The Committee considered a
report and presentation from the Director of Culture, Communities
and Business Services regarding the options for the future
management of the Basingstoke Canal.
Members were informed that the
Canal was jointly owned by Hampshire County Council (HCC) and
Surrey County Council (SCC) and spanned 32 miles across both
counties. It was noted that, since 1990, the Canal had been managed
by local authority partnership (namely 6 local borough and district
councils, local parishes and a town council).
The item sought Members’
support in producing a future investment strategy, with SCC, to
explore options for the upkeep of the Canal and generating income
to fund maintenance responsibilities.
In response to Members’
questions, it was confirmed that:
- Out of the
partner authorities, Surrey Heath Borough Council and Runnymede
Borough Council did not contribute financially in full according to
the funding formula in contrast to all other partners.
- That Option
1 – the transfer of the Canal to the Canal and River Trust
was not a financially viable option for either landowning
authority.
- The
Basingstoke Canal Joint Management Committee, including elected
Councillors from both HCC and SCC, had established a working group
to begin exploring future management alternatives.
- The amount
of power boat movements allowed on the Canal annually (1300 boat
movements) could not be increased. This was due to the designation
of the Canal as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and that
power boat movements would negatively impact the population of
aquatic species.
- SCC had planned
capital contributions of £150,000 per annum from 2017-2020.
This contrasted with £500,000 from HCC for the next 3 years.
The mismatch in capital investment in the Canal assets would be
addressed as part of the future discussions with SCC.
RESOLVED:
That the Culture and
Communities Select Committee recommends to the Executive Member for
Recreation and Heritage that he:
- Supports
the decision not to pursue an asset transfer to the Canal and River
Trust at this time.
- Supports
the proposal to produce a strategy for investment in partnership
with Surrey County Council and to consider potential investments
for the benefit of the Canal operation beyond the Hampshire county
boundary.
- Approves
the continuation of revenue funding contributions at the same
level, as set out in section 3.8 of this report, for the next three
years.
- Fully
endorses the ongoing 3 year capital investment programme orientated
at tacking the asset maintenance backlog and managing associated
risks in a prioritised manner.