Canals in Sandwell

Report of the Partnerships and External Scrutiny Panel April 2012

IL0 - Unclassified Scrutiny Improvement and Efficiency Sandwell Council House Freeth Street Oldbury B69 3DE

Phone 0121 569 3160 Email: [email protected] Website: www.scrutiny.sandwell.gov.uk

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Chair’s foreword 2

Glossary 4

Context 7

Findings 14

Recommendations 32

References 41

Appendix 1 – Scope of the review 44

Appendix 2 – Panel terms of reference 45

Appendix 3 – Methodology 47

First Edition

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Chair’s foreword

Sandwell’s are a major asset. The 41 miles of network in Sandwell are a tranquil haven full of wildlife, with opportunities for transport and leisure and they connect residents and visitors with the heritage of Sandwell and its important role in the industrial revolution.

Many Sandwell residents already use and value Sandwell’s canals but more residents want to enjoy the canals. We want to make sure that Sandwell’s canals are used to their fullest extent.

This review looked at the roles and responsibilities of key partners including , the Canal and River Trust, Sandwell Council and local community and voluntary sector organisations. The review has been timely as the Canal and River Trust is in the process of being established and the responsibility to manage and maintain the waterways will pass to them from British Waterways. Our recommendations will help the Canal and River Trust as they are finding their feet as a new organisation.

The review also considered how the canals could be improved and the findings of this review will be applicable to and of interest to other local authority areas, and in particular the other Boroughs. People told us that some of the barriers to using Sandwell’s canals were perceptions of litter, graffiti and safety and we looked at ways that these could be improved through partnership working and by increasing the number of people, including boaters, using the canals.

We were pleased about the number of activities and events that already take place on Sandwell’s canals. More could be done to promote the heritage offering and to market the activities so that more Sandwell residents and visitors to the area are aware about what is on offer.

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Although access to funding is a challenge, there are opportunities to finance canal projects, events and improvements through bids for grant funding and through monies levied from developments in Sandwell. Strong partnership working between the Council, the Canal and River Trust and voluntary and community groups will be key to access this funding and maximise its use.

Our twelve recommendations will help to develop this partnership working and will ensure that the Council is playing its role in championing the canals.

I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in providing evidence for this review.

I would like to give special thanks to the Canal Navigations Society who have contributed to this review from the outset and welcomed us onto their canal to show us the potential of Sandwell’s canals.

Councillor Elaine Giles Chair Partnerships and External Scrutiny Panel

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Glossary

Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust A registered charity who work to create a Living Landscape for wildlife and people in Birmingham and the Black Country. They champion wildlife and green spaces.

Birmingham Canal Navigations Society (BCNS) Birmingham Canal Navigations Society was formed in 1968 and is a voluntary group whose members promote the canals around Birmingham and the Black Country.

Black Country Consortium Black Country Consortium is a group focused on regeneration across the Black Country including development, tourism, sport and skills to deliver joint sub-regional working, for the growth and enrichment of the Black Country as a whole.

British Waterways A public corporation that owns and cares for the 2,200-mile network of canals and rivers in , and . British Waterways receives an annual grant from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). From June 2012 British Waterways will stop operating and the Canal and River Trust will take responsibility for the canal network in England and Wales.

Canal and River Trust From June 2012, British Waterways’ canals and rivers in England and Wales will be transferred to the care of a new waterways charity, called the Canal and River Trust. The Trust will also take over the functions of the Waterways Trust. Community involvement will be at the heart of its founding principles.

Catchment Restoration Fund Funding from DEFRA that is available from 2012 to co-fund projects that restore and protect the health of water catchments.

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Clinical Commissioning Groups Clinical Commissioning Groups are groups of General Practitioners (GPs) that will be responsible for commissioning local health services In England from April 2013.

Community Infrastructure Levy The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is a new levy that local authorities can choose to charge on new developments in their area. The money can be used to support development by funding infrastructure that the Council, local community and neighbourhoods want. S106 Agreements will still be applied to developments where appropriate and necessary for the development to go ahead.

Inland Waterways Association A charity that campaigns for the use, maintenance and restoration of Britain’s inland waterways.

Primary Care Trust (PCT) PCTs are part of the NHS and they plan and fund health services for their local people. Primary care includes all those health services that people normally go to first when they need help – the family doctor (GP), optician, dentist or local pharmacist. From April 2013 Clinical Commissioning Groups will take over responsibility for commissioning health service. Sandwell PCT is currently responsible for commissioning lifestyle services which includes cycle training and walking programmes. From April 2013, the responsibility for commissioning lifestyle services will move to the Council as part of the transfer of public health functions from PCTs to Councils.

Section 106 Funding Section 106 (S106) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 allows a local planning authority (LPA) to enter into an agreement with a landowner in association with the granting of planning permission. These agreements are a way of delivering or addressing matters that are necessary to make a development acceptable in planning terms.

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Water Framework Directive The Water Framework Directive became part of UK law in December 2003. It focuses on planning and delivering a better water environment.

Waterways Trust The Waterways Trust is a national charity which works with others to enrich people's lives through waterways. The Trust’s work will be incorporated into the Canal and River Trust from June 2012.

West Midlands Local Waterways Partnership Thirteen local waterways partnerships will operate as part of the Canal and River Trust to provide a vision and priorities for the canal networks at a local level. In the , the local waterways partnership has operated in a trial format since September 2011 and the partnership involves representatives of all groups with an interest in canals.

West Midlands Metropolitan Areas Canal Partnership A partnership group for local authorities and representatives of canal user groups to consider canal issues such as responding to consultations.

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Context

National Context

Britain’s canals and canals throughout Sandwell are a defining feature of the historical and natural landscape. Canals were a magnificent feat of human endeavour when they were built across Britain in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries and they made the industrial revolution possible. As described by Richard Benyon, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Natural Environment and Fisheries, ‘Britain’s network of inland waterways is one of its great unsung glories’.

Since the 1960s, British Waterways has been responsible for maintaining Britain’s canal network. From June 2012 all inland waterways in Britain (including canals) will move into a new charitable body called the Canal and River Trust. The Trust will incorporate the responsibilities of British Waterways and the Waterways Trust. The establishment of the Canal and River Trust has been championed by British Waterways as helping to ensure that future generations can continue to enjoy and benefit from using canals.

It is not just British Waterways and the Canal and River Trust that have an interest in the canals. Canals are a major asset and the canal network today offers opportunities to residents and visitors for leisure activities and transport such as boating, fishing, cycling and walking, the opportunity to engage with and observe the historical and natural environment. Canals act as wildlife corridors allowing the continual migration of species and there have been records of the presence of otter, water vole and brown trout along the canal network in Birmingham and the Black Country. Engaging with the canals makes a contribution to the health and wellbeing of residents and visitors.

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Local Context

Within the West Midlands region there are 275 miles of canals and a significant number of structures such as locks, reservoirs, bridges, and aqueducts that are currently owned by British Waterways. Many of these are listed grade 2 or above.

At a Black Country level, the importance of the canal network is recognised by the Black Country Core Strategy document which sets the strategic vision and plan for growth for the four Black Country local authority areas to 2026. The Black Country Core Strategy also continues the aspiration formed in 2005 of the Black Country Consortium to gain World Heritage Status for the Black Country canals, despite a lack of resources to pursue the bid. As articulated by the Birmingham Canal Navigations Society (BCNS), parts of the canal network in the Black Country are often not viewed as attractive by visitors to the area, but ‘there is arguably no other inland waterways complex in the world which provides such vivid, sometimes breathtaking, contrasts … industrialised areas … and amazingly rural and unspoilt areas’.

Sandwell is home to 41 miles of canals including the New Main Line Canal and Old Main Line Canal that offer many opportunities for residents and visitors. The canal corridors provide green space in Sandwell and the canals also provide a home for a small number of Sandwell’s residents who own or reside on canal boats. To observe the canals in Sandwell first-hand, the scrutiny panel conducted a canal tour of part of Sandwell’s canal network. The canal trip started at the Pumphouse in Oldbury and followed the Old Main Line Canal finishing at Malthouse Stables, Tipton. The panel also conducted a walking tour of the canals in in April 2012. From these visits the panel observed the potential of Sandwell’s canals and found the canals to be very peaceful. There was a lot of wildlife to observe including fish, ducks and birds, and opportunities to engage with Sandwell’s heritage through visiting key heritage locations.

The canals in Sandwell are of ecological importance. The number of canals along with rivers and streams across the Black Country

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and Birmingham area creates one of the densest concentrations of waterways in the UK. They provide a wetland corridor that links green spaces together and in many parts of the Black Country and Birmingham the canals are the most important landscape feature in terms of providing wildlife habitat and recreational access to greenspace.

View of Sandwell's Canals (Smethwick)

The panel observed the canals being used and enjoyed by boaters, walkers, runners, cyclists and anglers. British Waterways’ data indicates that within Sandwell, the majority of boat movements and tow path usage from walkers, cyclists and anglers takes place on the New Main Line Canal which runs between Birmingham, and beyond. Annually the New Main Line Canal receives between 3000 and 5000 boat movements but the data does not indicate how many of these boaters stop in Sandwell. In the West Midlands Region as a whole, 30-35% of canal users are cyclists, which is a higher proportion than in other regions.

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More Sandwell residents would like to use the canals and there are many leisure opportunities available. Information about the leisure opportunities on Sandwell’s canals can be found from a range of sources. For example, the Waterscape website contains information about boating, fishing, wildlife, and events across the canal network. There are information leaflets available locally that contain information about walking, cycling, and engagement with the heritage and natural environment of the canals in Sandwell.

Some of the information leaflets available about using the canals in Sandwell: • A guide to walking and cycling around Sandwell produced by British Waterways and available on the Waterscape website at www.waterscape.com/media/documents/1945.pdf, • Cycle routes in Sandwell produced jointly by Travelwise and Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council provides a detailed map of cycle routes in Sandwell and includes information about access to canals for cyclists. Copies of this map are available from [email protected] • Healthy Walking in Sandwell and Sandwell Stride Weekly Health Walks Programme leaflets produced by the Sandwell Stride programme of Mytime Active and Sandwell PCT. Sandwell Stride has weekly walks throughout the Borough. Many of these organised walks take in parts of Sandwell’s canals. There is a Friends of Sandwell Stride group, made up mainly of volunteer walk leaders The website for Mytime Active Sandwell provides information about health walks in Sandwell and these are also available as a leaflet www.mytimeactive.co.uk/health/localised-health- services/sandwell/

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As structures that made the industrial revolution possible, the canals in Sandwell offer opportunities to observe and experience key sites of historical interest such as the Galton Valley Bridge, Smethwick Pump House and the site of Smethwick . Galton Valley Canal Museum closed last year as part of a reorganisation of the Council’s museum service. This centre had previously provided a range of information about the history of canals. The majority of the displays from the Galton Valley Canal Museum have been relocated to Smethwick New Pumping Station off Brasshouse Lane in Smethwick.

The canals in Sandwell have also been afforded Conservation Area status in both Tipton (Factory Locks) and Smethwick (Smethwick Summit, Galton Valley) owing to their historic significance and that there are a number of valuable heritage buildings which are located adjacent to the canal and play an important part in the industrial heritage of the Borough, such as Soho Foundry and Chances Glassworks in Smethwick and Malthouse Stables in Tipton.

Foundations for James Watt’s , Smethwick

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Some of the opportunities to experience heritage on Sandwell’s canals:

The New Pumping Station in Smethwick is currently leased from British Waterways by the Council and with the support of the Friends of Galton Valley Canal Museum, the centre is open on the last Sunday in every month and can be opened to visitors on a request basis. The New Pumping Station is also planning to open more frequently over the Summer months. The centre includes display boards documenting some of the history of Sandwell’s canals and the Pumping Station itself. The building also contains a replica Victorian canal boat.

The Foundations for James Watts famous Smethwick engine which pumped water via the Engine Arm to the old main line is housed in a modern building on New Bridge St, Smethwick. There is a display with information about how the pump worked. The Council owns the building and land, and it is opened on request to groups and as part of Museum Service guided tours of the Smethwick canal infrastructure.

There are also a number of canal-based events that take place in Sandwell that provide a focal point and purpose for people to explore their local canal.

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Some of the canal based events in Sandwell:

• Birmingham Canal Navigations Society (BCNS) Summer rally takes place each year at Titford Pumphouse, Oldbury. The latest rally took place on 19 and 20 May 2012. • BCNS explorer cruises in May encourage boaters to explore the Birmingham Canal Navigations. • Birmingham – Black Country half marathon takes place along the canal from Wolverhampton and Birmingham and uses the New Main Line Canal through Sandwell. The next half marathon will take place on 7 July 2012. • Annual Tipton Canal and Community Festival - organised by the Tipton Community Association and supported by local community groups and organisations. It involves canal boat displays, entertainment, and stalls. The next festival is planned to take place on 22 and 23 September 2012. • BCNS Bonfire and fireworks rally in November at Galton Valley involves boat displays, a bonfire and fireworks. 3-4 November 2012. • The Olympic torch route includes part of the Black Country canal network and this presents an opportunity for residents and visitors to visit the canals to join in the celebrations of the Olympics. There are a number of other events taking place in neighbouring local authority areas that may be of interest to Sandwell residents.

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Findings

Section One - Responsibility for the Canals There are many organisations that have an interest in and responsibility for aspects of the canals. These include British Waterways, the Canal and River Trust, local authorities and voluntary and community groups.

British Waterways and the Canal and River Trust Since the 1960s, British Waterways has been responsible for the maintenance of Britain’s canals and was funded directly by the Government. From June 2012, the Canal and River Trust will take responsibility for the canal network in England and Wales. Some of the funding for the Trust will come directly from Government, but the Trust will also have broader abilities and freedoms such as fundraising activities. The Trust will be steered by a Board of trustees, an elected Council and 13 local waterways partnerships.

With the establishment of the Canal and River Trust, the Government has agreed a 15 year contract with a core grant of £39 million per year, and a conditional annual grant of £10 million for seven years reducing to £4 million by 2027. The agreement has been welcomed by British Waterways and the Canal and River Trust for helping provide stability for the next 15 years but it still represents a significant reduction in core funding for maintenance of the network.

The vision for the Canal and River Trust has been developed by the Board of Trustees to: • ensure canals and rivers are recognised as an important part of the fabric of our nation and cherished by local communities • help more people discover the magic of our canals and rivers • ensure that our canals and rivers are accessible to all and protected for future generations • build enduring partnerships which increase our resources and help us deliver our promises • make a difference to the canals and rivers, and the communities we serve

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• be innovative in our approach to revitalising our canals and rivers

As part of the agreement between the Government and the Canal and River Trust, the Canal and River Trust will have to publish an annual report outlining the condition of the network, a localism strategy for each of the Waterways Partnerships, how sites of specific interest have been maintained, housing forecast figures, volunteer numbers, safety performance, and key statistics about the condition of and use of the towpath. The publication of this information and the governance arrangements of the Trust will help to ensure public accountability and transparency of the Trust’s operations.

The 13 local waterways partnerships will develop a vision for the waterways for that geographical area including strategies and plans to encourage more people to use and get involved with their local waterway. Sandwell is part of the West Midlands canal area and a trial local waterways partnership has been in operation for the West Midlands since September 2011. It is chaired by Peter Mathews, a past chair and current member of the Black Country Consortium and involves representatives from key stakeholders and interest groups including local authorities, boaters, walkers, cyclists and anglers and people with relevant expertise in areas like volunteering, fundraising, environment, heritage and community engagement. The local authority representative is a Councillor from Council who has a keen interest in canals and is the current Chair of the West Midlands Metropolitan Areas Canal Partnership.

West Midlands Metropolitan Areas Canal Partnership For the past two years, a West Midlands Metropolitan Areas Canal Partnership (WMMACP) has been in existence. This group was established from the previous West Midlands Canal Forum and is supported by the West Midlands Planning and Transportation Executive Officers Group. The WMMACP is a for local authorities and representatives of canal user groups to collectively consider canal issues such as, responding to consultations and conducting reviews on canal-based issues. For example, the group

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have recently completed a piece of work looking at how canal users can access emergency services. The group comprises representatives from local authorities, British Waterways Officers and canal user groups.

Without clear lines of governance and accountability between the WMMACP and the West Midlands Local Waterways Partnership of the Canal and River Trust, there is the potential that the groups could duplicate work and cause confusion about who is responsible for which aspects of the canals. In the West Midlands, the two groups are linked as the Chair of the WMMACP is also the local authority representative on the West Midlands Local Waterways Partnership and this will help to ensure that the two groups are complimenting each other’s work. Once the West Midlands Local Waterways Partnership has become firmly established, it may be necessary to review the role and membership of the WMMACP to make sure that work isn’t being duplicated. In the meantime, however, the WMMACP will continue to provide a forum for local authorities to collectively engage with each other over canal-based issues and participation in this group is important so that local authorities have a collective voice.

Walking Sandwell's Canals

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Not all local authorities are active participants of the WMMACP. For example, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council appoints two Councillors to the WMMACP on an annual basis. Unfortunately, the Councillors appointed had been unable to actively participate in the group due to meeting clashes and other local authority appointees experience similar difficulties. Participation from local authority representatives should be encouraged and this could be assisted through information being shared with Councils about the important role of the WMMACP and details of its meeting dates and times before each Council appoints its member representatives.

Leaflets relating to Sandwell's Canals

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council In the current economic climate, all organisations, including councils are making budget reductions and re-focusing their priorities. In Sandwell, there has been a clear focus upon the delivery of statutory services and meeting the priorities contained within the Sandwell scorecard. The Council does not own the canals and , but the 41 miles of canals and towpaths represents a significant amount of green space in Sandwell. Sandwell Council’s scorecard includes commitments to create parks and green spaces to enjoy, to work with 'friends' and user groups to maintain parks and green spaces that are important to

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local communities, to provide activities for all, and to invest in businesses, people and jobs. The canals in Sandwell can contribute to all of these priorities as well as encouraging Sandwell people to have a general pride in our local heritage and contributing to the health and wellbeing of residents.

Through the Council’s planning framework, the Council has committed to protect and enhance the canals (see extract from the Black Country Core Strategy) which is in keeping with the Council’s community-leader role.

Extract from Black Country Core Strategy All development proposals likely to affect the canal network must: • Safeguard the operation of a navigable and functional waterway • Protect and enhance its special historic, architectural, archaeological and culture interest • Protect and enhance its nature conservation value • Protect and enhance its visual amenity • Protect and enhance water quality in the canals

Where opportunities exist, all development proposals within the canal network must: • Enhance and promote its leisure, recreation and tourism value • Improve and promote walking, cycling and boating access, including for freight • Promote beneficial and multifunctional use of the canal network

Such development proposals must be fully supported by evidence that the above factors have been fully considered and properly incorporated into their design and layout

Apart from this commitment in the Black Country Core Strategy and its application through the planning framework, there is little reference made to canals throughout the Council’s strategic documents and commitments. For example, the Council’s Green Spaces Strategy focuses only on Council-owned land and therefore does not refer to canals as they are owned by British Waterways.

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In practice the Council does already have a working relationship with British Waterways as and when information needs to be exchanged around issues such as graffiti and litter. British Waterways have praised Sandwell Council for this, as they do not experience the same good working relationship in other local authority areas. There is scope for this relationship to develop further to become more proactive. For example, British Waterways was recently exploring potential to co-locate their maintenance buildings and the Council may have been able to respond to this for mutual benefit.

Engaging with the WMMACP, British Waterways and the Canal and River Trust is a good starting point to ensure that there is regular communication between the Council and the canal decision making groups. A named link officer within the Council and a Councillor who is able to participate in the work of the WMMACP may prove useful to help facilitate this partnership working. As a minimum, the link between the canals and the Council’s priorities do need to be acknowledged so that officers and Councillors do not miss opportunities for Sandwell’s canals.

Voluntary and Community Organisations There are many civic and voluntary groups which show a keen interest in the canals in Sandwell and the wider Black Country and West Midlands area. As with the canals that span the boundaries of local authority areas, many voluntary sector organisations with an interest in canals also work across the local authority boundaries. Examples of local voluntary and community organisations that promote the use of canals include the Birmingham Canal Navigations Society, Tipton Community Association, the Trust, and the Friends of Galton Valley Canal Museum and the Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust. The Inland Waterways Association is a national charity whose work includes campaigning and lobbying to restore and conserve the canals, and ensure sensitive development of the canals. The input of national and local voluntary and community organisations into the promotion and maintenance of canals is essential.

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Birmingham Canal Navigations Society

A canal group that is particularly active in the Sandwell area is the Birmingham Canal Navigations Society (BCNS). Birmingham Canal Navigations Society was formed in 1968. It is a voluntary group whose members promote the canals around Birmingham and the Black Country. The BCNS headquarters are at the Titford Pump House in Oldbury and hold two main events each year including a summer boat rally and a bonfire and fireworks rally in November at Galton Valley. The society also provides advice and support to its members, for example, advising them about the moorings and facilities on the Birmingham canal navigations and pubs and other facilities located near to mooring points. The society also works very closely with British Waterways and British Waterways has attributed the society with “self-supervising workparty status”, which means that the BCNS is able to undertake maintenance operations.

As the canals transfer to the ownership of the Canal and River Trust, volunteering will be a key feature and priority for the new organisation. British Waterways have encouraged volunteering, for example, through the community pay back scheme, which provided many volunteering hours for improving the canals. Feedback from the participants was also positive, with an average turn out of 80% of people on the community pay back scheme for canal-based projects, compared with an average 50% turn out on other community payback schemes.

There is potential to attract more volunteers. For example, with more volunteers, the Friends of Galton Valley Canal Museum would be able to open the New Pumping Station and the building housing the foundations for James Watts’ Smethwick Engine more frequently. Students with an interest in local history or industrial heritage could provide additional capacity. More involvement from local communities should also be encouraged. Sandwell Council is currently considering the development of neighbourhood plans as the basis of community development. This will focus on areas where need is high and people are already active in shaping their

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communities. This approach could also help to increase the involvement of community groups in canal-based improvements and projects.

Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust

Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust is an organisation that champions wildlife and green spaces and campaigns on these issues. They are currently leading on a number of partnership projects including the Black Country Living Landscape project and a Birmingham Waterways project that aims to create accessible green spaces across Birmingham that are linked by rivers and canals. The Birmingham and Black Country region has also been designated as one of 12 nature improvement areas and the Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust and its partners have received a grant of £650,000 for this project. One of the aims is to improve and extend corridors of biodiversity (of which canals are one example), and specifically to create wetland habitats and management along the waterways network.

Section Two - Improving Sandwell’s canals

Financing improvements Finance is a key issue to maintaining the current condition of and improving the canals even further. Many areas have been very ambitious with their canal developments, for example Birmingham’s canal-side development of Brindley Place, and the waterfront in Dudley which focus on increasing economic tourism through offering visitors restaurants, shops and pubs. A waterfront regeneration programme is also being developed in Walsall including a hotel, restaurants and bars. Sandwell’s existing economic offering of retail facilities is focused in the West Bromwich area of the Borough. Given the context of the economic downturn, and that the main canal networks do not pass through or near to the existing retail areas of West Bromwich, Sandwell’s ambitions for canal-side development may need to be more modest in terms of economic offering, but there is still much to be celebrated and improved in relation to leisure, heritage and wildlife.

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The major organisations with an interest in and responsibility for aspects of the canals (British Waterways and local authorities) are all under financial pressure. However, a number of canal improvements have taken place or are planned by British Waterways for the forthcoming months. These include: • a regeneration project on the Dudley No2 canal across Sandwell and Dudley. This was a lottery funded project with a value in the region of £520 000 that included various access improvements, towpath improvements and biodiversity works delivered in partnership with Dudley Canal Trust. • spot dredging of the Mainline Canal in collaboration with Birmingham Canal Navigations Society will take place during 2012. • major works on the Netherton and Spouthouse Aqueduct are planned for 2012. • a number of metal bridge repairs and painting are planned for 2012. A number of funding bids have recently been submitted that would lead to canal improvements. These include a bid for the Birmingham Main line canal between Albion and Bromford Road, a funding bid with , and the potential extension of the heritage works in Galton Valley. The Head of Enterprise (Midlands) for British Waterways is specifically tasked with maximising investment for the waterways.

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Boater enjoying Sandwell's Canals

British Waterways in its current role of managing the canal network had £56.6million of funding per year to spend on the waterways, but calculated that the costs of maintaining the canal network if everything was at an average condition (ie there were no poor condition structures) was £125m per year. This was a 40% funding gap. In response to this funding package, British Waterways has had to prioritise its spending on day to day maintenance and repairs and has approached any work needed through a risk management approach. This means that there have been limited funds for regeneration and improvement projects. The 15 year contract between the Canal and River Trust and the government has been welcomed although the £39 million per year is still less than the estimated £125 million required to maintain the current condition of the canal network.

Funding for all canal partners is under pressure. The contribution of voluntary groups to promoting the canals, improving the cleanliness of the canals and through organising canal-based events is of vital importance, but voluntary effort alone cannot ensure that the potential of Sandwell’s canals is maximised. Whilst the Canal and River Trust will be working hard to fundraise and

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encourage volunteers, the majority of their funding will be focused on maintenance, therefore, all partners will need to play an active role in new initiatives for the canals.

In its role as a community leader, Sandwell Council has an important role to play. Through its planning policies and framework, Sandwell Council is able to gain financial contributions from any developers whose projects are adjacent to the canals in order to make the proposal acceptable in planning terms. This is done through Section 106 (S106) of the Planning Regulations. Through S106, improvements have been made to the canal adjacent to Sheepwash Urban Park and Titford Pools. This has included improvements to canal access. A current development proposal that will affect the canal network is the Brindley II development in Smethwick. This is a housing and community proposal that will make significant improvements to the canal setting. Work is currently underway to assemble the site. In addition, the proposed new hospital development in Smethwick is expected to lead to £100 000 in S106 monies for improving the Smethwick canal.

Sandwell Council is currently considering whether to introduce the Community Infrastructure Levy (CiL). The CiL is a new system that, like S106 funding, gains financial contributions from developers to improve the environment. The CiL differs from S106, as the levy is not attributed to specific proposals but can instead be used directly to fund improvements that the Council has listed in a schedule of required infrastructure projects. The Council is still exploring the full implications of introducing a CiL funding scheme. There is a risk that even less money could be spent on the canals in Sandwell if canal improvements are not prioritised in the infrastructure schedule. However, the CiL scheme has the potential to generate money to improve the canal environment.

The CiL could be used alongside the resources of the Canal and River Trust and local voluntary organisations, or as match funding for grant applications from partners such as the Wildlife Trust to maximise the benefits and attract funding into the Borough and wider Black Country region.

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An example of funding that is available is through the Water Framework Directive. A bid is currently being prepared by the Wildlife Trust, Groundwork, British Waterways and CSV (a volunteering charity) which has the potential to make a significant investment in the canal network to enable it to achieve its ecological potential.

The Wildlife Trust is running a catchment pilot on behalf of DEFRA (Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs) which will provide a major opportunity to document the issues and aspirations for the canal network. Some of the work is likely to be funded through the Water Framework Directive and the Catchment Restoration Fund.

The Council is currently exploring ways to increase funding through joint grant applications with partners, for example, through bids to the lottery. This framework could also be applied to canal- based projects, or to incorporate canal improvements into other projects, such as those with a heritage, arts, health or wildlife focus. This should include working with all relevant partners and the Head of Enterprise within British Waterways. The Council needs to make sure that it is engaged with opportunities such as these and the current bids and projects being led by the Wildlife Trust, so that opportunities to improve the canals and maximise resources are not lost.

Tackling the barriers to canal use – litter, graffiti, and safety Discussions with Sandwell residents highlighted that more people would like to enjoy the canal environment and Sandwell residents said that the key barriers to more people using the canals were perceptions of litter and poor cleanliness and safety.

From the visits conducted by the panel, some parts of the canal did have a lot of litter and graffiti and there were occasional examples of fly-tipping but most of the canal and tow paths that were observed by the panel on their two visits were clean and provided a pleasant environment for residents to enjoy. Where there is a lot of litter and graffiti, British Waterways is able to clean up the area

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and local voluntary organisations also make a huge contribution to keeping the canals clean, for example in dredging sections of the canals and organising clean-up events. British Waterways have found that the impact of cleaning the canals of litter and graffiti can be limited, for example, where fly-tipping is a recurring problem or there is a graffiti hot-spot.

One of Sandwell Council’s priorities is to ensure that there are cleaner streets in Sandwell. The Council has committed to improving the cleanliness of streets by moving from a service that tries to pick up litter to one that sweeps the whole street clean. Although the canal and towpaths are not owned by the Council, residents and visitors do not make the distinction between the land owner and their perception of how clean they feel an area is. A deep-cleaning approach should be applied to the litter and graffiti on the canals and the greatest impact could be achieved by partners, including the Council, British Waterways (and subsequently the Canal and River Trust) and voluntary groups aligning their planned cleaning activities so that canal cleaning could take place at the same time as street cleansing that is planned adjacent to the canals. The Council should play an active part in these arrangements.

Fly-tipping adjacent to canal towpath

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Safety was one of the other barriers raised by Sandwell residents as preventing them using the canals. Although the panel did not directly observe any reasons to be worried about safety, it was acknowledged that people do have concerns about safety for example in walking the canals alone or after dark. Sandwell Council’s Select Committee on Community Safety and Perceptions of Crime April 2011 reported that ‘how an area looks in terms of litter, vandalism and graffiti has a major impact on how safe people feel’ and acknowledged the lack of a direct causal link between actual rates of crime and the perception or fear of crime in communities.

Increasing the use of Sandwell’s Canals

Along with tackling litter, graffiti and fly-tipping, encouraging residents to explore Sandwell’s canals through organised events, or planned activities, may help residents to feel more confident to use Sandwell’s canals. More towpath users on the canals and the presence of boats both passing through and moored may also help perceptions of safety. As outlined in the context section of this report, there is a range of canal-based events and these canal- based events and organised activites should continue to be supported and advertised.

To encourage more people to use the canals, the information about existing events and activities on the canals could be better promoted for example through the Council’s website and facebook pages and by the Museum and Arts Service, Sandwell Leisure Trust, Sandwell PCT and the emerging Clinical Commissioning Group. This would make the information more accessible to Sandwell residents. As well as locating leaflets in various locations throughout the Borough, the information could be collated in one place, for example, through the Waterscape website and signposting from the Council’s website. There would also be potential for joint marketing with other Councils in the Black Country region. The launch of the Canal and River Trust would be an ideal way to remind Sandwell residents about the opportunities of the canals, and the Council could help promote individual events and activities to encourage more residents to enjoy the canals.

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Developing additional events and ways for people to enjoy the canals would also encourage greater usage of canals. A strategy to promote the industrial heritage offering of the canals could be developed and there could be scope through art projects to provide a focal-point and reason for people to engage with the canals. There could also be potential to create a nature reserve in the Galton Valley as a new visitor destination, or to work with businesses with canal frontage to improve the canal environment.

A number of boating events already take place in Sandwell, which do bring boaters to Sandwell. However, boaters reported that the majority of boaters do not stop and spend time in Sandwell. It was reported that the availability of moorings in Sandwell is a barrier to boaters stopping. There is a reported oversupply of residential moorings in the West Midlands area and Sandwell does have some residential moorings, but the availability of overnight and temporary moorings in Sandwell could be improved as there are only a few temporary mooring sites on the 41 miles of Sandwell’s canals.

Some of the mooring locations in Sandwell: Residential moorings: Ocker Hill Moorings Engine Arm Moorings, Smethwick Tipton Boat Yard Titford Pump House Temporary moorings: Smethwick and Galton Valley (north of ) Top of Smethwick Locks End of Engine Arm, Old Mainline Canal Near Whimsey Bridge Oldbury (next to Mecca Complex) Between Tividale Quays and Tipton Junction Coronation Gardens, Tipton Titford Pump House Area around Titford pools

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Through the use of the Council’s planning framework and land usage documents, areas of Sandwell’s canals that would be suitable for additional moorings could be identified. The Council and its partners could encourage developers that have proposals for land adjacent to the canals to introduce moorings as part of their developments. This would be particularly useful on parts of the canal that are near to town centre facilities such as shops and pubs and would also have the added potential to increase trade in these key locations around the Borough through encouraging visitors to spend.

Along with increasing the number of opportunities for boaters to stop in Sandwell, visitors to Sandwell’s canals could be made to feel more welcome through improved information about the facilities available. One of the major barriers to boaters using the existing mooring locations in Sandwell includes an absence of information about the facilities near to the towpath.

The panel observed that there was very little signage on the towpaths to tell visitors that they are in Sandwell and to tell residents and visitors what facilities are on offer near by. For example, when passing through Oldbury there is no indication to canal visitors that they are near a town centre should they need shops, pubs, or transportation links. The panel were aware that existing canal users and scrutiny members in Dudley have also acknowledged this issue and asked for signage to be improved.

There are difficulties connected with putting up new signage, for example, any signage has to be funded and maintained and agreement also needs to be sought from the owner of any structure or building to be able to put up the signage. Although signage is not currently a high priority to receive any funding from the Canal and River Trust, or from Sandwell Council, improved signage would have a positive impact.

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Solutions could be to work with local businesses to explore sponsorship of signage to provide the up-front and maintenance costs, or to explore grant applications and the use of CiL monies for this purpose. The development of any new mooring locations in Sandwell should also include signage about the facilities available near by.

View of Sandwell's Canals

Information about the canals and adjacent facilities could also be provided in other formats such as via the internet or in leaflets. For example, the BCNS provide their members with a leaflet on moorings and facilities on the Birmingham Canal Navigations. This includes information such as mooring locations but also details of local pubs and facilities. This could be made more widely available for visiting boaters, for example, in distributing this information to boat rental companies. Existing information sources such as leaflets about walking and the heritage offering in Sandwell could also be adapted to include information about local facilities which would be relevant for Sandwell residents and visitors.

Key to any future canal improvements and maintaining the condition of the canals will be developing a shared vision for

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Sandwell’s canals and agreeing a corresponding schedule of works and projects. This will not only help to maximise the finance and other resources that are available, but potentially provide additional opportunities to access grant funding. All partners including the Council, the Canal and River Trust and local voluntary organisations, will need to contribute to this shared vision and partnership working. Improved signage, information about events and opportunities, litter and graffiti removal, an increase in moorings, and a strategy to explore and promote industrial and natural heritage should feature within this partnership vision along with consideration of developing any new canal-based events. This will help residents’ and visitors’ perceptions of the cleanliness and safety of Sandwell’s canals and help encourage greater use of Sandwell’s canals.

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Recommendations – Canals in Sandwell Based on the evidence received, the Partnerships and External Scrutiny Panel makes the following recommendations.

Timescales are illustrative and therefore open to discussion.

Ref Recommendation Lead agency Date Intended outcome 1 That the Canal and River Trust and Cabinet Member December To increase the use of Sandwell Council further explore the for 2012 Sandwell’s canals and to make potential to improve signage on the canal Neighbourhood people feel more welcome by tow paths in Sandwell, focusing particularly Services and providing practical information on key locations to signpost facilities such Canal and River about the facilities and points as shops and pubs/restaurants and Trust of interest near to the canals. heritage locations; and exploring the potential for business sponsorship to fund any signage.

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Ref Recommendation Lead agency Date Intended outcome 2 That should SMBC proceed with the Cabinet Member August 2012 To ensure that Sandwell Community Infrastructure Levy, that canal- for Jobs and and ongoing Council continues to value the side improvements be included in the Economy canals and that funding is schedule of required infrastructure projects and obtained from developments to and that these canal improvements be Cabinet Member help improve the canals. determined in partnership with the Canal for and River Trust and local voluntary Neighbourhood organisations so that the impact of Services improvements, projects and events can be maximised.

3 That all new developments adjacent to Cabinet Member August 2012 To increase the use of Sandwell’s canals give consideration to for and ongoing Sandwell’s canals, to make installing moorings and signage about the Neighbourhood people feel more welcome by facilities near by. Services providing practical information about the facilities and points of interest near to the canals and to increase the number of moorings in Sandwell

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Ref Recommendation Lead agency Date Intended outcome 4 That the Council ensures that a link is Cabinet August 2012 To ensure that Sandwell made between the Council’s priorities and Members for Council continues to value the the contribution the canals make to these, Neighbourhood canals, recognise their for example, through reference in service Services, Jobs contribution to the Council’s area business plans to: and Economy, priority areas, and make active Leisure Services use of the canals. a) Identify the canals as providing activities for Sandwell people to do including cycling, walking, participating in the heritage offering and engaging with the natural environment b) Identify the canals as part of Sandwell’s green space and natural environment

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c) work with the Canal and River Trust to ensure that opportunities for joint working are maximised, such as over deep cleaning, regarding funding applications, and encouraging communities to play an active role in their local canal, and d) that an ongoing working partnership is created between the Council and the Canal and River Trust

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Ref Recommendation Lead agency Date Intended outcome 5 That all partners work together to All partners August 2012 To maximise the funding and maximise the funding available for canal and ongoing other resources available to improvements and projects. improve the canals.

6 That the Council works with partners Cabinet August 2012 To improve and co-ordinate (including the Canal and River Trust, local Members for the information available to voluntary organisations, other Councils in Neighbourhood residents and visitors about the the Black Country, Sandwell PCT, Services, Jobs activites and points of interest Sandwell Leisure Trust, and Clinical and Economy, on Sandwell’s canals. Commissioning Groups) to advertise and Leisure Services signpost residents and visitors to the canal-based activities and events that are on offer in Sandwell, for example, through the Council’s website, facebook pages, in the Sandwell Herald and via the Waterscape website.

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Ref Recommendation Lead agency Date Intended outcome 7 That the Canal and River Trust uses its Canal and River July 2012 To improve and co-ordinate launch to encourage people to use the Trust the information available to canals, to inform them about the types of residents and visitors about the activities that are available on the canals activites and points of interest and that this forms part of their ongoing on the canals. marketing work.

8 That the Canal and River Trust ensure that Canal and River July 2012 To ensure that governance all the 13 local waterways partnerships Trust structures relating to the engage with local authority canal-based canals are robust and link with partnerships in their areas and that there existing canals groups. are clear reporting routes between them. To ensure that canal groups do not duplicate work

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Ref Recommendation Lead agency Date Intended outcome 9 That the West Midlands Local Waterways West Midlands July 2012 To ensure that governance Partnership and the West Midlands Local structures relating to the Metropolitan Areas Canal Partnership give Waterways canals are robust and link with consideration to their respective roles to Partnership and existing canals groups. To ensure that there is a reporting route West Midlands ensure that canal groups do between them and they are Metropolitan not duplicate work complementing each other’s work. That Areas Canal this is reviewed once the West Midlands Partnership Local Waterways Partnership has become established.

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Ref Recommendation Lead agency Date Intended outcome 10 That the West Midlands Metropolitan West Midlands July 2012 To encourage all local Areas Canal Partnership (WMMACP) be Metropolitan authorities to participate in the encouraged to send details to all Areas Canal West Midlands Metropolitan participant local authorities with some Partnership Areas Canal Partnership. basic information including what is expected of members of the WMMACP 10a) Leader of and details of the meeting dates and times the Council to assist local authorities to appoint members that are able to participate in the group’s work a) That the Council give consideration to the above information when appointing members to the WMMACP

11 That all of the findings of this review are Sandwell Ongoing To ensure that all the findings given careful consideration and taken into Council of the review are considered in account when making decisions in relation Canal and River future developments in this to canals, green spaces, leisure and Trust area of work heritage opportunities in Sandwell and the All partners Community Infrastructure levy in Sandwell.

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Ref Recommendation Lead agency Date Intended outcome 12 A detailed action plan be created outlining All partners July 2012 To ensure progress in the how the recommendations and findings of implementation of the this review are to be taken forward by the recommendations as agreed relevant partner(s). And that progress by Cabinet and the Council’s against this action plan is reported to partners. relevant Cabinet Member(s), officer(s), partner(s) and scrutiny every six months until such time as the recommendations and findings have been addressed.

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References

A new era for the Waterways: a consultation on the Government’s proposals for moving inland waterways into a new charity in England and Wales, Defra, March 2011

Black Country Core Strategy, February 2011 available at www.blackcountrycorestrategy.dudley.gov.uk

Canal and River Trust booklet: keeping people, nature and history connected, available at www.waterscape.com

Green Space Strategy, 2010-2020, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council

Memorandum from the all-party parliamentary group on waterways: The future of the waterways, July 2011

Report of the Select Committee on Community Safety and Perceptions of Crime, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, April 2011

Sandwell Scorecard, www.sandwell.gov.uk/scorecard

Swan pedalo challenge, article, BBC, March 2012 www..co.uk/news/uk-england--17494152

Leaflets obtained from various locations in Sandwell and at British Waterways head Office in Fazeley

• A guide to walking around Sandwell. British Waterways has a specific guide to cycling and walking around Sandwell, which includes suggested routes and a map of the canals in Sandwell. A leaflet can be downloaded from www.waterscape.com/media/documents/1945.pdf

• An illustrated map of Galton Valley Birmingham Canal Navigations, and an illustrated map of Titford Pool and Canal part of Birmingham Canal Navigations. Produced British Waterways in partnership with Advantage West Midlands and The Waterways Trust, 2003. Copies available from British Waterways Canal Information Centre, . The leaflet includes

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information about the history of the canals, information about the nature that can be observed and suggested walking routes

• The Gas Street to Galton Valley Canal Walk. Produced by British Waterways, Sandwell Council and Brimingham City Council (no date). A walking route map with sites of interest marked on the map. Obtained from Smethwick Pump House

• Cycle routes in Sandwell. Produced jointly by Travelwise and Sandwell Council leaflet provides a detailed map of cycle routes in Sandwell and includes information about access to canals for cyclists. Copies of this map are available from [email protected]

• Moorings and Facilities on the BCN, Birmingham Canal Navigations Society, May 2011

• Exploring the Birmingham and Black Country Canal Cycleway. Produced by British Waterways (no date). Obtained from Smethwick Pump House

• Sandwell Health Walks leaflets. Leaflets and further information available at www.mytimeactive.co.uk/health/localised-health- services/sandwell/

Websites

Website for BCNS www.bcnsociety.co.uk

Website for Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust www.bbcwildlife.org.uk

Website for canal and river trust www.canalandrivertrust.org.uk

Website for Florentijn Hofman’s rubber duck art project www.florentijnhofman.nl/dev/project.php?id=154

Website for Inland Waterways Association www.waterways.org.uk

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Website for Sandwell Stride health walks, including a programme of Sandwell organised walks to download www.webwell.org.uk/PhActS/Sandwell-Stride

Website for mytime active Sandwell providing information about health walks in Sandwell - www.mytimeactive.co.uk/health/localised-health- services/sandwell/

Website for Waterscape www.waterscape.com

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Appendix 1 Scope of the review

Project title Canals in Sandwell What issue did To examine whether the canals in Sandwell are being used this review to their fullest extent address?

Lead members Cllr Elaine Giles – Chair Partnerships and External Scrutiny Panel Cllr Julie Webb – Vice Chair Partnerships and External Scrutiny Panel Members of Partnerships and External Scrutiny Panel Officer group Philippa Smith – Spatial Policy and Development Manager Dean Davies – British Waterways Frank Caldwell – Principal Officer – Museums, Arts and Tourism Rebecca Clarke – Lead Officer Improvement and Efficiency

Aim and scope To examine whether the canals in Sandwell are being used of the project to their fullest extent To consider how improvements to the canals can be made To consider the development of the Canal and River Trust Specific To produce a set of recommendations which will help ensure outcomes that the canals in Sandwell are used to their fullest extent required and are maintained and safeguarded for the future. Links to Local people, local services: We will find ways to increase Sandwell the choices children and young people have over the Scorecard activities on offer to them. Cleaner streets, more recycling and safer neighbourhoods: We will make residents feel safer by working with the police to cut the amount of persistent anti- social behaviour; We will improve the cleanliness of streets by moving from a service that tries to pick up litter to one that sweeps the whole street clean. Parks and green spaces to enjoy: We will work with 'friends' and user groups to maintain parks and green spaces that are important to local communities.

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Appendix 2

Partnerships and External Scrutiny Panel terms of reference 2011/2012

The terms of reference for the Partnerships and External Scrutiny Panel state:

‘ … the Partnerships and External Scrutiny Panel shall:- (1) under the direction of the Scrutiny Management Board, undertake reviews which include matters which fall within the terms of reference of this Panel and any other Scrutiny Panel

(2) as set out in the scrutiny procedure rules, consider referrals under the Call for Action and the Pre-Decision Scrutiny (Call in) processes and undertake in-depth enquiries on issues relating to partnerships and external agencies operating in the Authority’s area, with the exception of the Health agencies which are the responsibility of the Adults and Health Scrutiny Panel, but including: - Sandwell Homes - Sandwell Leisure Trust;

(3) within (1) and (2) above, work with partners and other public, voluntary, and governmental bodies within, and where appropriate outside, the Borough to review policies, practices and services associated with partnerships and external agencies;

(4) report on the progress of reviews to the Scrutiny Management Board;

(5) apply performance review principles of economy, efficiency and effectiveness in exercising the responsibilities of the Panel.

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Principles

The review was undertaken in line with the following principles within which scrutiny strives to operate:

• inclusive • non adversarial • evidence based as opposed to anecdotal • factual and unbiased • open and transparent

Membership

Elected Members

Councillor Elaine Giles Councillor Julie Webb Councillor Kim Frazer Councillor Shirley Hosell Councillor Peter Hughes Councillor Ray Nock Councillor Steve Trow

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Appendix 3 Methodology

In undertaking this review the panel was supported by Improvement and Efficiency.

The following presentations and reports were received and considered by the panel: • tour of Sandwell’s canals (Titford Pumphouse Oldbury to Malthouse Stables Tipton) with Birmingham Canal Navigations Society, 7 October 2011 • workshop and presentation on the role of British Waterways and the establishment of the Canal and River Trust - Dean Davies – British Waterways, West Midlands Waterway Manager, 18 October 2011 • workshop and presentation on the regeneration potential of Sandwell’s canals - Tony Harvey – British Waterways, Head of Enterprise (Midlands), 7 February 2012 • information about S106 funding in Sandwell used for canal developments • information about development land potential adjacent to Sandwell’s canals • presentation on the Black Country Core Strategy and planning, 20 December 2011 • visit to Smethwick Pump House and Smethwick Engine Arm, 3 April 2012 • walking tour of Sandwell’s canals – Smethwick Pump House to Smethwick Engine Arm, 3 April 2012 accompanied by the Council’s museum service, Sandwell health walks co-ordinator (Mytime active) and Active Travel and Sustainability Officer (Sandwell PCT)

The panel members undertook independent consultation through: • discussions about Sandwell’s canals and the barriers to using them with Sandwell residents at Sandwell College Freshers Fayre 27 September 2011, Victoria Park Community Fun Day 10 July 2011, Sandwell Youth Festival 2011. • discussions with voluntary sector organisations including Birmingham Canal Navigations Society, Tipton Civic Society, the

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Inland Waterways Association, and Friends of Galton Valley Museum.

The views gathered by the above outlined processes are incorporated into the overall findings of the review.

Methodology Critique This review has focused on whether Sandwell’s canals are being used to their fullest extent. More evidence could have been gathered from Sandwell residents about their perceptions of Sandwell’s canals and how they could be encouraged to use the canals more. However, consultation with residents as outlined above provided a strong insight into residents’ perception of the canals and the review has then focused on solutions to make improvements to Sandwell’s canals through encouraging stronger partnership working between key organisations.

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