Dear Council Cycling Policy Officer [or equivalent] Attached please find the 14th annual Spokes survey of Scottish local authority spending on cycle projects. I would be grateful if you could acknowledge receipt and let me know who will be dealing with this. I would very much appreciate receiving replies by Friday 26 March. The form is attached in MS Word 97 format as this is widely readable. Either print the form, write the answers and return it by post; or type into the form and send it back by email. The form can also be downloaded in pdf and Open Office format from http://www.spokes.org.uk/wordpress/ in downloads - technical - councils survey. Thank you very much for your help. Dave du Feu --------------------------------------------------- Note - for the attention of... This email is intended for the officer who deals with cycling policy/funding issues for your council. If you are not the appropriate recipient, please can you forward it, and also let me know the new contact. Generally I am addressing this email to whoever sent in your council's response last year. In a few cases I have more than one possible contact in the same council, as you can see from the 'To:' list above - if that applies in your case, please can you liaise to ensure that only the appropriate person deals with this. Many thanks. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- RECENT BACKGROUND, AND PURPOSE OF SURVEY The following is purely for information and interest. You can disregard it if you wish, and there is no need to read it in order to complete the survey form. The results of the survey will as always be used for lobbying national government - particularly important as this year is expected to see the 3-year Spending Review, a decision on the future of CWSS post-10/11, and the launch of CAPS, the government Cycling Action Plan which, as yet, has not had any promise of associated funding. In 2009 the main results were reprinted by the independent Scottish Parliament Information Centre, SPICe, who commended the survey as “the most comprehensive analysis of funding for Scottish Cycling Projects” in their report for MSPs, 'Cycling in Scotland' - available at www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/research/briefings-09/SB09-48.pdf. The results - showing that cycling investment in Scotland has been falling since 2007/08 - helped influence the Parliament's Transport Committee to strongly recommend increased funding for cycling and walking projects. Spokes evidence to the Committee can be found at http://www.spokes.org.uk/wordpress/ in downloads - submissions - national. Although the government subsequently continued to freeze the relevant budget lines, the message appears to have got through to some extent, as steps now seem likely to raise the proportion of these budget lines going to cycling projects in 10/11, as follows... It seems likely that CWSS Guidance for 10/11 will be revised to encourage councils to consider allocating at least 36% (and ideally at least 50%) of CWSS funding to cycling projects. This is based on the now-approved COSLA/SG paper in section 6.2 at... http://www.cosla.gov.uk/index.asp?pageId=10001BA4F-14604426 Secondly, Smarter Choices spending reached its peak in 09/10, meaning that around £2m more of the Sustainable Transport budget should be freed up in 10/11. Spokes has been lobbying for a consequent increase in the sums available for Sustrans's work with councils across Scotland [this seems the most realistic mechanism to get the freed-up money into local authority cycling investment - it is not politically possible for it to be added to CWSS]. The final outcome will eventually appear on this government website... http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Transport/sustainable-transport/Projects