger confidence in travelling by rail, including introducing new flexible season tickets for commuters.

In May, the Government announced £2 billion of new funding for cycling and walking. £225 million is being made available to local authorities in 2020-21 via the Emergency Active Travel Fund to invest in new cycling and walking infrastructure. Decisions on further funding will be a matter for the Spending Review later this year.