To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make funding available for the installation and improvement of cycling infrastructure in rural areas.

The Government’s statutory Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, published in April 2017, outlines £1.2 billion of funding that may be invested in cycling and walking over the period to 2021. Since its publication, the Government has made further support available for cycling and walking infrastructure, through the National Productivity Investment Fund, Transforming Cities Fund and Clean Air Fund. Decisions for allocating funding for cycling infrastructure are for local authorities, who allocate and/or bid for funding alongside other local priorities. In addition, the Department for Transport is providing 44 local authorities, including Newcastle City & Gateshead, Tees Valley and North Tyneside Councils, with access to expert support to assist in the development of ten-year Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans. The support also extends to rural areas such as Gloucestershire, Rutland and Wiltshire. This support will enable authorities to map their future cycle networks and to prioritise future investments.