Moving inland waterways into a new charity in England and Wales

This consultation seeks views on how, in future, the inland waterways in England & Wales that are currently managed on behalf of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, will be run. It sets out the rationale for moving these waterways out of the public sector and into a new civil society organisation, and the principles which will guide the Government in deciding on the way forward.

The creation of a New Waterways Charity (NWC) will give waterways users, and their local communities, a greater involvement in how the waterways are managed. The proposal will also help the waterways to be more financially sustainable, as the new charity will have access to new sources of commercial and private income, and fundraising, including legacies and donations. It will create the opportunity to grow a strong base of volunteers who can help maintain a range of waterways assets, through their knowledge, expertise, passion and commitment.

The consultation is aimed at:

• people who use the waterways as part of their daily lives or have an interest in them;
• people who do not use the waterways but want to or who could potentially benefit from them;
• people actively involved in the waterways;
• minority groups with an interest in the waterways;
• business users of the waterways, including hireboat and commercial operators, boat builders;
• waterside businesses and businesses with an indirect stake;
• national and local government and key national and local stakeholders;
• national and local interest groups;
• national interest groups such as environmental and recreational non-governmental organisations and industry federations; and statutory advisers to Government.

Please note the Impact Assessment and consultation documents below were slightly amended (to correct minor typographic errors) on 1 April 2011.