>From today's Sunday Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/10/01/ncanals01.xml
or, provided its not a breach of copyright:-
DEFRA BLAMED FOR CASH CRISIS THAT COULD CRIPPLE PRESCOTT'S CANAL REVIVAL
Hundreds of miles of canals are facing closure because of a cash crisis
sparked by government "incompetence".
The revelation comes days after John Prescott cited the regeneration of
Britain's waterways as one of Labour's major successes. A reduction in
funding to British Waterways from the Department for Environment, Food and
Rural Affairs (Defra) threatens to end a renaissance that has seen the UK's
navigable canal network increase by 10 per cent in the past decade.
British Waterways has had £9.1 million cut from its agreed grant of £62.5
million for this year. It expects to lose £60 million over the next five
years.
The cuts, with vital maintenance work for this winter cancelled, were
instigated after Defra saw its own budget slashed by £200 million earlier
this year in the wake of its disastrous handling of the revamped farm
subsidy scheme. It failed to pay on time £1.5 billion of European subsidies
to UK farmers and landowners.
British Waterways, which maintains 2,200 miles of navigable canals and
rivers, is now preparing to shelve plans to re-open 60 miles of previously
closed waterways in the North-West of England. Job losses are also expected.
Eugene Baston, of British Waterways, said: "We are being penalised for
Defra's incompetence. If we can't maintain the waterways, we can't keep them
open. The network is in the best shape it has been for 150 years, but that
is now at risk.
"It would a tragedy if it became the second period of decline." In his
closing speech to the Labour Party conference in Manchester on Thursday, the
Deputy Prime Minister claimed the Government had helped to make "cleaner,
greener, safer places" to live. "Take just one small example," he said. "The
canals of Manchester and many cities were symbols of urban decline. They
have become major engines of urban regeneration."
In fact, three of the first canals expected to close — the Rochdale, Peak
Forest and Ashton — are in Greater Manchester.
A spokesman for Defra said: "We've had to identify savings across the board.
We will try to work with British Waterways."
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