Press release

The Inland Waterways Association (IWA) is pleased to see the report of the Select Committee investigation into British Waterways which was published today.

The Association notes that whilst the report is broadly supportive of British Waterways, there are criticisms of the way it manages its relationships with stakeholders and that the Select Committee recommends the need for greater transparency between the parties involved.

British Waterways is also criticised by the Committee over its trial of tendering for moorings because the new system may further increase the cost of boating and lead to exclusivity. The Association welcomes the report’s recommendations that licence and mooring fees are kept at a level that maintains high levels of individual participation.

The report calls for the involvement of the National Audit Office to give a view on the conflicting accounts between the parties on British Waterways’ finances. The Association welcomes this approach, and believes that a thorough review of the finances of the inland waterways will underline arguments it has put forward for more government funding.

The Association is also pleased that the committee noted that the planning assumptions made in the Comprehensive Spending Review could mean that British Waterways’ budget is cut by five percent in real terms over the next three years; and that the committee recognises that this £35 million loss for major works could threaten British Waterways’ ability to maintain the inland waterways network to an acceptable standard.

The Committee has also taken the Association’s point on board that the vast majority of people who use the canal infrastructure and create wear and tear, but are not charged for this use. The Association welcomes the committee’s call for government to take this lack of income into account for future funding.

The Association welcomes the recommendation that British Waterways develop an environmental heritage strategy for the waterways, in tandem with The Waterways Trust, which should include all interested parties.

The Association is hopeful that with the ministerial changes within the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs there will now be an opportunity to look to engage more positively, and that all parties involved will be able to maximise potential and find an equitable settlement that is right for the waterways, navigation authorities and government.

At a time when funding of flood defences is high on everyone’s agenda, the Association is keen to ensure that the issue of Grant-in-Aid funding to navigation authorities doesn’t get overlooked, particularly as British Waterways and  the Environment Agency have already suffered a second year of sustained cuts in funding, whilst smaller navigation authorities receive no funding at all.

It should be remembered that Britain’s canals and river navigations provide an important contribution to land drainage and the country’s flood defences, which apart from the Grant-in Aid to  British Waterways and the Environment Agency is unfunded by Government. The Association is particularly concerned that any further cuts in the navigation authorities’ budgets will cause irreversible and deep damage to the system.

Speaking on behalf of IWA, John Fletcher, national chairman said.

“I welcome the report of the Select Committee into British Waterways, and congratulate its members on their thoroughness. I am pleased that so many of our points and observations have been taken on board.”

“The Association’s main concern for the present however, remains to ensure that the waterways system is adequately funded and maintained. I am hopeful that with the publication of this report a new era of mutual co-operation is possible and I look forward to putting the travails of the last 15 month behind us all”.

John continued,

“I look forward to having the opportunity of meeting with the new Minister Jonathan Shaw, and his team to discuss these issues and the Associations concerns in more detail.”

Ends

For more information please contact:

Jo Gilbertson Campaign Coordinator

Tel: 01923 711114 Ext 31

E-mail: jo.gilbertson@waterways.org.uk

Notes for Editors:

Inland Waterways Association

The Inland Waterways Association (IWA) is a registered charity, founded in 1946, which advocates the conservation, use, maintenance, restoration and development of the inland waterways for public benefit.  IWA has over 18,000 members whose interests include boating, towing path walking, industrial archaeology, nature conservation and many other activities associated with the inland waterways. Additional corporate members raise the combined voice of the IWA to over 60,000.

IWA works closely with navigation authorities, other waterway bodies, a wide range of national and local government, voluntary, private and public sector organisations to raise funds, lobby for support for and to encourage public participation in the inland waterways.

IWA is the UK’s premier inland waterways organisation, and was the first witness to be called to give spoken evidence at the Select Committee. In the course of the inquiry, IWA gave both oral and written evidence and was called upon to render supplementary written evidence following the differences in opinion between the then Minister and British Waterways.

Jo Gilbertson
Campaign Coordinator

The Inland Waterways Association
Non-profit Distributing Company Limited by Guarantee No 612245
Registered Charity No 212342

Registered Office: 3 Norfolk Court, Norfolk Road, Rickmansworth, WD3 1LT
Tel: 01923 711114 Ext 31
E-mail: jo.gilbertson@waterways.org.uk
website: www.waterways.org.uk
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