Defra funding cuts

 It is not always apparent to the casual observer or enthusiast alike, how sophisticated the lobbying of Government needs to be. Often in the absence of confrontational attacks this can often be mistakenly seen as passivity, when in fact much has been going on behind the scenes to press home a point or cultivate key decision makers into being more disposed to a particular point of view.

For those of you that have been not been following the saga of the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs’ cuts in Grant-in-Aid to navigation authorities, or have become terribly confused as to what’s been happening, here is a recap’ of what has been going on and IWA’s involvement to date.

Background

British Waterways and the Environment Agency , who are the Government sponsored navigation authorities in England and Wales receive a large proportion of their funding for the maintenance of the waterways through ‘Grant-in-Aid’ from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs.

Following a failure to manage its budgets, due to ‘careless and over optimistic’ forecasting of Treasury allocations, and amongst other things, problems by the Rural Payments Agency to make its payments to farmers on time, The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs incurred substantial overspends in 2006. As no further funding was available at the time from the Treasury, the Department was forced to cut the budgets of its other responsibilities other than those related to payments to farmers which have to be paid under European legislation.

The first cut to British Waterways’ budget for 2006/7 was made in March 2006, just prior to British Waterways’ financial year. The situation only came to light however, when British Waterways admitted to IWA to further proposals for cuts in its budget in August 2006.

Although British Waterways’ Grant-in-Aid is fixed in three-year cycles along with other government agencies and departments as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review, the previously agreed budget was cut by 5% (about £3 million) for 2006/7 shortly before the beginning of the financial year. However, British Waterways was then told that it was to face a further cut of 7.5% (about £4.5 million) to its 2006/7 budget.

IWA Call to Action

IWA was swift to highlight the risk to waterways users. In a rallying speech to the waterways fraternity at the IWA National Festival in August, national chairman John Fletcher called on David Milibrand and Gordon Brown to remember ‘how articulate the waterway movement has been for the past 60 years.’ In September, recognising the need for assertive action, IWA’s governing council agreed to set aside specific funding to support the campaign.

IWA Appoint Political Advisor

Leading the formation of an alliance of over 10 national waterways organisations in October 2006, IWA also joined forces with the British Marine Federation to jointly fund a political advisor to engage more effectively in Parliament.

November 2006 Blockade

The protest against the cuts continued to gather strength with measures of support from over 200 MPs, and a national blockade throughout the inland waterways over the weekend of 25th & 26th November, involving over 600 boats, which attracted widespread media coverage, including a live TV debate shown on West Midlands BBC1 between John Fletcher, IWA national chairman, and Lord Rooker, Minister for the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs. The TV interview also afforded John Fletcher the chance of a lengthy discussion with the Minister both before and after the televised debate. Whether or not as a result of the campaign, British Waterways was subsequently told that a further proposed cut to its budget for 2005/6 would not take place.

December 2006 Adjournment Debate

A 90-minute Adjournment Debate in Parliament tabled by Sir Peter Soulsby MP on 6th December demonstrated that many MPs had been made well aware of the views and concerns of IWA members, and supported our stance in demanding that the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs reverse its funding cuts, recognising IWA had identified the need to seek alternative and secure long-term Government funding for the inland waterways.

The funding cuts were also a topic of many written questions to Ministers in the House of Commons, and arose in discussions in both the House of Commons and House of Lords with the Ministers, including Waterways Minister, Barry Gardiner being called to account.

Sir Peter Soulsby also raised the issue at Prime Minister’s Question Time on 13th December, to which the Prime Minister gave a sympathetic response without offering any additional funding.

On the last working day before Christmas, on 22ndDecember 2006, the Department for Environment Farming and Rural Affairs announced its budget allocations for 2007/8 for its sponsored bodies and executive agencies, including British Waterways and the Environment Agency. The figure for British Waterways was £57.55 million, compared to £62.5 million in 2005. The reality was a 12½ % cut in budget taking inflation into account.

The Government committed to a Comprehensive Spending Review to reallocate money to all Government departments for the next 3 year period. British Waterways is currently in negotiations for this Spending Review which has suggested as a starting point that British Waterways should plan on receiving ‘£54 million the first year and then reducing by 5% each year during the 3 year period.’

The Waterways Minister, Barry Gardiner, meet a delegation of waterway user representatives to hear their concerns at the London Boat Show on 11th January. John Fletcher, IWA national chairman, pressed the Minister to resolve the current funding shortfalls for British Waterways and the Environment Agency and to address the long-term situation with certainty of funding for the navigation authorities. However the Minister tried to wave aside concerns and to pretend there was not an issue to be addressed.

January 2007 Protest Cruise

A protest cruise was organised by IWA, St Pancras Cruising Club and British Marine Federation past the Houses of Parliament on Tuesday 16th January. Media coverage exceeded expectations. The event appeared on the breakfast, lunchtime and early evening news of nearly all the TV channels, featured on Radio 4’s Farming Today programme in the morning, and a seven-minute live interview with John Fletcher on Radio 5 Live at peak-listening time in the afternoon. David Suchet featured as ‘IWA’s spokesman’ on BBC News.

February 2007 Select Committee Inquiry

As a result of concerted lobbying by IWA, the Environment Food & Rural Affairs Select Committee announced an inquiry into British Waterways, at which on 26th February IWA was first to be called to provide oral evidence. John Fletcher, IWA national chairman led a strong team from the Association who were given one and a half hours before the committee – significantly longer than any other organisation that was called.

March 2007 Waterways Community Days

High profile campaigning continued with a series of Waterways Community Days held on the weekend of 3rd and 4th March. The aim was to promote Britain's inland waterways and demonstrate how communities value their waterways - in support of the campaign to urge government to reinstate the funding cuts imposed upon British Waterways and the Environment Agency and ensure long-term funding for inland waterways. Despite very poor weather on the Sunday, hundreds of people turned out to most of the locations with protests and there was an exceptionally good attendance from politicians at local and national level.

March 2007 Adjournment Debate

Charlotte Atkins, Labour MP for Staffordshire Moorlands, secured a Westminster Hall adjournment debate, which took place on 27th March on Inland Waterways in the West Midlands. This provided another good opportunity to once again raise the issue of funding cuts to British Waterways in particular, and to keep pressure on government for better funding for canals and river navigations.

April 2007 Adjournment Debate

 A further Adjournment debate tabled by Michael Fabricant, Conservative MP for Lichfield, was secured on 25th April on Funding of British Waterways. This was the third such opportunity to keep pressure on Government for the better funding for canals and river navigations and was even better attended with 40 MPs – a very exceptional turnout. IWA is lobbying MPs to apply for further adjournment debates and is pleased with the number of MPs who are supporting this. Notable during the 25th April debate, refuting covert claims made by the Minister that British Waterways were orchestrating the campaign; MPs made it very clear that they were motivated by their own and their constituents' love of the waterways, the voluntary effort that had been put in to secure the future of the inland navigation system, and the feeling of "possession" which this had engendered.

April 2007 Oral Evidence

On 23rd April, the Minister gave oral evidence before the select committee, but blamed British Waterways directly for the financial constraints, accusing them of being less than transparent and withholding information from him. The Minister also accused British Waterways of engaging in funded political lobbying of the Treasury Minister Ed Balls MP, a fact shown in later evidence to be false and in fact to have been undertaken by IWA.

IWA Continues Campaign

IWA continues to lead on making representations to the Minister on behalf of all waterway users, and is currently the only waterways organisation to retain the services of a parliamentary advisor for this work.

IWA chairman John Fletcher met the Waterways Minister, Barry Gardiner, in his office on 14th May when the opportunity was taken to present the Save Our Waterways petition with Will Chapman, founder of the Save our Waterways campaign group. The meeting was arranged with Charlotte Atkins MP (Labour Staffordshire Moorlands) who was accompanied by Tony Baldry MP (Conservative Banbury) and Chris Huhne MP (Liberal Democrat Eastleigh).

The Minister agreed that the Grant in Aid investment needed clear outputs, and further agreed that those outputs would be wider than the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs remit, but that he had to take an ‘over Government’ view…

It is clear that the waterways lobby is being heard and garnering wide support, however, it is imperative that all waterways users continue to remain active in their campaigning and to not let up the pressure on MPs or Government.