BW Welcomes Select Committee Report

1 July 2008

British Waterways today (1 July 2008) welcomed the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs Select Committee's report on waterway restoration as an important contribution to raising awareness of the value of the nation's canals and rivers.

Over the last decade British Waterways and its partners have added over 200 miles of navigation to the national network and, in the process, created jobs and increased investment in waterside communities across the country. As the Committee highlights, however, restoration of canals produces little direct benefit to British Waterways, which should not, as the Cotswold Canals project illustrated, be expected to bear all the risks and costs.

Commenting on the report British Waterways' chairman Tony Hales said; "This is an extremely useful contribution to the debate. The Committee's main conclusion that the bodies which benefit most from waterway restoration should also bear the risks involved goes to the heart of the matter. I am grateful to the Committee for the time they have given to debating and raising awareness of this important subject – its work can only help to enhance the prospect for future waterway restorations and that must be a good thing."

"I am proud of the part British Waterways has played in the UK 's waterway renaissance in the last ten years but we cannot afford to dwell on past success. The inland waterways have undergone an unprecedented period of growth during a benign financial climate. The task for us now is to hold onto these gains and make the tough decisions necessary to carry the network through more uncertain waters. We are working more closely than ever with the Department for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) to develop a clear strategy to achieve this and it was pleasing to note that the Committee recognised this."

Background notes:

British Waterways has commissioned an external review (cost £350,000) into its institutional status to investigate options for securing future savings and income. The review, which is due to be published later this month, was commissioned with the backing of Defra, to address issues relevant to future strategy. It is expected to set the framework for a debate on the longer term strategy for the waterways in the period to 2020.

British Waterways noted the Committee's comments on the timing of its announcement about withdrawal from the Cotswold Canals Partnership. In response, chairman Tony Hales said: "I have had many discussions face to face with waterway user groups and other stakeholders since our announcement. We have noted the Committee's comments whilst concluding that there was no one ideal way to break such difficult news to stakeholders including our own staff employed on the project whom we believed had to hear first."

To view the full text of the Efra Select Committee report: British Waterways: follow-up (Eighth Report of Session 2007-08) or its press release entitled: " If Government wants to obtain the public benefits of canal investment, it should bear the risks, concludes House of Commons Committee " visit www.parliament.uk/efracom on 1 July 2008.

ENDS

For media enquiries contact:

Ed Fox, T. 020 7985 7226 M. 07801 049829 E. edward.fox@britishwaterways.co.uk