Martin Clark wrote: > Andrew Dyke wrote... >> From: "Neil Arlidge" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >>> British Waterways to withdraw from Cotswold Canals Partnership >> snip >>> The decision will not affect British Waterways' involvement in other canal >>> restoration projects which include: the Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal; >>> the Helix project in Grangemouth; the Bow Back Rivers in London; the >>> Liverpool Link and; the Droitwich Canals. >> Hi Neil and All, >> >> Very sad news indeed for the Cotswold Canal Trust but I am pleased the other >> partnerships are not effected, particularly the Droitwich canal. >> > More about this on Save Our Waterways website. > http://www.saveourwaterways.org.uk/news/ >
I must say that I think IWA's response has completely missed the point. This is a decision that must have been very difficult to take but I can't see that BW had other option. Would you spend your available capital to build an extension on your house if the very fabric of the main building was in need of major repairs? Of course, it is a great disappointment to those who have put so much work into the Cotswold project, but whatever BW put into that project would just be taking money away from maintaining the major part of the network. Sure, I know it is being spent on repairing the Mon & Brec which is also not part of the main system but that will save jobs & businesses that are already established. In short is a direct rebound caused by the Defra cuts. That coupled with the fact that BW have not been re-imbursed (by Defra or EA) for the £8-10 million spent on floods last year obviously has left BW in an extraordinarily tight financial position. Our campaign for the past 18 months has been emphasising that there was a risk that cuts like this would be forced upon BW; why is the IWA now criticising BW for doing what was inevitable. IMO, the IWA should be criticising Government not BW. The great danger is that we now have had 18 months of below standard maintenance; how many more breaches/collapses are waiting to happen? Will Government expect BW to close more restoration projects or will they listen and realise that they have to find a solution to BW's funding crisis? > Feel free to leave comments on the Blog there > http://www.saveourwaterways.org.uk/wp/ -- Will Chapman Save Our Waterways www.SaveOurWaterways.org.uk
