With less than a year to go before British Waterways is due to become a charity. Canal Boat met BW Chairman Tony Hales -and he was optimistic that preparations are on schedule. The Transition Trustees who will shadow BW are due to be announced, a consultation into the plans is in progress, and a response due in September. The main concern for many is: will there be enough cash to run the system? Mr Hales's view was that despite it being less than two thirds of what BW got a few years ago, the proposed £39.5m annually for ten years was "an exceptional starting point" in the current situation, a rare example of the Treasury committing long term funding. "The Minister (Richard Benyon) has batted very hard for the waterways," he said, crediting him with keeping BW's commercial property (which brings in £30-40m in rentals annually) out of Treasury hands.
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