The Canal & River Trust has announcing the results of the voting to elect new representatives to the charity’s Council.  Each elected candidate will take up their voluntary post for four years from 1 March 2024, when the term of existing elected Council members comes to an end.

The elected Council representatives are as follows:

Private boating: 

Penelope Barber

Fiona Burt

Rosie Strickland

Scott Martin

Business boating:

Paul Donnelly

Lucy Waldron

Trust volunteers: 

Nigel Branston

Trevor Clark

Friends of the Trust: 

Brian Williams

Trust employees: 

Aaron Atwal

The new members include David Kent, who was elected unopposed in the Fisheries & Angling constituency.

The Council, which meets twice a year, consists of up to 50 volunteer members who reflect the wide appeal of the charity’s network – from boating and angling through to walking and wellbeing. It includes a mix of elected and independently nominated individuals. Members of the Council are responsible for the appointment of the charity’s trustees, providing guidance and perspective from different stakeholders, and acting as a sounding board for the trustees in relation to the development of proposals and strategy.

The Council is chaired by the chair of the Trust Board, David Orr CBE, who said: “I’m pleased to welcome the new Council members and look forward to working with them in the future.  They bring a wealth of experience and talent to the Trust.  The calibre of candidates was extremely high, and I’d like to thank all those who put themselves forward.  It was also heartening to see that the voter turnout was higher than during the last elections, demonstrating the engagement of boaters, volunteers, Friends and colleagues.

“The recent storms have vividly demonstrated the scale of challenge we face in safeguarding the future of our 250-year-old network in the face of a real term reduction in public funding.  Our canals offer huge benefits for the nation and I’m excited to hear the many new ideas and fresh perspectives our new Council members may have to share, so we can continue the renaissance of the past few decades.”

Full results of the election, which was led by external election company Civica, will follow on the Canal & River Trust website:

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