No realistic prospect of transfer of EA waters

THE Waterways Minister, Rory Stewart MP, has responded to concerns regarding transfer of EA navigations to Canal & River Trust (CaRT).

The minister has repeated a two years old Written Ministerial Statement that a project to review the options for the transfer is on hold until there is a realistic prospect of the transfer being affordable.

Launched over five years ago

It is over five years ago that the IWA launched its proposals for an Inland Waterways Conservancy merging BW, EA and non-public funded waterways. It stated:

‘The Inland Waterways Conservancy could offer a single licensing authority for navigation, and greater stakeholder input, it would almost certainly give greater economy of scale with a single headquarters, shared maintenance equipment, increased purchasing power for outsourcing of services and a flexible workforce. The use of volunteers, if suitably utilised, could also further reduce running costs. BW in its 2020 vision has already identified that a move to the third sector will open up new funding possibilities; we believe these are even more likely for a Conservancy that has a larger role and scope.'

However, instead of BW merging with EA, it was actually split into CaRT and Scottish Waterways with a woolly commitment that an EA transfer would take place ‘when economic circumstances allowed'.

Cart waterways in better condition!

Recently, the journal of the Great Ouse Boaters Association (the, perhaps aptly named, GOBA News) carried suggestions that EA waters should be taken over by CaRT due to it having more funding streams and its waterways being in better condition.

What a nonsense.

There are also indications that IWA and other boating organisations have been trying to reverse the July 2013 ministerial announcement and start talks on a transfer again.

However, with CaRT's own funding difficulties now very evident (Underspend on the underspend), it would be folly for it to subsidise a further dumping of government waterways on the third sector.

In early September, NABO chair, Dr Mike Rodd, wrote to the Waterways Minister Rory Stewart, expressing concern that a transfer might again be under active consideration.

Expressed concern

He pointed out the recent progress made by the Trust in changing senior staff, something NABO had always said was essential in the transformation from statutory body to a charitable organisation. However, Dr Rodd's letter expressed concern that the transformation was happening very slowly and was being hampered by lack of funding from CaRT's main income streams which include its time-limited government grant. As such, its inherited backlog of maintenance and dredging is not being addressed.

The NABO view is that CaRT needs to demonstrate as a pre-condition that it is fully engaged with its users and in command of its maintenance backlog before NABO would support a transfer. Also any financial arrangements regarding EA waterways must not impinge on CaRT's current maintenance responsibilities.

Sensible and serious proposals

Rory Stewart's response, a month later simply repeats what was said two years ago. The government remains fully committed to the transfer when economic circumstances allow and the project to review the options for the transfer are still on hold.

Studiously ignoring CaRT's problems dealing with its historic backlog of maintenance, the waterways minister ends his letter ‘... I am always open to sensible and serious proposals in this area. If you and the Trust are able to propose an alternative model of transfer I would be happy to look at it since transfer, as you say, is what we would all like to see in the long-term.'

... but how can one make a sensible and serious proposal regarding EA transfer without dealing with CaRT's current funding problem?