04 October 2024

Ramblers Scotland’s director Brendan Paddy argues that a relatively modest government investment goes a long way if spent on walking.

Budget time is always a difficult time, even in the best of years.  

And this is not the best of years.  

As both UK and Scottish governments prepare their budgets for the next financial year, the air is thick with warnings of multi-billion-pound black holes. No-one is pretending that the UK and Scottish budget announcements, in October and December respectively, are going to be moments of largesse. 

The predictable result would be to simply cut back to the basics that keep society’s wheels just about turning. 

For the Scottish Government, with its relatively fixed annual budget, that would be an understandable - but misguided - approach.  

Budgets are policy and political directions, expressed as numbers. Even in the tightest times, the best budgets invest in activities which create wide benefits and, crucially, ease future spending pressures down the line. 

 

Small spend, big impact 

That is why Ramblers Scotland is inviting Shona Robison, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government, to invest a comparatively tiny sum - £5 million - in getting more people outdoors, enjoying our outdoor spaces.  

While on face value it may not sound it, £5 million is a modest ask in budgetary terms. In fact, it’s equivalent to about one-hundredth of one percent of the Scottish budget. 

An investment of that scale would not touch the sides of all the Scottish Government’s other big priorities, such as child poverty, homelessness, public services and investing in net zero. But the good news is that these can still be big priorities while powering up the health and economic benefits of walking.  

After all, it's the most obvious thing to do. We must remember that:  

• Three-quarters of us already walk for leisure at least once a month: numbers which are consistently growing year on year.  

• 80% of people in Scotland recognise the benefits for physical and mental health.  

• And the value of walking to the economy is well over £2 billion. Even better, those economic benefits are often greatest in our most fragile rural communities.   

 

Supporting everyone to benefit 

While walking might seem to some like simply putting one foot in front of another, unlocking those massive benefits for all to enjoy is not free.  

Money matters. Money to ensure that local councils are upholding legal rights for people to enjoy green spaces; money to promote those rights and champion responsible access; and money to support frontline staff like rangers who do so much to manage visitors, especially at hotspots. 

Above all, modest investment is needed to ensure that walking truly is for everyone. That means people from lower-income neighbourhoods enjoying the same easy access to outdoor spaces, alongside the skills, confidence and knowledge to make it a reality.   

Scotland is proud to have world-class access rights: a ‘Right to Roam’ which was introduced by a Labour-Liberal Democrat government and which has grown in importance under an SNP one.  

With February 2025 marking 20 years of access rights coming into force, a £5 million budget boost to grow the economy and reduce pressure on the NHS would be a fitting gift. 

By Brendan Paddy, Ramblers Scotland director