"Canals are a wonderful part of Warwickshire and are good for sense of place, tourism, getting from A-B and wildlife in towns."
More investment should be on the way for Warwickshire canal network following a County Council decision on Tuesday 13 October. In a joint Green Party – Conservative motion the Council committed to working with Canal and River Trust to drawing up a prioritised and costed list of improvements to towpaths and signage.
Green Councillor Jonathan Chilvers proposed the motion: “Canals are a wonderful part of Warwickshire and are good for sense of place, tourism, getting from A-B and wildlife in towns. In the past we’ve missed out on funding to improve things like muddy towpaths, because we didn’t have a plan ready when opportunities came up. That should now change.”
The role of canals in the City of Culture was also raised. Councillor Chilvers added: “The Council has allocated money to support the City of Culture and should allocate some of that funding to waterways. Canals are one of the things that link Coventry and all parts of Warwickshire. Wouldn’t it be amazing post-COVID to have a touring county-wide canal festival featuring the best of our arts and show casing our history.”
Source: Leamington Observer