Issue - meetings

Motion

Meeting: 24/01/2024 - Council (Item 87)

A period of up to one hour is allocated to consider the motions on notice. This may only be extended with the agreement of the Council.

The Motions on Notice will follow in a supplementary pack.

Minutes:

The Chairman reported that four Motions on Notice had been submitted for the meeting, but the Motion relating to the Household Support Fund had been withdrawn and dealt with as a Question, so would no longer be debated.

Funding for Canals

Councillor P. Whittaker declared an interest in this item a canal ran through land he owned.

The Council considered the following Motion on Notice proposed by Councillor D. Nicholl.

“Bromsgrove District Council notes with concern planned cuts in government support from 2027 to our local canals.

1. The Canal and River Trust is warning that a reduction in grant funding of over £300 million in real terms from 2027 will threaten the future of the nation’s historic canals, leading to their decline and to the eventual closure of some parts of the network.

2. This will almost halve the value of public funding for canals in real terms compared with recent years. This comes despite a Government Review, shared with the Canal & River Trust, confirming that its funding is ‘clear value for money’, with canals shown to deliver substantial benefits to the economy, to people and communities, and to nature and biodiversity.

BDC calls on the Leader to write to the Secretary of State for the Environment urging them to put in place a fairer funding settlement to help protect Bromsgrove’s beautiful and historic canals.”

Councillor Nicholl referred to the purpose of the motion and that it had attracted cross party support elsewhere. It related to the care and maintenance of infrastructure which was not only important to the District but of national significance.

Councillor D. Hunter seconded the motion. In doing so he referred to the Trust itself saying that if the proposed cuts were implemented from 2027 it would not be able to maintain the canal network as it did currently. The canals brought benefits to all residents and this had been recognised through finance being provided at a national level.

Having sought clarification about the responsibilities of the Canals and Rivers Trust, a potential amendment by a member to include reference to rivers in the motion was withdrawn.

The following were the main points made during consideration of the Motion:

· The Trust had been set up as a charity but had not been able to raise funds successfully and relied on grants to support its work

· Canals played a role in nature conservation and leisure and helped support the local economy

· The Trust was also responsible for maintenance of various structures, including reservoirs, of which there were a number in the District, and it was important that it received appropriate funding

· The Motion did not provide sufficient evidence to support the Leader in writing a letter to the Secretary of State

· The Canal and River Trust had assets of £1bn. Of its income in 2022-23 of £225m, 23% was funded by Government grant, and this was due to reduce over time

· The Trust should ‘sweat its assets’ and become more commercially focused

· Members appreciated the ... view the full minutes text for item 87