3 minute read
From the Region Chair - Grant Review
Canal and River Trust (CRT) Grant Review
Defra and CRT have jointly announced the terms of reference for a review of the grant terms from Defra which apply up to June 2027. Some key points in the present grant agreement are: an annual core grant of £39m., a conditional grant of £10m., and income from the Investment Assets Portfolio (current assets valued at £850m).
The conditional grant is likely to be the most vulnerable part of the agreement as it is based on three key performance indicators: safety of the waterways; towpath condition (for public access); flood management .
The full document may be viewed and downloaded at: https://www.gov.uk/government/ publications/canal-river-trustgrant-review/terms-of-reference.
Assuming that you are not finding it difficult to sleep right now (!) I have extracted several key paragraphs from the document, (actually it is a very clear, concise and well written document!).
The first part is a reminder of the key objectives of moving British Waterways into the present CRT Charitable Trust status: i) To reduce dependence on government grant and to foster increasing self-sufficiency, by providing access to new charitable income streams and stimulating new efficiencies. Over time, to increase overall funding available for the waterways. A prerequisite for this is to support the viability of the Trust – especially in its early days - and so minimise the risk that government has to intervene to take responsibility for the waterways from the Trust
ii) To move the long-term cost of maintaining the inland waterways and associated heritage infrastructure (estimated at around £4 billion in nominal net present value terms) from the public sector to civil society
iii) To support localism and give waterways’ users and communities greater involvement in the management and long-term sustainability of the waterways
iv) To safeguard the canals and associated heritage infrastructure through the Trust Settlement, in perpetuity, for the benefit of the nation, free pedestrian access to the towpaths
v) To ensure that the waterways continue to deliver and increase public benefits across the areas of: public safety; public access, recreation, amenity and health; environment; urban and rural regeneration; heritage.
Broad Review
In addition to reviewing past and current performance, Defra and the Trust have agreed that the third component will consider the extent to which the strategic context has evolved since 2012 and /or is likely to evolve in the future. This may include consideration of any future funding arrangement for the Trust within a wider strategic context, including but not limited to: the role of the waterways in society; the government’s broader policy objectives and priorities; long-term recovery from, and impact of Covid-19; and /or through the identification of new or obsolete benefits.
Defra may choose to consider the grant review within a wider strategic context regarding other inland waterways and/or navigation authorities including the Environment Agency.
The review will be evidence based and will draw on material from a wide range of sources. Defra and the Trust have agreed that evidence sources will include (but are not limited to): data and information the Trust already holds (for example, asset registers, financial records, customer surveys, environmental monitoring records etc); existing or newly commissioned study data or metrics gathered by the Trust, including the Trust’s Outcomes Measurement Framework; independent analysis, assurance, technical surveys and assessments, financial and commercial advice, research and data collection;
other advice, evidence, expertise and testimonial (that may also be drawn from customers, the public, stakeholders, independent experts and other government
departments).
This last point clarifies that IWA, and all other committed waterways stakeholders, will be able to make their evidence, views and opinions known directly to Defra. Closing date for this is September 2021 but the exact date is not yet confirmed. Anyone making an individual submission is advised to read the whole document to ensure your evidence is directed to the correct Defra department.
The review will be published on or before 1 July 2022.
