The Partnership plays a crucial role in enabling people to have a say about how their local stretch of the Lancaster and Leeds & Liverpool Canals are run.
Having been a member of the Partnership for three years, Steve has been chief executive of Burnley Council for six years and is credited with leading the Lancashire town through something of a renaissance over the last few years. He was previously a strategic director at Manchester City Council. Steve has significant resource management and change management expertise and has been engaged in regeneration strategies and programmes for the last 20 years.
Ten-year plan
Steve said: "I'm delighted to take on the role. The Lancaster and Leeds & Liverpool Canals are among the most visited in the country, they are already enjoyed by so many people and we want to see even more benefit from all they have to offer.
"Over the coming months we'll be finalising a ten-year plan for how we can help more people get involved with their local waterway, whether that's through boating, cycling, walking or volunteering on one of our heritage and wildlife projects."
Waterway partnerships are a key part of the governance of the Trust - the charity that cares for 2,000 miles of waterways in England and Wales. Reporting to the chair of trustees and council, the chair of the Partnership is a lead ambassador for the waterway and, with colleagues, champions partnership working with local community, youth and voluntary sector groups.
Chantelle Seaborn, manager of the Trust's North West waterways, said: “We have many wonderful miles of canals in the North West on the Lancaster and Leeds & Liverpool Canals. We want more people to benefit from them and it's great to work with local volunteers like Steve who have the experience, enthusiasm and expertise to help us to do so."
