Grants open to boost sustainable travel across Stockport and Greater Manchester

Businesses and organisations across Stockport and Greater Manchester are being encouraged to apply for funds to encourage and enable active travel for staff, customers and visitors.

Following an initial launch earlier this year, so far 45 small businesses and organisations across Greater Manchester, including schools, GP surgeries and housing associations, have benefitted from the funding through grants totalling £265k.

The second tranche of funding is now open and businesses and organisations in the city-region are being encouraged to apply for funds. The funding package is made up of two pots, including:

Business Support Grants for Active Travel Facilities - A £140k pot to support employers to provide interventions such as cycle parking, pool bikes and changing or storage solutions which enable staff to adopt active travel modes, including walking, running and cycling, for their journeys to and from work. Grants of up to £10,000 per application are available for workplaces with fewer than 250 staff on site.

Cycle Parking Grants - A £370k pot to help provide public cycle parking for small businesses/organisations, NHS, Housing Associations and schools located within one of the thirteen geographical areas within Greater Manchester which have been identified as having the greatest potential for increases in walking and cycling trips. Grants of up to £10,000 per application are available.

Richard Nickson, Programme Director for Cycling and Walking at TfGM said: “The funding is a great opportunity for businesses to embed smarter ways of commuting as well as having tangible health, wellbeing and productivity benefits for staff.

“I’d encourage people to find out more about the available funding and what you can be doing for your staff, suppliers and customers.”

As a result of the pandemic, the numbers of people cycling have increased and by taking advantage of these grants, businesses and organisations across the city-region can help to sustain and enable that behaviour change, as well as seeing real benefits themselves.

Whilst people are currently being asked to work from home where possible as part of the government’s Plan B to tackle and reduce the spread of Coronavirus, applications are still encouraged so businesses and organisations can support the uptake of safe, sustainable travel amongst employers, employees, staff and customers and ultimately support Greater Manchester’s social and economic recovery from the pandemic as any government guidance is relaxed.

Alongside the extra funding being delivered to support active travel, an interactive online portal provides a wide range of advice and resources, including a live chat function, to support business and employers in travel planning and options for encouraging and embedding sustainable transport. This includes options that support flexible working practices and take the pressure off the traditional peak times.

For full details, application criteria and guidance on the Cycle Parking grants, please visit the TfGM Active Travel Website.

Further information can be found at Business Support Grants for Active Travel Facilities or, by visiting the interactive business portal or by emailing TfGM's Active Travel team

The application deadline is Monday 31st January 2022 at 5pm.