IWA Navigation Committee News

1. Canal & River Trust’s Independent Commission on the Future of Boat Licensing

As reported in November, a small subgroup of Navigation Committee was formed to take thoughts forward so that IWA is ready to respond to the Commission report and any further consultations at the appropriate time.

Although the review was about more than residential boating, it is the residential boating and continuous cruising aspects which are attracting most attention. On 31^st January, the Residential Boat Owners Association will be hosting a hybrid open meeting to “Review the Review of CRT Licensing”, which representatives from Navigation Committee will be attending.

2. Residential boating and mooring

A group comprising representatives of IWA, The National Association of Boat Owners, National Bargees Travellers Association and the Residential Boat Owners Association has met twice to try to agree a common approach to residential boating.

3. Water Resources

IWA’s national Water Lead Graham Heald joined the meeting and guided the discussions on the many aspects of water resources management which are currently in focus.

• Grand Union Canal Transfer Project

The Phase Two Public Consultation will run from 11^th February to 2^nd April 2026. Graham Heald is leading for IWA and is organising a meeting with the promoters during the consultation period. There will be an opportunity for Q&A on the consultation at the next online meeting of the Canal User Working Group on 19^th February.

• Environment Agency consultation on reserving water abstraction rights

Submissions to this consultation are due by 16^th February and Graham Heald is leading IWA’s response. The current view is that the approach is concerning, because it does not appear to recognise canals as legitimate and necessary abstractors of water which provide environmental benefits in their own right. IWA will liaise with CRT over its response and will share the final version with the Defra inland waterways team.

• Environment Agency consultation on Significant Water Management Issues in River Basin Management Planning

This consultation is almost entirely related to environment, chemical and pollution issues, although there are areas where IWA could usefully comment. The deadline is not until 20^th May.

• IWA guidelines on water transfer and water supply and retention are in development.

OTHER POINTS

• Navigation Committee welcomed Brian Sharples as IWA’s North East Region representative.
• Jonathan Mosse will represent IWA on a Boat Safety Scheme committee reviewing the future frequency of BSS examinations.
• Paul Thomas will represent Navigation Committee on IWA’s Sustainability & Environment Group.
• The updated IWA Towpaths Policy is now available here.
• As part of the Risk Index campaign, relevant navigation authorities were formally asked for their plans about their indefinite stoppages. So far, only the Environment Agency has responded.
• Since the previous Navigation Committee meeting, CRT has suffered two major issues, the breach of the embankment at Whitchurch on the Llangollen Canal and the collapsed bywash culvert at Penkridge on the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal. CRT has been praised for its rapid response at Whitchurch, especially compared with the ongoing Bridgewater Canal breach where not only has little visible progress been made but there are now reports on social media of deterioration. CRT launched an appeal to help fund the repairs and has already raised £166,000.
• Keadby Lock has just had to be closed for a currently unknown period. The lock (and the nearby Vazon sliding railway bridge) are key to the North/South route using the Trent and avoiding Trent Falls.
• The Bridgewater Canal Company has appointed a principal consultant to lead on the design and project management of the reinstatement after the breach in January 2025. Subject to the outcomes of ecological surveys and engineering design, construction work is expected to begin in summer 2026 with completion by the end of 2026.
• IWA Kent & East Sussex Branch provided a report on abandoned boats on the River Adur, demonstrating the extent of the problem. It was noted that both CRT and the Environment Agency have been making efforts to remove more abandoned boats and to publicise their activities.
• IWA’s concerns over the closure of ‘non-essential’ Customer Service Facilities have been formally communicated to CRT and a response requested.
• CRT held an introductory meeting for national boating organisations with the new Chief Executive Campbell Robb on 4^th December. There were three main themes (communication, long-term funding and boater experience). Campbell Robb set out his desire to move away from reacting to emergencies to a new approach of investing to save and innovating where appropriate. He stated that the biggest immediate threat to CRT waterways is the need to reapply for 157 water abstraction licences with potentially onerous licence conditions. The overall tenor of the meeting was encouragingly positive and collaborative.
• The Environment Agency’s new focus on navigation has been reflected in recent communications. A blog described EA, CRT and the Broads Authority sharing their learning from managing navigation in this year’s drought, and Campbell Robb later confirmed that CRT and EA are committed to working together on navigation from the Chairs down. The report “Drought prospects for spring 2026” included a chapter dedicated to navigation, spelling out in quite some detail the likely impact on different waterways in three scenarios. While the details of the forecasts could be argued with, it is notable that the press release accompanying the report explicitly mentions the impact on navigation and is signed by the Water Minister Emma Hardy.
• Scottish Canals has done well in the Scottish budget. It is encouraging to see the statements that Scotland’s transport network “includes rail, bus, trunk roads, ferries, regional aviation and canals” and “we are investing in Scottish Canals to ensure they remain a valuable resource for biodiversity, active living and tourism”.
• The Broads Authority has appointed a new Chief Executive, Sarah Cowley, who will start in August and take over from John Packham.
• Baits Bite Lock on the River Cam was reopened after temporary stabilisation work on schedule on 19^th December, but the need for funding for permanent works on both Baits Bite and Jesus Green locks remains.
• Uncertainty over the impact of high-speed rail projects on some waterways continues and has increased after the announcement of the Government’s long-term plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail.
• There have been some changes at the Fund Britain’s Waterways (FBW) campaign. IWA has reduced its staff involvement in order to focus efforts on IWA’s own campaigns, and Mike Wills stepped down as Chair of FBW but continues as IWA representative on the steering group. Hazel Owen of the Association of Waterways Cruising Clubs has taken over as Chair and several new volunteers have been recruited, including a representative of Leicester Civic Society to add a non-boating voice on the steering group. The first event of 2026 will be the jointly-branded FBW/Birmingham Canal Navigations Society Icicle Cruise on 21^st March on the Walsall Canal to celebrate its reopening after the chemical spill and sample the new CRT arrangements in Walsall Basin. A Canalway Cavalcade dispersal cruise will be in company with a flotilla of historic narrowboats, to celebrate the 90^th anniversary of the Harland & Wolff fleet built in 1936 at Woolwich. The Great Ouse Boating Association is hoping to organise a campaign cruise on the Great Ouse to coincide with the Bedford River Festival. The plans for the main campaign cruise to the North West are still awaiting a response from Peel Ports about use of the Manchester Ship Canal.
• An article from the Sunday Times of 18^th January expressed concerns about the impact of the removal of the Landfill Tax exemption for dredging. These were discussed at the Navigation Committee regular liaison meeting with CRT on 26^th January, where it was explained that the article was incorrect and it is the specific exemption for the use of stabilisers for treating contaminated wet dredgings which will be removed from April 2027. CRT is still working through the implications, but the change will increase the cost of dredging though only in cases of treated contaminated waste.

Forthcoming meetings

• RBOA hybrid open meeting to “Review the Review of CRT Licensing” – 31^st January (Ivor Caplan and Roger Stocker to represent IWA)
• Grand Union Canal Transfer Canal User Working Group meeting – 19^th February (Sue O’Hare, Phil Sharpe and Helen Westlake to represent IWA)
• CRT Council Boater Representatives meeting – 25^th February (Sue O’Hare to represent IWA)
• CRT Council meeting – 18^th March (Sue O’Hare to represent IWA)
• CRT meeting with national boating organisations – 24^th March (Sue O’Hare and Mike Wills to represent IWA)
• Environment Agency National Waterways Forum / National Waterways Advisory Group meeting – 25^th March (Sue O’Hare to represent IWA)

Sue O’Hare
Chair of Navigation Committee
26^th January 2026

Previous reports from Navigation Committee are available here.