Youtube of which I watch a lot does tend to 'trend' with content creators joining the bandwagon of current topics. So it seems is starting to be the case with my blog title. So I guess I'm doing the same but on the old fashioned but for me preferable medium of the 'blog'.
I'd encourage participation in the comments or your own blog about the subject. I am not well read on the current situation but there are a few things know and a few I see and experience.
Google AI tells me
AI Overview
The Canal & River Trust (C&RT) relies on a combination of government funding and private donations to operate and maintain its 2,000-mile network of canals and rivers in England and Wales. The government provides an annual grant, but this is subject to periodic reviews and negotiations, with recent announcements indicating a reduction in funding over the next decade. The trust also relies on income from commercial activities and donations from individuals and organizations like the People's Postcode Lottery.
Government Funding:
- The government provides an annual grant to the C&RT, initially established in 2012 to provide financial stability while the Trust developed alternative income streams.
- The current grant agreement spans from 2027 to 2037 and was announced in July 2023, but it represents a significant reduction in funding compared to previous periods.
- The reduction is significant, with the trust reporting a decrease of over £300 million in real terms over a ten-year period.
Other Income:
- The C&RT also generates income from commercial activities, such as berthing fees and the sale of goods.
- The trust actively seeks donations from individuals, organizations, and lottery players like those involved in the People's Postcode Lottery.
- These alternative income streams are crucial for the trust's ability to maintain its waterways and expand its services, including projects like the restoration of the Anderton Boat Lift and community outreach programs.
Challenges:
- Rising maintenance costs, including inflation and the aging infrastructure of the waterways, present a significant challenge to the trust's ability to meet its financial obligations.
- The government's reduction in funding, particularly the freeze on the grant for a six-year period, has further strained the trust's finances and raises concerns about the future of the canal network.
- The trust is actively campaigning to raise awareness about the funding situation and encourage public support to help ensure the long-term sustainability of its operations.
I know the chief exec of C&RT Richard Parry is standing down this summer
That suggests to me he see's the role getting ever harder and in my opinion his influence on C&RT to be like the National Trust has failed. The push to get non boaters to be donators I suspect has not returned on the investment and I for one never thought it would.
I also know there is ever more stoppages and blockages reducing the options for full system travel in such a way as the excellent NB Perseverance did and vlogged about it here
I also follow some of the traders - the coal boats are struggling with stoppages and failing infrastructure and water levels as well as un dredged canals.
I am acutely aware of the difference and relationship between Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) and Reactive Maintenance (RM)
Lack of one PPM begets the other RM, and in general terms PPM is a lot cheaper than RM and also a lot less of a distruption.
So are we worried, are we selling Percy... what is my thinking?
First and foremost please fill in the survey - even if you are a non boater
This will give a broad feeling of issues and options to the trust.
For me the trust need to be looking at income - obviously but also at expenditure as anyone running a household or business knows they run together.
Income = I think the trust need to be looking with the government to change the law/rules/legislation to allow residential status on more of the waterways moorings. Around me there are liveaboards who get great social advantage over and above thier license fee but pay nothing for it as I as a home owner do. In return they should be allowed the security of tenure of their moorings in the same way there is a move to add such rights to tenants ?
Expenditure = stop the marketing to all and sundry and spend less on the periphery and more on the assets. The national trust style membership is an abject fail, focus on those users of the actual water part of the waterways as they are the payers and the true custodians of the waterways.
Users = very hard this one but the waterways can be expanded to encourage and support low cost movement of materials. Companies should be encouraged by tax incentives to use the waterways more, it can be part of their green agenda, not expecting Tesco to move all their product distribution onto the canal but why now give reward in some way for those companies that can do just a bit of innovation ?
I've not the answers but focussing on the assets, more PPM and less RM - support legal living on the cut and encourage support and sponsorship by large companies for some tax incentives and maybe just maybe we'll be either legally living on Percy or passing her down the family line rather than selling up or just using her as a floating change of scene.
Any better ideas?