How the nation’s network of canals can help provide solutions for the next government - Richard Parry
The canals were the nation’s first industrial transport network. 250 years ago, great engineers masterminded a network of lock flights, bridges, tunnels, reservoirs and soaring aqueducts. It provided the freight arteries of the Industrial Revolution and enabled Britain to become the leading industrial nation.
But this unique network of canals, which we continue to cherish today, isn’t locked away in a museum. It still flows through our countryside, towns and cities and serves society in ways that the great canal engineers could never have envisaged. It is ready-made to continue providing a vital contribution towards many of society’s biggest present-day challenges.
The canal network matters not only to the 10 million people who visit it regularly or the 80,000 people whose jobs are supported by boating and the tourism it attracts, but for us all because canals enhance our natural environment. They provide corridors through urban communities for wildlife and people, support local economies and are integral to our future water supply.
The next government will face enormous challenges when it comes into power – from the climate emergency, widening inequality and the increasing cost of living, to the crisis in both physical and mental health.
With the right partnership with government, the Canal & River Trust can continue to play a vital role in helping to tackle these challenges.
We already benefit from the support of thousands of volunteers, donors, corporate partners and other funding, so that the proportion of our income contributed by the taxpayer continues to reduce. However, the network is old and vulnerable, and with climate change bringing increasingly intense weather events, our partnership with government is more important than ever.
Ahead of the General Election, we are explaining to all political parties how our canal network is relevant to so many of the challenges of our times. Our Election Statement shows that our canals matter: supporting them will safeguard the huge returns that a resilient canal network can deliver for the nation – valued independently at £4.6bn in annual social value and £1.5bn financial economic benefit.
So, just how do canals benefit the nation? They offer free access to ‘blue-green’ space and nature for millions of people as they visit to boat, paddle board, walk, cycle, fish or simply to take time out. It is imperative that these spaces are well-managed and safe, to encourage people to use and benefit from them.
Our network of canals form an important component of flood protection that equates to billions of pounds worth of flood resilience. And it offers an opportunity for water transfer, moving it from areas of the country with surplus to places in short supply, at a time when water supply is increasingly under pressure.
Canals provide much-needed habitat for threatened wildlife and biodiversity. They also contribute to a low-carbon future, offering traffic-free routes along our towpaths, and routes for waterborne freight. We use our canals to cool urban areas in warm weather, provide low-carbon heating for neighbouring buildings, and generate green energy through hydropower schemes.
The Canal & River Trust is calling on all political parties to recognise the contribution of our network of canals and urge the new government to commit to the long-term investment they need, ensuring that these historic arteries remain available for us all to use and to benefit from, now and for the future.
Richard Parry is chief executive of the Canal & River Trust.