The Canal & River Trust charity is inviting people to put themselves forward for election to sit on its Council.

Those elected will serve a term of four years on the Council, which is responsible for the appointment of the charity’s trustees, provides guidance and perspective from different stakeholders, and acts as a sounding board for the trustees in relation to the development of proposals and strategy.

The Council, which meets twice a year, consists of up to 50 volunteer members to reflect the wide appeal of the Trust’s network – from boating and angling through to walking and wellbeing.  It includes a mix of elected and independently nominated individuals.

11 members are sought to join the Council from 1 March 2024, when the term of existing elected Council members comes to an end.

Nominations are now being invited for the following categories (number of people to be elected in brackets):

  • Private boating (Four)
  • Boating business (Two)
  • Trust volunteers (Two)
  • Fisheries/Angling (One)
  • Friends of the Trust (One)
  • Trust employees (One)

The nominations process will be led by an external election company, Civica, which will be sending nomination information via email to all those eligible to put themselves forward (or sent by post where an email address is not held by the Trust).

The Council is chaired by the chair of the Trust Board, David Orr CBE, who comments: “The Trust’s waterways are serving society in ways that the great canal engineers of the industrial age could never have imagined. Hundreds of years after they were built, they are home to more boats than ever before, and they are used by more people than at any time in history. The historic network is here to help society meet some of the major challenges we face today, not least a vital role in nature recovery and providing access to quality green space for millions of people.

“However, we are at a critical moment as our canal network is also facing some major challenges due to its age and increasing vulnerability to more extreme weather events, soaring inflation, and a continuing real terms reduction in public funding. The Trust’s governing Council will help guide our charity to meet these challenges face-on rather than taking a turn back towards the 20th Century when canals were in decline and many were lost.

“I’d like to thank our outgoing Council members for their support and invaluable advice over recent years, and I’d urge those out there with the passion and fight to safeguard our canal network for future generations to put themselves forward for election.”

Nominations open on 27 October and close on 17 November. Results of nominations for uncontested seats will be published on the 24 November 2023. If any seats are contested, Candidate Manifestos for each nominee will then be published and an online vote held amongst each constituent group. This will take place between the 13 December 2023 and the 10 January 2024. Those elected will be announced early in 2024 ahead of joining the Trust’s Council on 1 March 2024.

For full details of the electoral process, including the eligibility criteria for those who may stand for election, sponsor candidates, and vote, visit the Trust’s website:

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us/how-we-are-run/the-council/council-elections-2023-24.