Cycling England could be abolished as part of the radical funding cuts being considered by Britain's coalition government, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph.
The body, which promotes bicycle use through schemes like the Cycling City project and Bikeability skills training, is included on a leaked Cabinet Office list of 'quangos' currently under review.
It's one of 177 public bodies reportedly being considered for abolition, alongside the likes of British Waterways, the Health Protection Agency and the UK Film Council.
Last month, Sustrans policy director Peter Lipman told us that Cycling England, established in 2005, might "not survive the bonfire of the quangos", and this latest news appears to support that suspicion.
The Department for Transport, which supports and funds Cycling England, is in for severe pruning as part of the £6.2 billion cuts outlined by chancellor George Osbourne in a bid to reduce the country's spending deficit.
A spokesman told BikeRadar: "We're not going to comment on the specific details of a leaked document. The Government has made it clear that it's committed to radically increasing accountability and improving efficiency. As part of this, work is already underway to make substantial reforms to its public bodies. This work is ongoing and an announcement will be made in due course. We deeply regret any extra uncertainty for employees that this irresponsible leak has caused.”
