Canal & River Trust launches

On July 12th 2012 2000 miles of canals and rivers which had been managed by British Waterways (and other Government bodies) since nationalisation seventy years ago were transferred to a charity, the Canal and River Trust , marked by a series of local ‘Launches’ at key waterways locations. (See Pontcysyllte Aqueduct floodlit above.)
This is the largest single transfer of a public ‘quango’ into the charitable sector, and will be watched closely by ministers to see if it could be a model for the future. Government funding will not cease, £800m is promised over the next 3 years, but the hope is that volunteer labour and corporate sponsors will bring new effort and income.
Much play is being made about enabling ‘the 10 million people who visit and love the waterways (to) have the chance to play a greater role in making them more beautiful than ever’. However some are concerned that boating and heritage has had little mention in the launch.