Environment

The government has rejected calls to give the public more access to the English countryside

The environment secretary said there were "no plans" to expand right to roam in England, despite recent demonstrations by campaigners in the countryside.

A sign pointing towards a public footpath.

Scotland has right to roam covering most of the country. Image: Pixabay

The government has confirmed it has “no plans” to increase access to the countryside in England despite widespread calls from campaigners.

Environmental secretary Rebecca Pow stated the government’s position in a parliamentary question this week, telling Labour MP Rupa Huq “we have no plans to change the Rights of Way Act”.

The government’s comments come just weeks after a report exploring the potential expansion of “right to roam” was shelved, sparking anger from campaigners seeking greater access to the English countryside.

Currently, just 8 per cent of land in England is publicly-accessible. This stands in contrast to Scotland, where right to roam rules allow the public to access the vast majority of land across the country.

The campaign to introduce a similar policy in England has gained traction in recent years, with the pandemic and the climate crisis highlighting the importance of green space for nature and wellbeing.

The right to roam campaign group has organised a series of mass trespasses across England to demand improved access to land. The first took place in Devon in early May, where a group of campaigners took a picnic onto land owned by the Duke of Somerset.

The group is calling for an expansion of the Countryside & Rights of Way (CRoW) Act of 2000, which enabled partial right to roam over around 8 per cent of England, including mountains, commons and moors.

“[But] these sites are often remote, meaning that access to land has become a postcode lottery, available to those who live next to it, or who can afford the cost of travel and overnight stays,” the group says.

“Everywhere else, not covered by the CRoW Act, the public are actively made to feel unwelcome in our own landscape and have been portrayed for centuries as a threat to the countryside.”

In March, Green MP Caroline Lucas tabled a bill to expand the right to roam, but government ministers have not expressed enthusiasm for the idea.

Last month, leader of the house Mark Spencer defended the shelving of a report into right to roam expansion, saying “the countryside is a place of business”.

“I think we are blessed in this country with hundreds of thousands of miles of public footpath to allow people to access the countryside. We have to recognise the countryside is not just a place of leisure, but it is also a place of business and food production,” he said.

Lucas responded at the time by saying: “Utterly feeble ‘defence’ from leader of house on government quashing review into the right to roam. Working and leisure are not incompatible – is this really the government’s excuse?”

Support the Big Issue

For over 30 years, the Big Issue has been committed to ending poverty in the UK. In 2024, our work is needed more than ever. Find out how you can support the Big Issue today.
Vendor martin Hawes

Recommended for you

View all
Calls to nationalise Thames Water as Brits face 40% increase in bills: 'A con and a disgrace'
Water bills

Calls to nationalise Thames Water as Brits face 40% increase in bills: 'A con and a disgrace'

Repair Week 2024: There's a simple way to save over £450 per year – start fixing stuff
man fixing computer motherboard with screwdriver for Repair Week 2022
Repair week

Repair Week 2024: There's a simple way to save over £450 per year – start fixing stuff

'It's not just wonky veg': Meet the women using an ancient practice to help tackle food poverty
Food poverty

'It's not just wonky veg': Meet the women using an ancient practice to help tackle food poverty

Angry about raw sewage being dumped into rivers and the sea? Sign this petition with actual s**t
sewage
Sewage pollution

Angry about raw sewage being dumped into rivers and the sea? Sign this petition with actual s**t

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
Renters: A mortgage lender's window advertising buy-to-let products
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
Pound coins on a piece of paper with disability living allowancve
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Here's when UK households to start receiving last cost of living payments
next dwp cost of living payment 2023
3.

Here's when UK households to start receiving last cost of living payments

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know
4.

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know