Funded ticket allocation policy

This document sets out how Active Travel England (ATE) will allocate tickets for the Making Active Places 2026 conference in a fair, transparent, and inclusive way. 

It explains who is eligible for funded tickets, how to apply, and how we will ensure the process is accessible. 

This policy has been designed to comply with our legal obligations and to uphold the principles of fairness and equal opportunity. 

This includes, but is not limited to, the Equality Act 2010, Public Sector Equality Duty, British Sign Language Act 2022, Human Rights Act 1998, UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.  

As part of the funded ticket application process, you may share information about yourself with Active Travel England. We will manage and store this information in line with the Making Active Places ticket privacy notice.  

Ticket categories 

There are three categories of ticket: 

Funded tickets 

Funded tickets are available at no cost to eligible sectors. 300 funded tickets are available. They will be allocated through the application process described below.  

Access tickets 

Access tickets are available for carers to ensure those who require additional support are able to fully participate in the event.  They will be free of charge tickets for carers who are attending in their capacity as support for a participant (for example, a delegate, a speaker or other contributor). If you require an access ticket, please contact ATE and we can support arrangements.  

Paid tickets 

Those who were unsuccessful in obtaining a funded ticket, but met the eligibility criteria, will be able to purchase a paid for ticket at a discounted rate. Full priced tickets are also available for purchase by anyone who wishes to attend the conference but did not meet the eligibility requirements for a funded ticket. 

Who can apply for a funded ticket 

Funded tickets are intended to support attendance from groups who may face barriers to participating in events of this kind. The eligibility criteria will be published in full on the Active Travel England website and communicated clearly in all event promotion. 

To apply for a funded ticket, you must represent one of the following organisation types. 

Government and public sector

These include:

  1. local government highways professional (representing a local highway authority) – England  
  1. local government planning professional (representing a local planning authority) – England  
  1. local government behaviour change, communications or community engagement professional – England  
  1. national government representative  

Third sector, community and higher education representatives

These include: 

  1. national charity or advocacy group representative  
  1. local community organisation or advocacy group representative, including informal or unregistered groups  
  1. academic or higher education professional, including researchers and students 

Meeting this criterion does not guarantee a funded ticket, as allocation is subject to availability. 

Where demand exceeds supply, applications will be assessed and prioritised in a way that reflects our commitment to regional representation (see Annex for further detail on allocation). 

How to apply for a funded ticket 

Applications for funded tickets will be open between Thursday 12 March and Friday 17 April. 

To apply, you will need to complete an application form. The form will ask you to confirm which eligibility criteria apply to you. 

We will only ask for personal information that is necessary to confirm your eligibility and to provide you with application updates.  

How funded ticket applications will be assessed  

We recognise that unconscious bias can affect decision-making. To reduce this risk: 

  • applications will be assessed against published criteria by more than one person 
  • assessors will receive guidance on fair decision-making before reviewing applications 
  • decisions will be documented so that the rationale can be reviewed if challenged 

Notification and appeals 

All applicants will receive an update on their application by the end of April.  

If you are unsuccessful in receiving a funded ticket, but meet the outlined criteria, you will be offered the opportunity to purchase a discounted paid for ticket. If not already allocated elsewhere, organisations can use Active Travel England funding to purchase any additional tickets to support employees to attend.   

If you believe your application was not assessed fairly or that you were treated in a way that was discriminatory, you may submit a complaint. Details on how to submit a complaint will be shared in your application outcome email.  

Contact us 

If you have any questions about this policy, the application process, or access arrangements, please email makingactiveplaces@activetravelengland.gov.uk. 

This document is available in alternative formats on request. Please email makingactiveplaces@activetravelengland.gov.uk to discuss your requirements. 

Children cycling in a line

Annex

Ticket allocation guidance

The guidance sets out how the funded ticket ballot for Making Active Places will be administered by Active Travel England (ATE). There will be 300 tickets allocated across the identified priority groups. 

All ATE staff involved in the review of the ballot applications will be required to review and agree to the behaviours and processes laid out in this guidance. 

Data collected during the application process

During the funded ticket application process, individuals will share the following information with ATE:

  • name
  • email address
  • organisation type (for example, representing a local highway authority)
  • organisation location
  • job title
  • organisation
  • whether the applicant requires an additional access ticket (for example, a ticket for a support assistant)

Please note answers relating to access ticket needs will not feature as part of the assessment criteria when allocating funded spaces. Access tickets are provided separately to this ballot at no charge. 

How decisions will be made to reduce risk of unconscious bias

Closing date review

No applications will be reviewed before the closing date to reduce bias towards early responses.

Filtering responses and confirming eligibility

As part of the application form, applicants will self-select one of the following organisation types which closest aligns with their role:

  • local government highways professional (representing a local highway authority) – England 
  • local government planning professional (representing a local planning authority) – England 
  • local government behaviour change, communications or community engagement professional – England 
  • national government representative 
  • national charity or advocacy group representative 
  • local community organisation or advocacy group representative, including informal or unregistered groups 
  • academic or higher education professional, including researchers and students 
  • other

After the closing date, Active Travel England will review all ticket applications and reject any individual whose job role does not align with the category group they have chosen.

At least two individuals from Active Travel England will review the list of rejected applications.

Applications will automatically be rejected where:

  • a personal email address has been used (for example Gmail or Hotmail) – this specifically applies to applications which have selected eligibility under the local or national government categories
  • the applicant has self-declared that they work for a private sector organisation

If more applications are received than funded tickets available

If more applicants have applied for a funded ticket than there are funded tickets available, a priority order will be established. This is designed to ensure that funded places are distributed as widely as possible to ensure different perspectives and regions are represented.

Tickets will be prioritised in the following order.

Local government categories. Local government applications will be filtered in the following order:

  • by self-selected region, with an equal number of tickets available for each region
  • by organisation name, with one ticket being offered by authority

If more than one individual has applied per authority within their organisation type (for example, local highway or planning authority), ATE will choose an application to receive the funded ticket based on job title. Preference will be given to:

  • highway and planning authorities 
  • a specified number of funded tickets allocated to each region in England (split by Regional Manager regions)

For some authorities, ATE will share application data (names and job titles) with a lead contact in the organisation who will decide who receives the ticket. Affected individuals will be contacted to let them know if this process has been agreed for their authority.

If more organisations have applied for a funded ticket than tickets available, preference will be given to:

  • authorities who receive ATE funding (for local highway authorities)
  • level 0 and 1 authorities (for local highway authorities)

If funded tickets remain for a category after this process has taken place, local highway authority applications will be prioritised. 

National government categories. National government applications will be filtered in the following order:

  • by organisation name, with one ticket being offered by organisation
  • organisations with strong links to placemaking and active travel (national government)

All other categories. All other category applications will be filtered in the following order:

  • by organisation name, with one ticket being offered by organisation