Welcome to Boaters’ Update.
The main focus of this edition is on the announcement of the Government’s Grant Review decision that sets out the funding settlement it plans to give our waterways over ten years from 2027.
The decision doesn’t reflect the age and importance of our canals or the damaging effects to our waterways of the more frequent, and extreme, storms bought about by climate change. You can read our initial response below.
Damian
In this edition:
- Our response to Government Grant Review announcement
- Maintenance, repair and restoration work affecting cruising this weekend
Our response to Government Grant Review announcement
We have some important news to share with you about the future of the nation’s canals – you may have already seen it in the press or wider communications in the past few days.
Our much-loved canal network, which is so important to us in different ways, relies on funding from multiple sources: government grant being one of them.
Earlier this week the Government has announced a new funding settlement, spanning from 2027 to 2037, to follow on from our current grant agreement. Whilst we welcome this further long-term commitment to the nation’s historic waterways, the amount awarded represents a steep reduction in funding of over £300 million in real terms over a ten-year period. A reduction that will have devastating consequences.
Such a drastic decrease will inevitably result in a decline in the overall condition of our waterway network, and, alarmingly, the possibility of canal closures. It puts at risk invaluable natural habitats, historic infrastructure and cherished public spaces.
That's why we're reaching out to you, our passionate and engaged boating community, to join us in our mission to #KeepCanalsAlive.
Please take action by emailing your local MP.
It only takes a few minutes to do this using our simple online tool. If you’re a continuous cruiser your local MP can be considered as the one who represents the constituency where your mail is delivered.
