Canal and River Trust
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of (a) funding for the Canal & River Trust to maintain and improve England’s waterways and (b) the long-term funding arrangements for the Trust.
Answered by Emma Hardy
The Government is currently providing the Canal and River Trust with a 15-year grant (2012-2027) totalling about £740 million to support maintenance of the canal network infrastructure. When it was set up in 2012, the Government also provided the Trust with a permanent endowment fund now worth around £1 billion that generates a further quarter of its income. A review of the grant funding in 2021-2023 concluded that the Trust is providing value for money and there was a good case for continued grant funding. A further substantial 10-year grant from 2027 of £401 million was confirmed by the Government in August 2024. This further grant reflects the importance of the country’s inland waterways and continues to support the Trust in the long-standing objective of reducing its reliance on public funding while developing alternative funding sources.
Verbatim has judged this answer against the question that was actually asked — answered, partly answered, or evaded. Sign in to see the verdict →