Helping people through the cost-of-living crisis and growing our economy: The role of walking, wheeling and cycling.

The UK is facing the worst cost of living crisis for many years. Rapid increases in the cost of energy, food and transport mean many people are struggling to get by. The situation is predicted to get far worse over the coming winter. At the same time inflation is increasing and the UK is on the tip of entering a recession. The new UK Government is prioritising growth, through its growth plan and making deep changes to economic policy to support this.

However, the UK Government, must also prioritise the cost of living crisis. The fuel bill rescue package is a step in the right direction, but we need to provide even greater support to people, especially those on low incomes or at risk of poverty. There are many measures that can simultaneously help promote growth and support people during the cost of living crisis, including walking, wheeling and cycling.
The upcoming autumn fiscal plan will provide an opportunity to ensure budget decisions across government better reflect the current challenges and needs of the UK. Unless specified, this report uses data from the Walking and Cycling Index, a representative survey of over 23,000 residents in 17 UK urban areas in 2021.