Damage to our crumbling canal network is going unrepaired due to cuts by the Labour government.
£60 million has been axed from the British Waterways budget over the next five years by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). 180 job cuts have also been made to the department. This has led to a drastic reduction in the maintenance of the canal network.
British Waterways officials have privately admitted they would not be able to repair a major wall collapse in the canal network. Such a collapse would close a large stretch of canal impacting on the livelihoods of thousands of people working in tourism.
The same rural communities have been hit by the incompetent DEFRA management of EU farming subsidies which led to £130 million fine from Europe. Rural communities are bearing the brunt of a combination of large-scale budget cuts and mismanagement.
The Labour government must reverse these cuts and reassure those working on the canal network that there will not be any further cuts next year.
Signup to the Liberal Democrat’s Canal Cuts are Nuts campaign using this link http://campaigns.libdems.org.uk/waterways
Sign the nationwide petition at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/SaveOurWaterways/
