The Canal & River Trust has published its Boater Report 2022 into how it generates its income and how that money is invested on behalf of its licence holders. Income for the year remained broadly stable and the Trust was able to increase the amount spent on core maintenance and repair works
The Boater Report 2022 highlights examples of the work the Trust carries out to keep the waterways safe and open for navigation, including 451 planned repairs and 52 arising and emergency repairs. Over the year the Trust replaced 132 lock gates, dredged 37km and removed almost 125,500 tonnes of silt.
“A navigable, safe and attractive canal system is the foundation that protects the waterways’ heritage, supports biodiversity and brings well-being benefit to millions of people in waterside communities,” said Richard Parry, chief executive at the Canal & River Trust.
“To safeguard this 250-year-old network, in the face of increasingly frequent and intense extreme weather events due to climate change, the scale of our works must increase over the coming years to strengthen the resilience of our infrastructure.”
Income vs expenditure
Accounting for variances relating to the pandemic, income for the year remained broadly stable and the Trust was able to increase the amount spent on core maintenance and repair works to keep the network open, safe and navigable.
The Trust’s income is derived from a variety of sources. Boat licences and income from boating businesses play an important role, contributing around a fifth of the total.
Around a quarter came from the Government’s grant for the waterways and the remainder from the Trust’s commercial activity and its charitable income sources including lotteries, partnerships and individual legacies and donations.
However, with the Government grant declining significantly in real terms over the next few years, the current Government review of the Trust’s future funding provides the opportunity to demonstrate the substantial benefits that waterways bring, as well as the wider public risks associated with the ageing and vulnerable network.
Download the report: CRT Boater Report 2022
