Defra looking into cart.

I saw that as well Kris ........and thought well I'll keep my fingers crossed ..... Maybe the amount of things they have got wrong, the amount of money they have wasted, the amount of people who have been adversely affected by them, the terrible track record on low energy transport by water, just maybe, just maybe.

Violets ..... surely sweet violets ?

I set the ball rolling on this a few days ago, posting it on one of the threads here. It seems someone from Cwdf (who I thought never visited thunderboat) then posted it elsewhere adding some conspiracy theories to beef it up, and hey ho off it went around the internet.

There is nothing sinister, it’s related to CRT’s application for an extension of the government grant after 2027. Evidently the proposal for an extension centres on public use and wellness. CRT are proposing that defra/the government should recognise the trusts costs to providing this wellness, and should act responsibly by issuing a yearly grant.

Some on other platforms.

It’s the usual jobs for the boys, I’m sure defra will make sure who ever gets the contract they know exactly the outcome that defra are looking for and they will get it seen as they are paying for it.

Perhaps TonyDunkley should tender for it, that would sort them out.

My concern with any government body examining CRTs activities as part of a funding approval process is that said government body will give zero priority to boating.

There is a big benefit to society as a whole (and its mental and physical health) from the use of towpaths for walking, running, cycling, fishing etc- and that societal benefit has been put into sharp focus by the lockdowns.

So I personally believe that there is no question that funding will be made available, for at least most of the canal stretches to remain in their current state.

The presence of narrowboats, however, although a pleasant visual attraction for towpath users, might not be seen as essential, or even desirable.
Maintaining locks must take a big chunk of CRTs budget, and it could be argued that only about 30,000 boaters benefit from that investment. Likewise the various water, elsan and other facilities that are provided.

If you estimate that there are 30,000 or so licensed boats, each paying £1,000 each year for a license, the income from boaters might be very roughly £30 million. I can only guess, but my guess would be that the license income doesnt pay for all the lock and canal maintenance, plus the facilities.

So the 30,000 boaters, I would guess, are a significant net cost to the funds of CRT, and you imagine DEFRA will be looking in particular at any environmental issues that boaters might create.

I'm wondering if one of these years, a decision will be made to simply seal up a proportion of the existing locks, and thus drastically reduce maintenance costs. Closing locks will not impact the millions of towpath users at all- they will still get the same benefit from the use of a pleasant recreational space.
And to people deciding budgets and costs vs benefits on a national scale, I cant help but think that the towpath users matter just as much as boaters, if not more.

Its always seemed to me that an awful lot of money is getting spent every year to allow 30,000 people to cruise in boats- and the number who actually cruise longer distances might be half of the 30,000 license holders.

Obviously I fervently and sincerely hope I'm way wrong on this, but the long term future of the infrastructure that allows actual boat navigation seems to be vulnerable to the penny pinchers.