The Duke, The Bike Ban and the Taxman | Podcast with Cycling UK

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The Duke, The Bike Ban and The Taxman is neither an episode of Poirot nor a jazz band. It is in fact a tale of access – or lack thereof – that highlights some wider issues around the rights of the public in England to access land for recreation. With 2020 bringing many more people to the realisation that the outdoors is important to their wellbeing, demand for access to outdoor spaces has grown. No longer is the campaign for greater access rights solely the preserve of a few special interest groups – it affects everyone.

And now it seems that potentially there’s not just a land or environmental policy aspect to the campaign either. Financial implications in the form of tax breaks to land owners raise questions over whether HMRC might just have a role to play. We sat down with Duncan Dollimore, Head of Campaigns at Cycling UK, to see what all the fuss is about.

The signs that started it.

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Author Profile Picture
Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

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Comments (2)

    Scott BilesScott Biles June 10, 2021 at 4:09 pm

    Great podcast and an eye opener about land access, well done Hannah and Duncan. Couldn’t help thinking all the way thru that the land owning rich just want to keep the peasants off of their land, but they will have the tax breaks for supposedly giving access even when they don’t, thank you very much!

    Martin BMartin B June 11, 2021 at 7:54 am

    Currently reading The Book of Trespass by Nick Hayes it goes into the history of land access or should I say restriction, some of the psychology of land ownership etc

    More info on https://www.righttoroam.org.uk/

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