Current status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 February 2026
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on to what degree investment in local core paths and all-abilities routes remains a priority within its active travel and outdoor access policies.
Access authorities, that is our local and National Park authorities, have a duty under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 to uphold access rights and to draw up a plan for a system of paths, a Core Path network, which is sufficient to give local users and visitors reasonable access throughout their area. As a local authority responsibility, the Scottish Government supports this duty primarily through the provision of the annual block grant to local authorities.
Funding to support access was devolved in the Local Government concordat reached in 2008 and remains the responsibility of Local Authorities. Local government funding for access is distributed through a Grant-Aided Expenditure Land Access £8.1 million block grant allocated based on proportions of population and path lengths, with a minimum allocation of £70,000.
However, the funding is not ring-fenced. It is the responsibility of individual Local Authorities to manage their budgets and allocate the total financial resources available on the basis of local priorities, once they have met their statutory obligations. The Scottish Government provided record block grant funding of over £15 billion to local authorities in 2025-26, an increase of £1 billion or 4.7 per cent in real terms compared to last year’s budget.
In addition, access may be improved through active travel infrastructure. The Scottish Government supports Local Authorities to deliver active travel infrastructure through Tier 1 of the Active Travel Infrastructure Fund which Local Authorities receive directly and can use with the flexibility to meet their own local priorities.
For larger scale projects to promote everyday journeys, these can be funded through Tier 2 of the Active Travel Infrastructure Fund for which applications are invited annually from Local Authorities, Regional Transport Partnerships and National Park Authorities. Projects funded though Tier 2 should ensure that they improve the quality of access for all abilities, supported by Equality Impact Assessments. Where required, there is also a suite of other guidance and best practice that delivery partners should use in developing projects to ensure that accessibility is considered at the outset.