PARLIAMENTARY WATERWAYS GROUP,
12 December 2006

CUTS WILL NOT CAUSE WATERWAY DECLINE, SAYS MINISTER

At yesterday's meeting of the All Party Waterways Group, Barry Gardiner claimed that the campaigners were wrong to prophesy a decline in the standard of the waterways, and that they were mistaken in their claim that the 'in-year' cuts amounted to £9M. The figure was £3.9M 'which should be seen against a government spend of £524 since the year 2000'

He then went on to say that the farming problems were only responsible for about £23M out of the current £200 hole in DEFRA's budget, which was mainly due to a change in the way departments could carry over funds from previous years, and he then proceeded to swamp us with more figures. In a written 'fact-sheet' to the group he stated 'Boaters should pay fair and reasonable amount . . . It costs £190 to run the waterways. . . Boaters pay just 13.5% of that'

He claimed BW's job cuts would have happened anyway, the cuts just 'accelerated the process', and that DEFRA's credibility would suffer if they went to the Treasury for Contingency funds.

Unfortunately he was only present for half an hour, and the way the questions fell he was not given any serious challenge. The first question was a hang-over from the previous topic, Richard Caborne MP, Minister for Sport, about the Olympic plans, and then, rightly, MPs questions were given priority as they are the full members of the APWG.

All this followed Sir Peter Soulsby's record breaking adjournment debate, subject of the last NABO Bulletin, and some MPs present reinforced subjects that had been brought up then, one mentioning the fate of Bugsworth Basin if anything went wrong on the Peak Forest. Barry Gardiner would address local worries with the MPs concerned.

Robin Evans said he was glad we had a minister who would 'champion the waterways'. Whether this statement was based on sarcasm or fact we will only know when we learn more of the outcome of a recent meeting between him, the BW Chairman and the Waterways Minister, at which the long term funding of BW was discussed. Barry Gardiner was confident BW would receive stable funding but didn't assure us there would be no more unpredictable cuts and that future grants would not be set on the current reduced levels.

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