Written question asked by Lord Moynihan (Conservative), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Henley (Conservative) on Monday, 11 July 2011.

New Waterways Charity

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which stakeholders are expected to fund the new waterways charity.

Answer: Certain stakeholders currently pay for their use of the waterways, and this will continue under the new charity. The largest group are the boat licence fee payers but others include anglers and residents. The new waterways charity will be able to generate income from a variety of new charitable and commercial sources, for example through fund-raising by the communities that live alongside the waterways. Government have committed to supporting the new waterways charity through a long-term funding agreement and by transferring the British Waterways commercial property portfolio to the charity, for the purposes of generating income for the waterways.

Secondary information