Canals spending under scrutiny at Falkirk Wheel event

Scottish Canals has launched a public consultation on the best way to run operations on the Forth & Clyde and Union Canals.
By The Newsroom
Published 29th Nov 2019, 12:59 BST
Scottish Canals staged a Canals Carnival at the Falkirk Wheel earlier this year to celebrate the reopening of bridges that stayed closed for a year because of faults.Scottish Canals staged a Canals Carnival at the Falkirk Wheel earlier this year to celebrate the reopening of bridges that stayed closed for a year because of faults.
Scottish Canals staged a Canals Carnival at the Falkirk Wheel earlier this year to celebrate the reopening of bridges that stayed closed for a year because of faults.

Besides an online survey there’s a special public session at the Falkirk Wheel on Tuesday, December 10 (Blueprint Room, Lime Road, FK1 4RS, 6.30pm to 8.30pm).

The exercise follows last week’s upbeat assessment of the economic, social and environmental benefits the major upgrade of the system is said to have brought since it was launched in 2002.

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However in recent years Scottish Canals has found it difficult to meet a number of challenges linked to the age of the 250-years-old system.

These have included, for example, the year-long breakdown of bridges at Bonnybridge and Twechar - which stymied boat access along a crucial local section of the Forth and Clyde Canal.

That particular problem, which enraged many boat owners, was put right with a bail-out grant from the Scottish Government, but financial pressures persist.

The consultation asks people their views on a range of issues - from boosting boaters’ ability to pass through the canal independently to the development of an online booking system.

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Other topics include how best to manage weed control and dredging.

A Scottish Canals spokesperson said: “It costs circa £7.1m per year to operate and maintain Scotland’s canals, with boating income generating £1.3m a year.

“In the Lowlands this gap is even bigger, with expenditure at circa £2.1m and income levels at just over £100k per annum.

“We want to encourage busy, vibrant canals that welcome as many boats as possible onto the water but it is no longer financially viable to continue providing on-demand access to services all day, seven-days per week.

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“We have to change in order to become more sustainable, and this means directing our resources to the areas of biggest need, and to activities our customers want most.

“We would like your help in deciding how we do this”.

Responses will be published along with the final proposal in January 2020, and the outcomes of the consultation will be introduced from April 1.

The consultation can be accessed at https://www.scottishcanals.co.uk/lowland-operations-consultation-2019/

Related topics:Scottish CanalsScotlandScottish Government