CART delayed until July

THOUGH the Transfer Order that will transfer British Waterways' to the Canal & River Trust (CART) in England was planned to take place during June, it is now July when it is expected to come into force.

The Order that will transfer British Waterways' powers and obligations to the CART was submitted to Parliament on the 29th February 2012. The Scottish Parliament has already approved the Order as have the Welsh Assembly which also endorsed the Trust's welsh name of Glandŵr Cymru.

Westminster

At Westminster it has been scrutinised by the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs Select Committee in the House of Commons and the Merits of Statutory Instruments Committee in the House of Lords and the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments.

The first two Committees held public hearings when they questioned representatives from Defra, British Waterways and CART, with none of the Committees requiring any amendment to the Transfer Order.

Next stage

Therefore the next stage is for a debate on the Order in both Houses, that cannot take place before the 17th June because the statutory scrutiny period does not end until then.

A spokesman for British Waterways told us that it is confident that both Houses understand the need for quick action, and once the debates have happened and the Order approved, it is a relatively simple procedure to have it signed and come into force.

In July

Only then will the Trust take over from British Waterways, and it is now expected to happen in July, being told:

"It has been very difficult to arrange a national launch because the Parliamentary process is so uncertain and we cannot fix a date in advance with any certainty. We have also been keen not to clash with either the Queen's Jubilee or the Olympics.

"We had hoped to be able to confirm the 28th June as the launch date, but we have now had to pencil in an alternative, the 12th July. At this late stage it is impossible to be certain of getting all the arrangements and attendees that we would have hoped for. Instead we plan to work with our Partnerships, staff and stakeholders on a whole series of regional launches  to welcome in the new Trust.

"We are also working with Defra to have an event in London with ministers and stakeholders to mark the occasion. This gives us a fantastic opportunity to launch our first fundraising appeal and to introduce the new Trust to people all across the country."

A special gathering is also planned for September to thank the  many 'key friends, supporters and stakeholders who have made the creation of the Trust possible'.