A SECOND lacklustre bid for walking and cycling money means the county will miss out on more than half a million pounds.

Worcestershire County Council had put forward plans in a hope of securing more than £1.3 million in government walking and cycling money but will only receive £784,000 after both bids fell short.

At fifty eight per cent, the gap between the amount of money the county council bid for and how much it will actually receive was the worst in the country.

The authority received £135,500 in the first round of bids - only half of the money it had asked for - with campaigners saying the proposals 'missed the point'.

The results of the second £1 million bid revealed on Friday (November 13) that the council would only be receiving £649,000 – just sixty per cent of what was asked for.

City cycling campaigners Bike Worcester said it was disappointed but not surprised by the results.

Danny Brothwell, chairman of Bike Worcester, said: “We are disappointed that yet again the county has received the lowest share nationally of what it was originally allocated. Unfortunately, we’re not surprised.

“The government made it very clear what the funding was and wasn’t for. The biggest disappointment is that after only getting half the money in the first round the county council didn’t manage to put forward fully acceptable schemes in the second.”

“Along with the funding decision Grant Shapps has issued additional guidance which means the county council should consult more widely with local stakeholders before implementing any schemes.

“Hopefully this time Bike Worcester, our Cycling UK and Sustrans partners, along with other cycling advocacy groups in the county will be consulted. I’m sure the last thing anybody wants are half baked schemes that do little to encourage more to walk and cycle for their shorter journeys.

“Active travel is front and centre in the Local Transport Plan LTP4, but this is further evidence that the leadership at the county council show little signs that they genuinely want to enable, encourage and incentivise active travel, and for us all to make less journeys by car, for the benefit of everyone.”

The county council faced criticism in June for a “poor and inadequate” bid to the government for Active Travel Fund money with cycling campaigners less than hopeful of securing all of the money in the second bid.

Councillor Alan Amos, the council’s cabinet member for highways, has faced criticism over both bids.

He said: “Whilst we are disappointed that we did not get the full amount we bid for as part of the second tranche of the Emergency Active Travel Fund, we still now have nearly £650,000 more to spend on walking and cycling improvements in Worcestershire which is great news.

"We’ll be looking at our proposals and prioritising delivery of the schemes that will make the most long term impact to walking and cycling routes in our county."

Cycling campaigners had called the council’s first bid “inadequate” saying it did not go far enough to address most of the key aims set out by the government for the funding – including pop-up bike lanes, widened pavements, and cycle and bus-only corridors – to help people social distance in busy areas.

Matters had been made worse when Cllr Amos dismissed calls for further investment calling the growth in popularity of cycling during lockdown “just a phase” saying the council needed to focus on all forms of transport.

In August, a leaked presentation stated senior Conservative councillors at Worcestershire County Council had made it clear they did not support any schemes that resulted in the loss of car parking spaces or road space for cyclists or pedestrians.

The county council has since said the leaked slide was not an accurate description of the council's approach.

Cllr Amos said the presentation was “false” and councillors should instead be focusing on the council’s “record spending.”

The presentation slide said council leaders had set clear political 'red lines' which "significantly" restricted what the council could do.

Following the news of the funding announcement, West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin said: “This year we have seen a 100 per cent increase in the number of people cycling along county roads and many more people used the lockdown period to get out and about either by foot or by bike.

“I’ve had extensive conversations at a local and national level about how we can invest in schemes which actually make a positive difference for people who want to use foot or pedal power.

“We have some fabulous rural spaces but too often I hear about people who are unable to access them by bike because of congestion pinch points – especially the linking roads between Worcester and Malvern.

“I’ve met with cyclists to discuss the challenges they face, and I hope that Worcestershire county council is able to use this money to boost their comprehensive active travel plan to help people get out and about safely.”