Over the summer I’ve been cruising (T&M, Shroppie, Bridgewater, Leeds & Liverpool, the Macc and currently the Peak Forest Canal. Talking to boaters along the way, what strikes me is how few actually have any idea of the problems that face the waterways, notably those that are funded by Government.
Here’s the reality – BW and EA (which jointly are home to over 60,000 boats) – are facing cuts of between 25-50%. We know that BW already have a £30 million funding gap each year which means the maintenance backlog of £100 million plus is growing.
It seems clear to me that in such circumstances, if we, the users (that includes anglers, cyclists, walkers etc. as well as boaters) don’t take action then decline is inevitable.
Personally, I think the best way to do this is though local communities and when I get back from my cruise I will be trying to set up a Waterway Watch group in my area (Alrewas, Fradley) in cooperation with local Parish Councils and BW.
On their part, BW’s move to charity status (which the last government called the 3rd sector and the new government call the civic society and which, fortunately sits neatly into the Big Society concept) is progressing with amazing speed with Government (and all party backing).
The basic idea is that the new BW – which is unlikely to look much like the existing BW at all – will be run by a Members Council selected (probably elected) from ALL user groups. This group will select and monitor the new Board of Trustees (who will be unpaid). The Members Council is likely to be around 50 strong but will work mostly in smaller ‘scrutiny’ groups specialising in key areas. Under the Trustees will come the operations side – the bits that we are more familiar with that maintain the waterways and collects our dosh.
Importantly, in addition to the link with user groups at Members Council level, there will be Waterway Community groups attached to each regional office and this is where local communities can make their influence felt. This is not just about volunteer work. For example, in my area of Alrewas and Fradley, I see opportunities for the community to negotiate a contract with BW to take over the control of vegetation instead of the national contractor that is employed at the moment. A local contract – administered by volunteers but using local work skills – should be able to do at least as good a job for less money. We could also take a leaf from what happens on the Thames and manage the local BW moorings under contract.
Being a community-based initiative, there would be an identifiable group to take note of the needs and interests of ALL users.
This type of ‘help-yourself” initiative is a far cry from the sport of BW bashing that has become popular over recent years – the message is simple: if you don’t like what is happening then get together and do something about it.
This is a huge opportunity for canal societies and local branches of user groups to broaden the range of their activities and supporters and I look forward to making contact with those local to Alrewas/Fradley when I get back home in September. Meanwhile, anyone wishing to make contact can do so by posting to this website or by email to campaign@waterwaywatch.org.
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