Meridian Cuttings - Spring 2022

Let us hope that we will be able to enjoy the Inland Waterways this summer, spring is not far away and hopefully we will be able to get out and about on the cut. Planning is going ahead for a resumption of Cavalcade over the weekend of the 30th April to the 2nd May at Little Venice. For more details have a look at our website. Let us hope we have a successful event that everyone can enjoy and I look forward to seeing you there.

As we move back into more normal times, I believe we could be approaching a critical time in the future of our waterway network. The money on offer from the government for the Canal and River Trust, when it was set up, was well below that needed for a sustainable future. Whilst the removal of the dead hand of the Treasury has allowed the trust to use its assets more profitably and to diversify its sources of income, we must have serious concerns about the poor standard of some of its assets. The time is fast approaching when this original miserly settlement from government runs out and comes up for renegotiation. There must be a real risk that the Treasury, in trying to balance the books, after the vast sums of money that have been spent on Covid, will see the waterways as an easy target for cost savings. This has certainly been the case in the past on EA waters where their settlement has been savagely cut in recent years even before Covid.

As I said when I first became your Region Chair to ensure that the, then embryonic, Canal and River Trust is not starved of sufficient funds would need firm leadership.

Only time will tell if their attempts to market themselves as a charity that is focused on the health and environmental benefits to the areas around the canals, will persuade government to value their work and give them a reasonable settlement. But the Canal and River Trust are only responsible for about a half of the network and funding for all the network is at risk. I still believe the only organisation that can give that leadership on a national level, is the Inland Waterways Association. At a local level you can help by supporting your local branch and region to lobby for the future of your local waterways.

Last year I asked if there was anyone who could help in raising funds across the London Region to support the work of the region and its branches, unfortunately no one put their hand up. If you could help please do contact me. IWA is always needing to raise funds to support its works of protecting and restoring the country's 7000 miles of canals and rivers. One way you could help the association champion improvement to, and the heritage and restoration of, our waterways is to buy a ticket for the Giving Lottery https://www.givinglottery.org.uk/support/inland-waterways-association.

Forty percent of your stake goes straight to the association. You could even win £25000.

Paul Strudwick London Region Chair Paul.strudwick@waterways.org.uk