5. The Oxford canal passes through Kidlington – a beautiful corridor for wildlife, heritage & leisure. The Canal & River Trust’s budget, however, is being cut from 55 to 10 million over the coming years. Do you support this reduction? If so, why? If not, what do you intend to do to address it?
Ian Middleton (Green Party):
“I don’t support it and I would seek to return it to previous levels if I were to have influence in Westminster. The canals are a huge resource to aid nature recovery and recreation should be supported fully by government.”
Veronica Oakeshott (Labour Party):
“I love our canals and my family and I use them frequently as running and walking routes. They provide such important habitats and access to nature for the public. This sounds like a very serious and damaging budget reduction. I would be happy to meet with the Canal and River Trust to better understand the situation and find ways to support them. I have worked with charities for years and so have an understanding of the financial pressures that they face.”
Calum Miller (Liberal Democrats):
“The Tories have chronically underfunded the Environment Agency and other organisations. Protecting our precious natural environment lies at the heart of the Liberal Democrat approach. Everyone should be able to enjoy open green spaces, clean blue rivers and the beauty of Britain’s coast. We have a whole chapter in our manifesto on the natural environment which you can see here: https://www.libdems.org.uk/manifesto“
Kidlington Eco Group 