IWA was instrumental in Canal & River Trust receiving a sufficient funding package from Government when the new charity was set up in 2012 to run the waterways previously managed by British Waterways.
This 15 year contract comes to an end in 2027, with a review starting in 2022. We are lobbying Government to persuade them that a continued level of Government funding for Canal & River Trust beyond 2027 is essential, given the significant benefits that the waterways in their care give to the nation in terms of leisure, health and wellbeing for individuals, and to communities through tourism and the local economy.
Economic valuation research carried out for Canal & River Trust estimates that waterways deliver an estimated social wellbeing value to those using just their waterways of £3.8bn per year.
Hundreds of miles of waterways – along with their unique heritage and habitats – are currently starved of funding and rely on constant lobbying by us to safeguard their future.