BW 2020 launch attracts cross-party support

No lesser place than the Terrace Pavilion of the House of Commons was chosen as the venue for the official launch of British Waterways ‘blueprint’ for the future, unveiled on 18 May. But will ‘2020’ succeed in attracting the interest of the general public? Keith Langston reports from Westminster.

Support from ‘vested interest’ user groups alone will not be sufficient to carry the navigation authority forward at the speed required to achieve self-sufficiency within the next 10 years. People need to be persuaded that the inland waterways are theirs to use and cherish. But they will have to be made aware that there is a cost involved before greater benefits can be enjoyed. British Waterways’ evolution as a Third Sector organisation is an appealing idea, but will it deliver the goods and close the £30-million funding gap?

Robin Evans is on record stating that his board admits that after much hard work they have failed to find another way of closing the funding gap, concluding that the initial stages of ‘2020’ will reduce that gap by £10-million. Finding the other £20-million will be no easy task and all the while the 200-year-old network and its infrastructure will continue to get older. A government injection of an extra £20-million now would at least give the BW ‘new start’ a better than even chance of succeeding while allowing the waterway’s principal assets to be put in order.

Without government support the ‘2020’ plans will lie dead in the water. Gratifyingly politicians from the three major parties attended the House of Commons’ launch event hosted by Charlotte Atkins MP, a fervent inland waterways supporter. One ‘cheeky’ member remarked, ‘how nice it was in the present climate to meet with people who actually didn’t mind being seen with a politician!’ The welcoming enthusiasm associated with ‘2020’ should not be allowed to cloud the picture, ‘honourable members’ should be constantly reminded of the high costs involved when maintaining ‘our’ 200-year-old network.

No wonder then that this slickly presented BW charm offensive was held at such a hallowed venue. Fine wine and canapés, nice touch, more Saatchi & Saatchi than Harold Wilson. However, BW should be mindful that it could be the brown ale and sandwiches brigade which has the last say. Let us not forget that this grand occasion was also a wake, marking the passing of 100 jobs, on top of a previous 180 BW redundancies. The foundation stone for ‘2020’ is those jobs, and if we believe the publicity they will be ‘the saving of British Waterways’.

BW CEO Robin Evans needs to grab the imagination of the public in order to sell ‘2020’, it’s a big gamble and some waterway watchers may well harbour the thought that if those in high office at BW had acted sooner they may possibly have saved some jobs, other than just their own.

The ‘where we are now element’ of the ‘2020’ presentation points to the positives from the past but let’s face it, things really could only have got better. What matters now is the fight to stop our inland waterway system sliding back into decay. Those who have enjoyed the waterways over the past two decades appreciate fully the progress that has been made.

BW chairman Tony Hales, in his address, mentioned by name those politicians who had ‘helped’ the waterways, however, they were people who served in times when much more government cash was available. The present waterways minister, Huw Irranca-Davies and his officers at Defra do not enjoy that luxury.

The Save our Waterways activists and IWA campaigners must feel extremely proud now that they have got civil servants and politicians to listen. A large proportion of what BW is now presenting to Defra and the waterways community as ‘the way forward’, could have come straight from the pages of either organisation’s campaign documents. Working together really is the only way to ensure the wellbeing of the network for future generations.

If local and regional councillors are to sanction ‘cash for waterways’ they need to know that the community they represent fully approves. To that end the charm offensive must move on at a pace, and the appointment by BW of regional regeneration managers is a big step in the right direction. We, within the waterways community, can help; many of us have contacts with local councils, schools, community groups and the like, through those we must strive to sell the ideals of ‘2020’. British Waterways cannot do it alone.

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