Referral of the proposed subsidy to the Canal & River Trust by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Request from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

6 October 2026: The SAU has accepted a request for a report from Defra concerning the proposed subsidy to the CRT. This request relates to a Subsidy of Particular Interest. 

The SAU will prepare a report, which will provide an evaluation of Defra’s assessment of whether the subsidy complies with the subsidy control requirements (Assessment of Compliance). The SAU will complete its report within 30 working days.

Information about the subsidy provided by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 

The CRT as established as a charitable organization in 2012 to succeed British Waterways and assume responsibility for the management of around 2,000 miles of inland waterways across England and Wales. As one of several UK navigation authorities, the CRT is responsible for maintaining and operating the waterway network including the upkeep of locks and bridges, dredging operations, water management and flood-related works. The CRT has around 1,600 employees across England and Wales and is also supported by volunteers who undertake a wide variety of activities on the waterway network including lock operation, towpath clean-ups and minor maintenance.   

Defra is proposing to award a subsidy in the form of grant funding to the CRT to support their work in maintaining the inland waterways network while it reduces its reliance on government funding. The specific policy objective of the Subsidy is to: 

support the CRT’s waterway network infrastructure maintenance expenditure

through supporting maintenance, enable the CRT to ensure the safety of the public on and around the network and the navigability of the waterways in line with statutory obligations