Scottish Canals
(Scottish Gaelic: Canàlan na h-Alba)
PredecessorBritish Waterways
Formation2 July 2012 (2012-07-02)
Typeexecutive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government
HeadquartersGlasgow, Scotland, UK
Region served
Scotland
Chairman of Board
Maureen Campbell[1]
Chief Executive
Catherine Topley[1]
Budget
£19.2m[2]
Staff
284[2]
Websitewww.scottishcanals.co.uk
Formerly called
British Waterways (Scotland)

Scottish Canals (Scottish Gaelic: Canàlan na h-Alba) is the Scottish Government body responsible for managing the country's inland waterways. Formerly a division of British Waterways, it became a stand-alone corporation on 2 July 2012, then an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government in April 2020.

Based in Glasgow, Scottish Canals cares for 137 miles (220 km) of waterway network in total, including 17 reservoirs and the navigation rights to four lochs, including Loch Ness. The body is responsible for five canals.[3]

History

See also: History of the British canal system

British Waterways was founded in 1962 under the Transport Act, taking over statutory responsibility for operating and maintaining waterways across Great Britain.

In 2010 the UK Government determined that responsibility for inland waterways in England and Wales should pass to a new charitable trust, the Canal & River Trust. However, the Scottish Government decided that canals in Scotland would remain publicly owned and British Waterways would continue to operate in Scotland as a statutory corporation trading as Scottish Canals.[4] This public body became wholly accountable to Scottish Ministers with effect from 2 July 2012.[1] Legally, the organisation is still referred to as the British Waterways Board, but in all other aspects it uses the brand Scottish Canals.[5] In 2017, with a workforce of around 250 people, it was accredited as a Scottish Living Wage employer.[6]

In April 2020, Scottish Canals changed from operating as a public corporation to a non-departmental public body.[7] This change in designation was made by HM Treasury the previous because it did not generate half its revenues externally.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Meet the Board". www.scottishcanals.co.uk. Scottish Canals. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Annual Report & Accounts 2019/2020" (PDF). Scottish Canals. 4 September 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  3. ^ "Fast Facts!". Scottish Canals. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  4. ^ "Name change for body running Scottish canal network". BBC News. 3 July 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  5. ^ "Our Structure and Governance". Scottish Canals. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  6. ^ Spowart, Nan (21 November 2017). "Living wage benefits flow both ways for Scottish Canals and its workforce". The National. Scotland. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  7. ^ Young, Gregor (9 February 2022). "Auditors find 'flaws' in Scottish Canals public body". The National. Scotland. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  8. ^ Dalton, Alastair (31 July 2022). "Dereliction threat to Scotland's canals from financial restrictions hampering regeneration". Scotland on Sunday. Retrieved 11 April 2023.

External links


Executive non-departmental public bodies of the Scottish Government
Navigable canals of the United Kingdom
Categories