An incentive programme that rewards members of the public who ditch the car in favour of sustainable travel is to be continued for a second year in spite of just 200 people actively using it.

Warwick District Council will shell out a further £36,400 to continue using the Better Points Choose How You Move programme if neighbours Stratford District Council opt not to join, prompting one councillor to ask whether the money could be better spent elsewhere.

Users of the scheme, which has been adopted by a number of local authorities and organisations up and down the country, collect 'Better Points' if they use the company's mobile app to travel sustainably. These can then be exchanged for rewards, ranging from a drink in a local coffee shop to money off shopping or a charity donation.

Members of Warwick District Council's cabinet agreed to the one-year extension, with or without the support of their neighbouring council which would see the bill halved.

Cllr Alan Rhead, the portfolio holder for climate change, supported the proposal.

Referring to the company's evaluation document he said: "The conclusion to the report shows that the response to the Choose How You Move Warwick District has been overwhelmingly positive with 93 per cent of respondents saying they would recommend the challenge to family, friends and colleagues.

"One of the challenges we have is that I don't think enough people know about it and I don't think it has been well publicised which is why this report is also recommending that we employ an apprentice so that there is better media coverage of the scheme."

That point was raised by Cllr Mini Mangat who said: "£36,000 seems quite a lot of money to invest when it is only 200 people actually using it and only eight per cent of those redeem their points with local businesses. Could there be a better way to spend this money?"

An officer's report explained that while less than a tenth of points had been used with local businesses, that did not include local branches of national companies such as Costa Coffee.

It added: "Warwick district has used the scheme to engage local business in sustainable travel challenges, play a part in reducing congestion, improving air quality, and encouraging people to travel on foot or bike into our town centres. 

"The initiative can illustrate how individuals' carbon footprint can be reduced, alongside their solo car journeys and take more physical activity."