Thank you for contacting me about improving access to nature.
As a Government Whip, I do not, by convention, sign any Early Day Motions, as doing so is likely to breach the Ministerial Code’s rules on collective responsibility. That said, of course, our countryside is of great importance and it cannot be overstated just how much the scenery of the Calder Valley means to people. I fully appreciate the benefits outdoor activities can produce both physically and mentally. England has a fantastic network of footpaths and the public has the ‘right to roam’ over many areas of wild, open countryside.
The 25 Year Environment Plan sets out the ambition to connect more people from all backgrounds with the natural environment. Access to the countryside is provided under the Countryside Stewardship scheme’s Higher Tier and Mid Tier. The scheme funds land managers for the instalment of items to promote access, such as gates and stiles, as well as providing educational visits which offer school pupils and care farming clients the opportunity to visit farms to learn and engage with farming and the environment.
Ministers have introduced a new woodland supplement, Access for people, which aims to create alternative outdoor activities and further educational opportunities. The Government has also launched the Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy, which commits to increasing opportunities for children and young people to spend time in nature and get involved in improving their environment.
Further, the Access to the Outdoors Commission findings were incorporated into the Spending Review. This provides more than £30 million to improve public access to green spaces and take forward a number of policy measures. These include developing the Levelling Up Parks Fund, which will create parks and green spaces on urban land which has become unused, undeveloped or neglected. The ‘Preventing and Tackling Mental Ill Health through Green Social Prescribing' cross-governmental project is working in both rural and urban locations and is helping to connect those living in cities with nature.
Ministers have also invested £27.8 million in the England Coast Path, which will be the longest waymarked and maintained coastal walking route in the world. Natural England has revised the Countryside Code, and run a communications campaign to improve people’s understanding of the countryside and promote socially and environmentally responsible behaviours.
Of course, everyone, including people with disabilities and limited mobility, should be able to access and enjoy the countryside. Local authorities are required to keep a Rights of Way Improvement Plan and are expected to improve access for a range of users where possible. This could include replacing stiles with gaps or gates. The Agriculture Act also gives the Government the power to provide financial assistance to support public access to the countryside. I would encourage you to contact your local council for further information on access to the countryside for disabled users in our area.
The Agriculture Act is one of the most important environmental reforms for many years and sets out powers to reward farmers and land managers who protect our environment, including providing access to the countryside. This could also include the creation of new paths, such as footpaths and bridleways, so that not as many horses have to use the roads. I am encouraged that throughout the process of designing our future agriculture policy ministers have consulted widely with farmers and others and I hope that you were able to participate in this exercise and make your views heard.
Trespassing: Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act: As you may be aware, the Home Office consulted on measures to criminalise trespassing when setting up an authorised encampment in England and Wales. I would like to assure you that the conditions for the new offence seek to ensure that anyone accessing the countryside, including ramblers and hikers passing through privately owned land, will not be caught by the new proposals. The intention behind this new offence is to deter trespassers from setting up or residing on an unauthorised encampment.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
Craig Whittaker MP
July 2022