Westminster City Council, Transport for London and the Greater London Authority are constructing a new cycleway on Millbank and Abingdon Street to replace the existing cycle lane. Black Rod’s Department and the House of Lords Estates team have been fully engaged with the external delivery team to ensure parliamentary access, security, ceremonial and safety issues are fully understood, and continue to make clear that the safety of Peers, Parliamentary staff and visitors is paramount. Cyclists are required to obey traffic signals, including pedestrian crossings, and enforcement of such offences is primarily a matter for the Metropolitan Police. Westminster City Council and Transport for London will continue to work closely with the Metropolitan Police to monitor the operation of the new cycle facilities, support compliance through design and signage, and consider targeted enforcement where appropriate. The scheme will be kept under review following implementation to ensure it operates safely for all users.

The government is committed to making it easier for hospitality businesses to make use of outdoor space by extending the current maximum duration of pavement licences beyond the current standard two-year period, and consulting on the case for a minimum term length.

The details of these reforms will be developed in collaboration with local government and industry and further detail will be set out in due course.

Local licensing authorities are often best placed to make licensing decisions based on their local knowledge and we encourage local authorities to set them appropriately for their area. They will continue to play a central role in the pavement licensing system, including determining the duration of individual licences.

Advances in technology have the potential to boost our economy and undertake dangerous jobs such as highways maintenance, but it's important the safety of pedestrians and vulnerable road users is put first.

We have announced that we intend to trial pavement robots using powers the Government is seeking through the Regulating for Growth Bill and these trials will have a clear definition of pavement robots.

A key part of the trial will be understanding the impact on pedestrians, particularly the most vulnerable groups.

This will be done with a view to creating a clear, lawful route to market for pavement delivery robots that protects the safety of pedestrians and vulnerable road users. No permanent regulations will come into force without detailed public consultation and a full assessment of the impacts.

The Government has announced that it will facilitate new trials of pavement delivery robots through powers in the Regulating for Growth Bill.

This will be done with a view to creating a clear, lawful route to market for pavement delivery robots that protects the safety of pedestrians and vulnerable road users.

Where pavement robots currently operate, they do so in partnership with the relevant local authority.

The Government announced last week that it will facilitate new trials of pavement delivery robots in new places through powers in the Regulating for Growth Bill. This will be done with a view to creating a clear, lawful route to market for pavement delivery robots which will expand services to new contexts, new areas and with new businesses.

As with other trials of new technologies on our roads, such as the e-scooter trials, local leaders will decide whether they want to trial pavement delivery robots and shape how any trial operates.

In the longer term, licensing powers for shared micromobility schemes in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act could be extended to pavement robots so that local leaders will always decide whether and how these vehicles can operate in their area.

83 of 102 eligible local authorities applied for and received funding through the Electric Vehicle Pavement Channels Grant. Local authorities are now progressing to delivery and setting up their local schemes.

Any new regulations would be subject to public consultation and an Impact Assessment before coming into force.

The Government has committed to pursuing legislative reform for micromobility vehicles when parliamentary time allows by creating a ‘Low-speed Zero Emission Vehicle’ category. This could be used to regulate pavement robots in future. Any new regulations would be subject to public consultation and impact assessment before they came into force.

The Government has committed to pursuing legislative reform for micromobility vehicles when parliamentary time allows by creating a ‘Low-speed Zero Emission Vehicle’ category. This could be used to regulate pavement robots in future. Any new regulations would be subject to public consultation and impact assessment before they came into force.

Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) are matters for the Home Office. They do not however hold information on the number of FPNs issued for cycling on the footway.

Pavement licenses are directly administered by local authorities, and fees are capped at £500 for new pavement licences and £350 for renewals. The government does not hold information on the individual monetary levels and revenues that local authorities have raised through pavement license fees.

On 8 January 2026, I announced the publication of the government’s formal response to the 2020 public consultation 'Pavement parking: options for change' which sets out what the government plans to do to tackle pavement parking. Before the end of this year, we plan to lay secondary legislation giving local authorities powers to issue penalty charge notices for vehicles parked in a way that unnecessarily obstructs the pavement. We will also lay secondary legislation allowing local transport authorities to prohibit pavement parking in their areas.

Further permitted development rights to expand EV charging provision will be introduced in the coming months.

The Government brought forward licensing easements for the World Cup by extending pubs opening hours until 1am for England or Scotland matches in the knockout stages that kick off between 5pm to 9pm and until 2am for kick-offs between 9pm to 10pm. The Secretary of State has also called for local leaders to support Temporary Event Notices and review reasonable applications for pubs to open later, hold special screenings and events in beer gardens.

The Government has also committed to increasing the maximum term length for pavement licenses and consulting on a minimum term length.

The Government brought forward licensing easements for the World Cup by extending pubs opening hours until 1am for England or Scotland matches in the knockout stages that kick off between 5pm to 9pm and until 2am for kick-offs between 9pm to 10pm. The Secretary of State has also called for local leaders to support Temporary Event Notices and review reasonable applications for pubs to open later, hold special screenings and events in beer gardens.

The Government has also committed to increasing the maximum term length for pavement licenses and consulting on a minimum term length.

The Government is committed to accelerating the roll-out of affordable and accessible charging infrastructure so that everyone, no matter where they live or work, can make the transition to an electric vehicle. As of 1 May 2026, the Government and industry have supported the installation of 120,388 public chargers (including 28,089 rapid chargers).

The Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund is expected to deliver over 100,000 further local public charge points across England. Funding allocations were designed to improve regional disparities and were determined through an assessment of local authority need across variables including levels of off-street parking, existing charging infrastructure, rurality and a relative measure of the level of deprivation.

A further £25 million was made available to English local authorities through the EV Pavement Channels Grant. This supports residents without access to off-street parking to run charging cables safely across the pavement and charge their EVs on the street outside their homes, benefitting from cheaper, domestic tariffs. Funding allocations were determined through a similar assessment of regional need to LEVI.

In December 2024, the Government published national cross-pavement guidance to help local authorities understand what they need to consider for the roll-out of cross-pavement solutions.

There is no specific British standard produced for cross-pavement charging solutions, and the Government has no current plans for national standards for this technology. However, the 2024 guidance does outline relevant minimum standards for existing infrastructure, e.g. drainage, that are applicable to cross-pavement solutions.

The Government will continue to monitor what more can be done to support the uptake of cross-pavement solutions.

The Government recognises the current legal framework does not provide the certainty businesses need to invest, which is why we have committed to introduce a new Low-speed Zero Emission Vehicle category to regulate micromobility vehicles, including pavement robots, when Parliamentary time allows. This regulation will also be designed to ensure any negative impacts to blind and partially sighted people are mitigated.

The Micromobility Team in the Department for Transport is responsible for pavement robots, and there are currently no staff dedicated to working solely on delivery robot policy, with work on this policy area being conducted as business-as-usual activity by officials with wider responsibilities.