Memorandum submitted by Dr PB and Mrs
JE Woollam
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1. The events surrounding the breach on
the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, and the subsequent effects
on the Cotswold Canals' financial position, represent a microcosm
of the consequences of DEFRA's cut in British Waterways (BW) grant.
Lower grants forced reduced maintenance, which led to major structural
collapse with serious safety consequences, insufficient funds
resulted in promised heritage restoration finances being used
to pay for the repair.
2. Since the DEFRA cut, British Waterways
has reduced maintenance on structures that, in many cases, are
200 years old and performing duties that their builders could
not have conceived. The breach on the Monmouthshire and Brecon
resulted from lack of maintenance; the very real potential for
loss of life or serious injury was fortuitously avoided.
3. Collapse of the Monmouthshire and Brecon
Canal has lead directly to BW's withdrawal of funding from the
Cotswold Canals restoration scheme.
4. Government has a duty, through British
Waterways, to fund preservation of our archaeological canal-based
heritage, such as the Cotswold Canals, for future generations
to enjoy. This is an important intergenerational equity issue.
British Waterways' grant should accommodate its unique position,
as does the DCMS grant to English Heritage.
5. Currently, British Waterways is involved
in schemes that are driving £6 billion of waterside regeneration
with the potential for 6,000 new homes. Such schemes will be at
risk if BW is seen to fail in honouring financial commitments,
as it has with the Cotswold Canals.
6. BW's lack of consultation before withdrawing
funding from the Cotswold Canals is unacceptable. This is not
the way to gain and maintain the confidence of much needed volunteer
groups, without whom much inland waterways restoration over the
past three decades would not have been possible.
7. In the matter of the Cotswold Canals,
the Committee should consider:
— Recommending that the Welsh Assembly
and local governments contribute to repairing the Monmouthshire
and Brecon canal (BW says that the value to local communities
of repairing the canal is about £30 million); DEFRA should
provide additional aid rather than allow BW to remove significant
sums from the Cotswold canals, a strategic restoration scheme
that had momentum and secure funding
— What assurances could be given to
the other funding partners so they do not pull out of the Cotswold
Canals restoration project, or reduce their commitments to it
8. In more general regeneration and restoration
matters, the Committee should consider:
— Why DEFRA does not afford the same
priority to Inland Waterways funding as does the Scottish Executive
— Why DEFRA's grants for heritage maintenance
are much small than those of DCMS
— Whether it would be more appropriate
for DCMS to fund BW than DEFRA
INTRODUCTION
1. We have owned boats on the Inland Waterways
network since 1973 and currently have a new boat being built that
will be moored at Saul, at the junction of the Gloucester and
Sharpness and Stroudwater Canals.
2. We have previously submitted written
evidence, and presented oral evidence, to the Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs Committee in relation to its inquiry into the
work of British Waterways.
IMPACTS OF
CUTS TO
BRITISH WATERWAYS'
FUNDING ON
RENEGENERATION AND
RESTORATION
3. The events surrounding the substantial
damage to the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, and the subsequent
effects on the Cotswold Canals' financial position, represent
a microcosm of the consequences of Government's cut in British
Waterways (BW) grant. Lower grants forced reduced maintenance,
which led to major structural collapse with serious safety consequences,
insufficient funds resulted in promised heritage restoration finances
being used to pay for the repair.
4. Since the DEFRA cut, British Waterways
has been forced to reduce maintenance on structures that, in many
cases, are 200 years old and performing duties that their builders
could not have conceived. The breach on the Monmouthshire and
Brecon Canal was foreseeable[2]
and resulted from lack of maintenance; the very real potential
for loss of life or serious injury[3]
was fortuitously avoided.
5. BW has a backlog of maintenance estimated
in 2006 at £119 million.
6. The trend of reduced maintenance will
inevitably continue without adequate Government funding. The overall
cost of bringing canals back to a safe standard will increase
and in the meantime, damage from major canal breaches, such as
on the Monmouthshire and Brecon, and other structural failures
will still have to be funded by Government.
7. Failure of the Monmouthshire and Brecon
Canal has lead directly to BW's withdrawal of funding from the
Cotswold Canals. We submit that Government has an obligation,
through British Waterways, to maintain and restore the nation's
archaeological canal-based heritage for future generations. This
is an important intergenerational equity issue. It is noteworthy
that 95% of the 300 million people who visit the waterways annually
see the canals as an important part of the nation's heritage.
We submit that it is Government's duty to fund heritage maintenance,
such as restoration of the Cotswold Canals, and that British Waterways'
grant should accommodate its unique position, as does the DCMS
grant to English Heritage.
8. Currently, British Waterways is involved
in schemes that are driving £6 billion of waterside regeneration
with the potential for 6,000 new homes. The power of the canals
to attract inward investment into rundown, problem towns and cities
is well recognised by local and national government and the voluntary
sector. However, such schemes will be at considerable risk if
BW continues in failing to honour financial commitments, as it
has with the Cotswold Canals, or if Government drives BW to this
position by failing adequately to help fund these schemes.
9. We note that DCMS grants to English Heritage
have risen year on year since 2001-02 to £125 million, twice
DEFRA's grant to British Waterways. English Heritage receives
9.7 million visitors per year, one thirtieth of British Waterways'
visitors, and it maintains fewer heritage structures.
10. In Scotland, the Scottish Executive
has accepted British Waterways' need for increased funding and
has confirmed that its grant will increase year on year, so that
in 2007-08 it will be 28% higher than the baseline grant in 2005-06.
11. In relation to general regeneration
and restoration matters, we submit that the Committee should consider:
— Why DEFRA does not afford the same
priority to Inland Waterways funding as does the Scottish Executive
— Why DEFRA's grants for heritage maintenance
are much small than those of DCMS
— Whether it would be more appropriate
for DCMS to fund BW than DEFRA
BW'S DECISION TO
WITHDRAW FUNDING
FROM THE
COTSWOLD CANALS
PARTNERSHIP
12. We are particularly concerned by BW's
decision to withdraw from its commitment to the Cotswold Canals
Partnership to contribute to the restoration of the Stroudwater
canal. As noted above, this matter, and BW's stated reasons for
withdrawal, neatly encapsulate the consequences of DEFRA's cut
in BW's grant.
13. We understand the reasons for BW's current
financial position and the urgent need to repair the Monmouthshire
and Brecon Canal. However, BW has said that the value to the local
community, in financial terms, of repairing the Welsh canals is
around £30 million. Why then has BW not pressed the Welsh
Assembly and the local governments to contribute to this work
rather than remove significant sums from a strategic restoration
scheme that had momentum and secure funding?
14. We are further concerned with BW's lack
of consultation with the Cotswold Canals Trust and its unexpected
funding withdrawal. This is not the way to gain or maintain the
confidence of much needed volunteer groups, without whom much
inland waterways restoration over the past three decades would
not have been possible. Lack of consultation is particularly concerning
when BW announced in late 2007 that the funding position had been
resolved.
15. In the matter of the Cotswold Canals,
we submit that the Committee should consider:
— Recommending that the Welsh Assembly
and local governments contribute to repairing the Monmouthshire
and Brecon canal (BW says that the value to local communities
of repairing the canal is about £30 million); DEFRA should
provide additional aid rather than allow BW to remove significant
sums from the Cotswold canals, a strategic restoration scheme
that had momentum and secure funding.
— What assurances could be given to
the other funding partners so they do not pull out of the Cotswold
Canals restoration project, or reduce their commitments to it.
Dr PB and Mrs JE Woollam
March 2008
2 This canal is constructed in a similar manner to
the Llangollen canal that breached beyond Pontcysyllte in 1985. Back
3
The breach occurred above homes and a road used to take children
to school. Back
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