Winter maintenance spend only a quarter that is needed for 'steady state'

THE 45.1 millions winter maintenance spend by Canal & River Trust is only a quarter of the actual amount needed to keep the waterways at 'steady state'—even at 2012 rates!

Without the actual maintenance spend that is needed to keep at 'steady state' the waterways will still continue to deteriorate.

Commissioned a report

It was the then British Waterways that commissioned a report in May 2011 by the renowned KPMC on keeping the waterways in a 'steady state' condition, thus ensuing there was no deterioration. 

It was a year later that the report was published in May 2012, a month before Canal & River Trust took over in June 2012.

Between £155 and £185 millions

Its findings were very clear, with KPMC stating that to keep the waterways in 'steady state', thus preventing any deterioration, between £155 millions and £185 millions must be spent on maintenance each year.

Now, eight years later, with just £45 millions being spent and a similar amount each year ever since, the figure now needed to get the waterways back to 'steady state' would be astronomical.

It was Allan Richards who told in narrowboatworld when Canal & River Trust took over the waterways:

A constant deterioration

Though many non-boating bodies will benefit, and will be celebrating the move from British Waterways to Canal & River Trust (CaRT), the people who use the waterways and who pay for them—the boaters—will most certainly not, but will instead witness a constant deterioration.

A report commissioned by British Waterways, only serves to confirm fears that CaRT is untenable, and waterways will continue to deteriorate.

And it came to pass.