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As Chairman of the Birmingham Canal Navigations Society, I
am appalled by the swingeing cuts that DEFRA are planning to make to the
Grant-in-Aid given to British Waterways. These will have a detrimental effect
on the whole canal network but particularly, because the cuts in staff are
being focussed on the West Midlands area, upon our local canals.
The BCN Society has worked closely with British waterways
towards the aims of conservation and improvement on the BCN resulting in
practical achievements such as the restoration of the Titford Pumphouse. It is
difficult to see how cuts in grant will have anything but a negative effect on
the rest of the heritage and essential canal infrastructure of the BCN.
In the meantime I urge all members to write to their Member
of Parliament to protest strongly about the cuts and include the following
points.
Over the past decade British Waterways have made great
progress in reducing the backlog of maintenance around the BCN. The centre of
Birmingham is increasingly recognised as a world class tourist destination
focussed around the city centre canals. The on going economic benefits to the
city are enormous. The success of Birmingham is spreading to the other West
Midlands centres and canal-centred redevelopment is enhancing the economy and
environment around the region.
Why should the success of these developments, and others
which are being planned, be put in jeopardy because of mistakes in another
branch of the Ministry which controls BW's finances ? Why should British
Waterways be unfairly penalised by massive cuts when the problem is that of
another branch of the Government Department which controls its funding ? Why
have the problems brought on by DEFRA's inability to budget properly for its
farm payments been targeted at British Waterways ? This is manifestly unfair. I
urge you to raise this matter with the Waterways Minister Barry Gardiner and
Environment Secretary David Milliband.
Phil Clayton |
