About you
3. What is your name?
Name
Ian McCall
4. Are you responding as an individual or on behalf of an organisation?
Organisation
Paths for All
Your Views
1. How has COVID-19 impacted the local government sector, in particular, council finances? Which council responsibilities are most impacted?
Please provide your response in the box provided.
We welcome the opportunity to respond to this call for views. Our comments are limited to those aspects that have direct relevance to the work and objectives of Paths for All. We would be delighted to offer more information if required. In our area of interest, transport, behaviour change, and planning are most relevant.
It is clearly too early to assess the full implications of the current Covid-19 crisis, but it has certainly demonstrated how behaviour can change radically overnight and perceptions of what is important can shift. It is unclear whether this will result in long term, lasting change but there is an opportunity to create a “new normal” that addresses societal and environmental priorities as we emerge from a crisis unlike anything this generation has experienced.
We have seen a huge shift with people adapting to new circumstances. Working from home has become the norm for many - with reduced commuting and business travel. Also, many have noticed how quiet, pleasant, and safe their neighbourhoods are with reduced traffic and reduced air pollution. The challenge is how we can capitalise on this as we move on and address the major social and economic impacts.
Some possible lessons include:
• Recent developments with coronavirus highlight the need to reallocate space and infrastructure to support the National Transport Strategy travel hierarchy – particularly for walking and cycling.
• The importance of sustainable travel and the possibilities around reducing travel have been highlighted.
• Increased recognition that planning and place have a significant impact on the health of the nation.
• A recognition of the importance of technology – including broadband
• This may be an opportunity to capitalise on behaviour change – building a new normal – but this will rely on developing the right projects as we come out of crisis
• The recovery of public transport post crisis will be a major challenge – particularly for bus services.
The recovery from Covid-19 is an opportunity to place less emphasis on economic growth and more on wellbeing, sustainability and addressing inequalities.
Covid-19 has shown the importance of aligning budgets to achieve policy alignment. A good example is Spaces for People, which is transport funded programme delivering public health outcomes. It would be good to see much more of this. There are many areas of spending that could be realigned to deliver public health, and climate change, outcomes. This may be an opportunity to capitalise on behaviour change – building a new normal – but this will rely on developing the right projects as we come out of crisis.
The economic damage of the crisis has increased calls for public spending on large infrastructure projects. Given the climate emergency, all new capital expenditure should be zero carbon and wherever possible locally delivered.
http://transformscotland.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/EEFW-Committee-Transform-Scotland-evidence-2020-06-29.pdf
The National Walking Strategy is key to promoting and sustaining increased levels of walking as part of addressing climate change. More resources will be needed to meet the aspiration of increased levels of walking, wheeling and cycling. Increased walking and cycling will bring multiple benefits to our health, environment, and economy. https://www.pathsforall.org.uk/mediaLibrary/other/english/final-walking-strategy-action-plan-10-sept-2019.pdf
The Infrastructure Investment Plan, NPF4, the National Transport Strategy and STPR2 will be key in achieving a green recovery.
Given the existential crisis that we face, the climate emergency must be placed at the heart of spending decisions. Despite the current Covid-19 situation the overarching longer-term priority must continue to be to address the climate change emergency. Since the publication of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report, the mood on climate change has moved significantly. The report points to transport emissions as a major cause of climate change, and the trends are headed in the wrong direction.
Transport is now Scotland’s biggest sectoral challenge in relation to climate. There is an urgent need to change how we travel. Investment decisions need to reflect this – a shift to smaller scale, more local, sustainable projects can potentially spread the benefits more widely across communities and support economic recovery. This will also promote the development of skills, community capacity and climate resilience.
Traditional economic measures are failing us – they drive climate change, environmental degradation, and social inequalities. We need to shift to measures of health and wellbeing, social justice, and reduced inequality. The National Performance Framework is a start at this approach. This also incorporates the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Our approach to a green recovery should be fundamentally informed by, and designed to deliver, these outcomes. Investment decisions need to reflect this – a shift to smaller scale, more local, sustainable projects can potentially spread the benefits more widely across communities.
Background
Paths for All is a Scottish charity founded in 1996. We champion everyday walking as the way to a happier, healthier Scotland. We want to get Scotland walking: everyone, everyday, everywhere.
Our aim is to significantly increase the number of people who choose to walk in Scotland - whether that's for leisure or walking to work, school, the shops or to a nearby public transport hub. We want to create a happier, healthier Scotland where increased physical activity improves quality of life and wellbeing for all. We work to develop more opportunities and better environments not just for walking, but also for cycling and other activities, to help make Scotland a more active, more prosperous, greener country.
Our work supports the delivery of the Scottish Government’s Active Scotland Outcomes Framework, National Walking Strategy and the Long-term Vision for Active Travel in Scotland, community and workplace health walking, path network development and active travel policy development. We are a partnership organisation with 29 national partners. Our funders include the Scottish Government, Transport Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage, Macmillan, The Life Changes Trust and Awards for All.
If we want to get significant numbers of people more active, then walking is of overwhelming importance – as both a recreational activity and as part of everyday life. This is particularly the case if we want to get inactive people more active.
It is clearly too early to assess the full implications of the current Covid-19 crisis, but it has certainly demonstrated how behaviour can change radically overnight and perceptions of what is important can shift. It is unclear whether this will result in long term, lasting change but there is an opportunity to create a “new normal” that addresses societal and environmental priorities as we emerge from a crisis unlike anything this generation has experienced.
We have seen a huge shift with people adapting to new circumstances. Working from home has become the norm for many - with reduced commuting and business travel. Also, many have noticed how quiet, pleasant, and safe their neighbourhoods are with reduced traffic and reduced air pollution. The challenge is how we can capitalise on this as we move on and address the major social and economic impacts.
Some possible lessons include:
• Recent developments with coronavirus highlight the need to reallocate space and infrastructure to support the National Transport Strategy travel hierarchy – particularly for walking and cycling.
• The importance of sustainable travel and the possibilities around reducing travel have been highlighted.
• Increased recognition that planning and place have a significant impact on the health of the nation.
• A recognition of the importance of technology – including broadband
• This may be an opportunity to capitalise on behaviour change – building a new normal – but this will rely on developing the right projects as we come out of crisis
• The recovery of public transport post crisis will be a major challenge – particularly for bus services.
The recovery from Covid-19 is an opportunity to place less emphasis on economic growth and more on wellbeing, sustainability and addressing inequalities.
Covid-19 has shown the importance of aligning budgets to achieve policy alignment. A good example is Spaces for People, which is transport funded programme delivering public health outcomes. It would be good to see much more of this. There are many areas of spending that could be realigned to deliver public health, and climate change, outcomes. This may be an opportunity to capitalise on behaviour change – building a new normal – but this will rely on developing the right projects as we come out of crisis.
The economic damage of the crisis has increased calls for public spending on large infrastructure projects. Given the climate emergency, all new capital expenditure should be zero carbon and wherever possible locally delivered.
http://transformscotland.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/EEFW-Committee-Transform-Scotland-evidence-2020-06-29.pdf
The National Walking Strategy is key to promoting and sustaining increased levels of walking as part of addressing climate change. More resources will be needed to meet the aspiration of increased levels of walking, wheeling and cycling. Increased walking and cycling will bring multiple benefits to our health, environment, and economy. https://www.pathsforall.org.uk/mediaLibrary/other/english/final-walking-strategy-action-plan-10-sept-2019.pdf
The Infrastructure Investment Plan, NPF4, the National Transport Strategy and STPR2 will be key in achieving a green recovery.
Given the existential crisis that we face, the climate emergency must be placed at the heart of spending decisions. Despite the current Covid-19 situation the overarching longer-term priority must continue to be to address the climate change emergency. Since the publication of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report, the mood on climate change has moved significantly. The report points to transport emissions as a major cause of climate change, and the trends are headed in the wrong direction.
Transport is now Scotland’s biggest sectoral challenge in relation to climate. There is an urgent need to change how we travel. Investment decisions need to reflect this – a shift to smaller scale, more local, sustainable projects can potentially spread the benefits more widely across communities and support economic recovery. This will also promote the development of skills, community capacity and climate resilience.
Traditional economic measures are failing us – they drive climate change, environmental degradation, and social inequalities. We need to shift to measures of health and wellbeing, social justice, and reduced inequality. The National Performance Framework is a start at this approach. This also incorporates the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Our approach to a green recovery should be fundamentally informed by, and designed to deliver, these outcomes. Investment decisions need to reflect this – a shift to smaller scale, more local, sustainable projects can potentially spread the benefits more widely across communities.
Background
Paths for All is a Scottish charity founded in 1996. We champion everyday walking as the way to a happier, healthier Scotland. We want to get Scotland walking: everyone, everyday, everywhere.
Our aim is to significantly increase the number of people who choose to walk in Scotland - whether that's for leisure or walking to work, school, the shops or to a nearby public transport hub. We want to create a happier, healthier Scotland where increased physical activity improves quality of life and wellbeing for all. We work to develop more opportunities and better environments not just for walking, but also for cycling and other activities, to help make Scotland a more active, more prosperous, greener country.
Our work supports the delivery of the Scottish Government’s Active Scotland Outcomes Framework, National Walking Strategy and the Long-term Vision for Active Travel in Scotland, community and workplace health walking, path network development and active travel policy development. We are a partnership organisation with 29 national partners. Our funders include the Scottish Government, Transport Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage, Macmillan, The Life Changes Trust and Awards for All.
If we want to get significant numbers of people more active, then walking is of overwhelming importance – as both a recreational activity and as part of everyday life. This is particularly the case if we want to get inactive people more active.
3. What help will councils need in future from the Scottish Government or others to overcome the ongoing financial strain?
Please enter your response in the text box provided.
During the past weeks, we have seen a massive increase in people walking and cycling in their local areas.
The impact of more people enjoying the outdoors in Scotland has pointed to the importance of paths, parks and ranger services and it will be important to ensure these are maintained and enhanced.
The awareness and value of their local greenspaces and path networks will also have increased. To improve the walking environment and to support more people to walk and cycle more often there will also be a need for resources for developing routes and path networks, the Central Scotland Green Network and active travel. There should be an increase in revenue funding to support local authorities in maintaining pavements / footways and paths to a high standard. Any increased capital budget must be followed with a proportionate increase in the maintenance budget. This can be achieved through reallocating transport resources to reflect the transport hierarchy – giving greater priority to sustainable travel choices.
There is a need to align spending on key policies – including transport, infrastructure, and health.
• There will need to be an increase in resources to meet active travel aspirations.
• There needs to be significant investment in public transport to get people out of cars post lockdown
• There should be an increase in revenue funding to support local authorities in maintaining paths to a high standard.
• Any increased capital budget must be followed with a proportionate increase in the maintenance budget.
• We welcome planning for and delivering inclusive low-carbon infrastructure - e.g. increased investment to support bus priority infrastructure and increased funding for active travel.
There is a need to improve our walking environment and other infrastructure linking to public transport. The recovery of public transport post crisis will be a major challenge – particularly for bus services. Active travel and public transport are intricately linked, particularly for pedestrians. Virtually every trip by public transport involves walking at some stage. Buses are particularly important given the number of people that use them and the range of communities they serve. 76% of all public transport journeys are by bus.
Bus travel is the lowest carbon per passenger mile form of motorised transport. Clean bus technology is well ahead of car, truck and ferry technology. However, over the last ten years bus routes have reduced by a fifth and fares have increased by 50%. Some areas, including many rural areas are poorly served by buses. This can prevent people accessing basic services, cause social isolation and increase inequality. Many people suffer from “transport poverty” due to a lack of affordable transport options.
The Smarter Choices, Smarter Places (SCSP) Programme is Paths for All’s grant scheme to support behaviour change initiatives to increase active and sustainable travel. An innovation for 2020/21 is the introduction of grants for organisations that want to introduce homeworking into their organisations to make it easier for people to reduce their commute. SCSP can be used to fund activities such as:
• Developing organisational ‘work-at-home’ policy and practice guidelines
• Provide training on managing-at-a-distance
• Provide training on use of video conferencing and other communication tools
• Develop business cases to inform long-term decision making
• Develop rotas, schedules and shift patterns
• Provide advice and support to help those that need it
• Employ ‘work-at-home’ champions
• Provide incentives
• Promote healthy and active working practice https://www.pathsforall.org.uk/active-travel/smarter-choices-smarter-places-1/open-fund
There is an important role in supporting and empowering local communities to make change in their own neighbourhoods. This will need transition skills training, community development and capacity building for transport planners and construction staff. Local authorities and Transport Scotland do not currently have the capacity to deliver the massively expanded network of walking and cycling routes, paths and related infrastructure that is required. We will support this through the delivery of our work - including Smarter Choices Smarter Places, Walking for Health and Community Paths - and through working with our partners.
Two examples of mobilising quickly and effecting change at a local level come from Paths for All’s Smarter Choices Smarter Places programme. Within a month of lockdown Inverclyde Community Development Trust was supplying refurbished bikes for NHS workers and shop workers who could no longer get to work due to restrictions on public transport. Similarly Getting Better Together in Shotts had reshaped its services within days of lockdown so that it could make bikes and bike maintenance available to key workers and others impacted by the reduction in public transport.
The impact of more people enjoying the outdoors in Scotland has pointed to the importance of paths, parks and ranger services and it will be important to ensure these are maintained and enhanced.
The awareness and value of their local greenspaces and path networks will also have increased. To improve the walking environment and to support more people to walk and cycle more often there will also be a need for resources for developing routes and path networks, the Central Scotland Green Network and active travel. There should be an increase in revenue funding to support local authorities in maintaining pavements / footways and paths to a high standard. Any increased capital budget must be followed with a proportionate increase in the maintenance budget. This can be achieved through reallocating transport resources to reflect the transport hierarchy – giving greater priority to sustainable travel choices.
There is a need to align spending on key policies – including transport, infrastructure, and health.
• There will need to be an increase in resources to meet active travel aspirations.
• There needs to be significant investment in public transport to get people out of cars post lockdown
• There should be an increase in revenue funding to support local authorities in maintaining paths to a high standard.
• Any increased capital budget must be followed with a proportionate increase in the maintenance budget.
• We welcome planning for and delivering inclusive low-carbon infrastructure - e.g. increased investment to support bus priority infrastructure and increased funding for active travel.
There is a need to improve our walking environment and other infrastructure linking to public transport. The recovery of public transport post crisis will be a major challenge – particularly for bus services. Active travel and public transport are intricately linked, particularly for pedestrians. Virtually every trip by public transport involves walking at some stage. Buses are particularly important given the number of people that use them and the range of communities they serve. 76% of all public transport journeys are by bus.
Bus travel is the lowest carbon per passenger mile form of motorised transport. Clean bus technology is well ahead of car, truck and ferry technology. However, over the last ten years bus routes have reduced by a fifth and fares have increased by 50%. Some areas, including many rural areas are poorly served by buses. This can prevent people accessing basic services, cause social isolation and increase inequality. Many people suffer from “transport poverty” due to a lack of affordable transport options.
The Smarter Choices, Smarter Places (SCSP) Programme is Paths for All’s grant scheme to support behaviour change initiatives to increase active and sustainable travel. An innovation for 2020/21 is the introduction of grants for organisations that want to introduce homeworking into their organisations to make it easier for people to reduce their commute. SCSP can be used to fund activities such as:
• Developing organisational ‘work-at-home’ policy and practice guidelines
• Provide training on managing-at-a-distance
• Provide training on use of video conferencing and other communication tools
• Develop business cases to inform long-term decision making
• Develop rotas, schedules and shift patterns
• Provide advice and support to help those that need it
• Employ ‘work-at-home’ champions
• Provide incentives
• Promote healthy and active working practice https://www.pathsforall.org.uk/active-travel/smarter-choices-smarter-places-1/open-fund
There is an important role in supporting and empowering local communities to make change in their own neighbourhoods. This will need transition skills training, community development and capacity building for transport planners and construction staff. Local authorities and Transport Scotland do not currently have the capacity to deliver the massively expanded network of walking and cycling routes, paths and related infrastructure that is required. We will support this through the delivery of our work - including Smarter Choices Smarter Places, Walking for Health and Community Paths - and through working with our partners.
Two examples of mobilising quickly and effecting change at a local level come from Paths for All’s Smarter Choices Smarter Places programme. Within a month of lockdown Inverclyde Community Development Trust was supplying refurbished bikes for NHS workers and shop workers who could no longer get to work due to restrictions on public transport. Similarly Getting Better Together in Shotts had reshaped its services within days of lockdown so that it could make bikes and bike maintenance available to key workers and others impacted by the reduction in public transport.
4. What can local government sector do, in the short and long term, to manage the financial impact of the crisis? What positive examples can councils and others share about the good work done at local government and community level to lessen the crisis?
Please enter your response in the text box provided.
Local Authorities have existing discretionary legislative powers to implement local road user charging or workplace parking levy schemes. Local Authorities wishing to bring forward such schemes should be given practical and financial support by the Scottish Government to bring such schemes to fruition.
5. How soon do you think the sector will be back to normal? Or is this time for a “new normal” in the way we deliver some council services or practice local democracy? If so, what will it look like?
Please enter your response in the text box provided.
As an organisation working with all local authorities across Scotland, we found a varied picture regarding resilience in response to Covid-19. Some seemed to adapt rapidly – others not so much. This was particularly the case in the first two to three months of the crisis.
A shift to home working was clearly easier for some. In some cases officers didn’t necessarily have access to mobile phones or laptops. There are definitely lessons to be learnt in terms of future resilience. There will also be significant costs associated with this – but also potential savings and benefits from more flexible working arrangements.
A shift to home working was clearly easier for some. In some cases officers didn’t necessarily have access to mobile phones or laptops. There are definitely lessons to be learnt in terms of future resilience. There will also be significant costs associated with this – but also potential savings and benefits from more flexible working arrangements.