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Written question asked by Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative) on Thursday, 10 June 2021, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 24 June 2021. It was answered by Lord Benyon (Conservative) on Thursday, 24 June 2021 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Horse Riding: Safety

Question

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that there is a connected bridle-ways network for horse riders so that they can avoid roads and the dangers posed by increased traffic.

Answer

Public rights of way are a local matter and are handled by individual local highway authorities.

Local authorities are required to keep a Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP) to plan improvements to their network, which is usually available on the authority’s website. I would hope local authorities, whenever possible, would look at the needs of all users, including walkers, cyclists and horse-riders. Safety must be a consideration in this process.

Local authorities receive most of their rights of way funding from central Government through the Revenue Support Grant to deliver various duties, including ROWIPs. It is not ring-fenced and we cannot say how much authorities should spend on ROWIPs. It is up to local authorities to manage their own budgets and decide how much they should spend on their different duties, and for local people to hold them to account.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL999
Session
2021-22
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Horse riding Safety Road traffic Roads Bridleways
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk