On 9th July, IWA representatives joined members of the “Preserve & Protect the Mon & Brec Canal” group and other local campaigners outside the Senedd to call on Welsh Government ministers and Natural Resources Wales to act so that the future of the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal is secured for the next generation.
Following the Senedd debate and a meeting with key stakeholders, Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies MS announced on 17th July that the Welsh Government “intends to prioritise capital funding of up to £5m within its budget to upgrade the pumping station that is supporting the current temporary [water-supply] agreement.”
Additionally, he announced that a Welsh Government led “Task and Finish Group” will work together with key stakeholders to develop further options to build resilience in the canal’s capacity and identify how any capital works and ongoing costs of the water supplied will be met.
Paul Thomas, IWA South West and South Wales Region Secretary, said: “We welcome Huw Irranca-Davies’s statement which shows that the Mon & Brec canal is finally being taken seriously. The Welsh Government’s emergency investment is a vital first step to provide certainty to those whose livelihoods depend on the canal. But this job isn’t done. The new Task and Finish Group must move quickly and deliver a fair and lasting solution. The Mon & Brec is loved by communities, boaters, businesses and wildlife. It deserves a future as rich as its past. ”
