British Waterways announces Vision for Future

British Waterways has today launched proposals for its future, entitled "Twenty Twenty - a Vision for for the Future of our Canals and Rivers".

This is the result of a major strategic review that has taken place and follows the government's decision to allow BW to retain its successful property portfolio.

The plans include increasing efficiencies, opening up new funding and partnership opportunities, creating closer links with local communities and the start a move towards the waterways achieving a 'third sector' trust or charitable status similar to that of the National Trust.

As a first step towards greater efficiency, BW proposes a restructure of its own operations in England and Wales, by removing an entire layer of management and creating eleven new, smaller, 'hands-on' waterway units. The move would make around 100 office staff redundant, but the £10 million annual saving would be redirected towards waterway maintenance.

Under the new structure, BW would put a greater emphasis on working with volunteers and local communities.

BW Chief Executive, Robin Evans, said: "Our absolute priority must be to maintain investment in the waterways and this means reducing spending elsewhere. Our proposed new structure will both redirect important funding to essential maintenance work but also make us much more responsive to customers and partners."

In the longer term, BW calls for some fresh thinking about what the waterways mean to Britain and how their sustainable future might be secured. It proposes that, by 2020, it should become a third sector 'public interest company' or trust. BW believes that such a change could stimulate greater participation in the waterways by volunteers and other individuals, enhance openness and accountability for communities and waterway users, create opportunities for new sources of income such as grants and donations, and ensure the historic network is held in trust for the nation.

More information about BW's proposals can be found on its website, here: www.britishwaterways.co.uk/twentytwenty.
The document "Twenty Twenty - a Vision for for the Future of our Canals and Rivers" can be downloaded here.

Waterways Parliamentarian of the Year Award

The Inland Waterways Association has this year awarded the title of "Waterways Parliamentarian of the Year" to David Drew, MP for Stroud.

The award was made in recognition of his notable contribution to the Cotswold Canals restoration and also for his work in chairing two select committee inquiries into British Waterways.

These select committees had done much to inform MPs and to raise the profile of the waterways in Parliament over the last year.

Read IWA News Release.

The award of this title by the IWA reflects the positive relationships that now exist between waterway organisations and parliamentarians.

MPs have instigated a number of debates and enquiries that help to keep the needs of the waterways in the minds of the ministers who make the decisions. Ministers have shown a willingness to listen and to take on board ideas from waterways organisations. This shows how far things have moved on from two years ago when ministers were seeing waterways as a soft touch and waterways organisations were mounting protest demonstrations.

Where have all the protests gone?

There have been a few people who have asked what has happened to all the protest demonstrations that Save Our Waterways was involved with a couple of years ago.

Well, some folks love a good bun-fight and certainly there were plenty of boaters and others interested in waterways who were prepared to come and blockade canals and wave placards to make their voices heard at a time when there was much anger over the swingeing funding cuts made by Defra.

Some people have expressed disappointment that we are no longer mounting such protests. However, it was realised that it was no longer necessary or worthwhile to continue to protest. For one thing, it you keep doing something then it is no longer news and the press loses interest. For another thing, the protests actually achieved a great deal in terms of grabbing the attention of politicians.

Local MPs came to give their support at the demonstrations and have been involved in a series of debates and enquiries into aspects of the waterways. They badgered ministers with questions from constituents. Ministers took notice of this upswelling of feeling and a further tranche of funding cutbacks that had been threatened (an extra 2.5% cut in November 2006) failed to materialise.

The "flat cash" funding of waterways for this year (whereby the money available remained the same with no allowance for inflation), while being a cut in real spending power, was still better than the deeper cuts that had at one time been threatened. The money situation is not good, but you can be sure that, had waterways supporters not stood up and made a noise, things would have been much worse.

The waterways minister of the time, who had failed to connect adequately with users, was replaced by Jonathan Shaw, who took a more positive approach than his predecessor and showed that he was actually listening. He helped to set up an inter-departmental group for waterways issues, helping to ensure a co-ordinated approach when issues crossed government department boundaries. He also supported the ongoing update of the Waterways for Tomorrow charter for the future of the waterways.

When you have ministers who are moving in the right direction, you support them and work with them rather than embarrass and frustrate them with further protests. So, over the last year or so, rather than engage in further protests, Save Our Waterways has been active in less visible ways. It has involved, with other waterways organisations, in useful discussions with those who make decisions as well as those who aspire to do so.

Save Our Waterways seeks to represent the interests of the many casual users of the waterways. These are probably the majority of users, although they do not contribute financially other than through taxation. This is one reason why Will has been promoting the idea of local councils paying more towards the upkeep of waterways in their area.

Save Our Waterways may not have been in the limelight recently but it has nevertheless been busy behind the scenes!

EA calls off sale of Thames Lock Keepers' Houses

The Environment Agency has cancelled its plan to sell off some of its lock or weir keeper houses and rent out others. This follows a wave of protests and a petition on the 10 Downing Street website.

In June the Environment Minister Phil Woolas and local MPs met with EA and it was agreed to put the proposals on hold until it has completed "a full review of waterways staff roles and responsibilities, and terms and conditions".

As a result of this review, EA has pledged to ensure that there at resident keepers at all 45 locks and major weirs on the Thames. EA's Howard Davidson said "issues such as flood risk and response to incidents outside normal working hours have been key to our considerations."

EA will still sell five houses that are away from the river, but only after the staff living there have been moved to properties close to locks.

The new proposals, which have to be discussed with staff and unions, have already been welcomed by campaigners and supporters. Cookham lock keeper's wife Kim Benge, who has played a key part in the campaign, said "We are thrilled with the news today. Much work still needs to be done but we are truly delighted with this outcome. The River Thames is a safer place today because of it."

MP Martin Salter, who had compiled a file of incidents at locks and weirs where intervention of resident lock-keepers had saved lives or prevented serious injuries, described it as "fantastic news for everybody who cares about the future of the Thames." He added: "I have no doubt that the weight of public opinion coupled with strong Parliamentary pressure were crucial."

Michael Shefras of Thames User Group (Navigation) said: "We were all delighted to be informed that the proposed plan to sell some of the Lock Cottages has been completely cancelled and that resident Lock Keepers will continue to live in the Lock Cottages. Many Thames organisations worked tirelessly opposing the plan. SOW will continue to work with the Thames User Group (Navigation) who are to continue consultations with the Thames Waterways Staff as they progress the Better Ways of Working process to ensure proper service to all who cruise the Thames."

Budget Bonus for BW

...but is there a sting in the tail?

There was good news for British Waterways in the Chancellor's Pre-Budget Report this week.

As part of the Chancellor's measures to give a "fiscal stimulus" to the economy, a grant to BW of £5m will be brought forward from the planned 2011-12 budget. The money will be used as part of a £33m major works programme to repair a range of historic locks, bridges, embankments and reservoirs and dredge channels in waterways across England and Wales.

This shows an acknowledgement that Britain's historic waterways provide excellent value for money for the nation, generating in excess of £500m to the economy each year.

Bringing forward this chunk of cash means that vital work can be carried out sooner and, hopefully, the employment and commerce generated will do its bit towards helping to re-vitalise the economy.

However, it was also announced that, as part of the Operational Efficiency Programme, a team led by Gerry Grimstone will review British Waterways' model for managing its canal-side property portfolio and assess how best public value might be delivered from these assets.

This is causing alarm amongst many waterway enthusiasts, as they fear that the implication is that BW will be forced to sell off its property portfolio through a kind of "fire-sale" and might not even get any of the money!

The fact that a review has been announced doesn't necessarily mean that the assets will be sold off - although that is always one of the possible outcomes. One argument against selling off property at the moment is that it would not bring in sufficient money, with the current downturn in property prices.

Another outcome might be the placing of BW's property and investment operation into a new private sector company run by BW, separate from the public sector navigation operation, as recommended by the KPMG report.

Other points of view state that BW management is somewhat naive to imagine that they could build up a huge property portfolio to help finance its navigation operation, without that portfolio being eyed up and plundered by governments of one colour or another.

So what do you think? Will the extra cash now help? Will BW end up losing its property assets? What does it mean for the future of the waterways?

Add your comment now to have your say!

New Minister Announced

The new minister who will have responsibility for waterways is to be Huw Irranca-Davies.

Huw is MP for Ogmore in South Wales and was Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Wales Office before getting his new job in the Environment department.

Waterway users will be hoping that Huw will quickly familiarise himself with the many issues that are of great concern, not least the current inadequate funding for waterways. It will also be hoped that he will continue with the encouraging progress made by his predecessor, Jonathan Shaw.

Ministers Moved in Reshuffle

Two ministers closely involved with the waterways have been moved in the Government's reshuffle.

Jonathan Shaw, the former Defra Minister with responsibility for waterways, has moved to the Department for Work and Pensions as a Parliamentary undersecretary of state.

Many waterway groups felt that Mr Shaw took a more positive approach than his predecessor. He helped to set up an inter-departmental group for waterways issues, helping to ensure a co-ordinated approach when issues crossed government department boundaries. He also supported the ongoing update of the Waterways for Tomorrow charter for the future of the waterways.

Phil Woolas who, as Minister for the Environment had overall responsibility for areas that included waterways, has become Minister of State for Borders and Immigration at the Home Office.

As a local MP, Mr Woolas takes an interest in the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, which goes through his constituency. Earlier this year, he travelled on a boat up the locks from Uppermill to Diggle, speaking with boaters about issues of concern to them.

While we wish Mr Shaw and Mr Woolas well in their new jobs, it is sad to see sympathetic ministers move onwards. It takes time for waterways organisations to build relationships with those who make decisions and it takes time for new ministers to gather all the threads of what is going on in their area of responsibility. We hope that enough momentum has been started for recent progress to be continued under new management!