A Staffordshire county councillor has responded after a popular walking and cycling route in Biddulph was excluded from the authority's £1.8 million plans to improve active travel around the county.

Biddulph Nub News reported recently how the county council received £1.83 million from the Government's Active Travel Fund to help deliver the county council's Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan.

However, the Biddulph Valley Way - also known as Route 55 - and indeed the rest of the Moorlands were seemingly excluded from the plans, with improvements instead being planned for other areas including Cannock, Stafford, Burton-upon-Trent and Newcastle-Under-Lyme.

Biddulph town and district Cllr Jill Salt expressed her disappointment at the lack of improvements planned for Biddulph, and called on the county council to do more for the town's walking and cycling routes.

Biddulph Nub News contacted the county council on Monday, but has not received a response.

However, Cllr Keith Flunder, who represents Biddulph South and Endon at the county council, responded to the concerns at a Biddulph Town Council meeting yesterday (Tuesday). Cllr Flunder regularly speaks at the town council's meetings to update town councillors on the goings on at county level.

When asked why the Biddulph Valley Way had not been included in the plans, he said: "It will be mostly linked to the six major towns. People asked why the Moorlands wasn't being involved - the project is to improve how people cycle into work and it was recommended and focused on the six major conurbations in Staffordshire, so the Biddulph Valley Way wasn't in there."

He also referred to an upcoming consultation on the plans which starts this Friday (12th February), adding: "The consultation is only one part of this, and once that is finished the officers will look at it and it will go to committee in April.

"I am on that committee and I'm sure that the Biddulph Valley Way could be included in some way. When we get into a position where we know what we're doing strategically we can hopefully draw down funds for Biddulph and the Moorlands."

After Cllr Flunder said that the county council's plans to improve walking and cycling routes in the six major towns had stemmed from a project in 2017, Cllr Salt pointed out that the Government funding had been allocated more recently.

The funding has come from Government's £175 million Active Travel Fund allocated to councils around the country, which was announced in November 2020.

She said: "It's a very recent thing, this money only became available last year when the Government realised that people were commuting differently because of Covid.

"There was a commitment by the county and district councils to sort out the part of the Biddulph Valley Way between Brown Lees and Brindley Ford. I'm really disappointed to find out that Biddulph hasn't been allocated any funding, and I'd like reassurance that Biddulph will get some of that £1.8 million."

Cllr Flunder responded: "From my point of view it looks like the money is aimed at the six major conurbations as said earlier.

"It doesn't look like the Moorlands is mentioned at all, but in terms of Route 55 it may well be owned by the district council and not the county council anyway. I will need to clarify some elements and come to another one of your meetings to verify all the facts."

Town and district Cllr Nigel Yates also felt it was "unfair" that none of the £1.8 million had been allocated to the Moorlands, saying: "The Moorlands is conspicuous in its absence to this funding which was issued recently.

"The fact that none of it has been allocated to Biddulph or the Moorlands does seem unfair. Route 55 serves an area of about 500,000 people and we would like to get it in a state where we can use it as a commuting route to many employment sites.

"The part of the route we're talking about currently has a sign that says 'dismount from bike and push' which isn't very good for a cycle route."

Cllr Flunder responded: "I agree that its a bit unfair that the Moorlands has been excluded, and I will try and pursue this for the benefit of the people of Biddulph."

Cllr Flunder agreed to return to another town council meeting next month with more information about the plans and whether it may be possible to include Biddulph.