This is a snapshot notes from the online CRT Council Meeting on 23 September 2020.  Complete Minutes will be available in a week or so at https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/meetings/42458-23-september-2020-19th-council-meeting

Chair of the Appointments Committee, Dame Jenny Abramsky, provided an overview of the Appointments Committee’s work since September 2019.  The Committee is seeking three candidates from amongst Council members to join the committee.

Three resolutions were passed: 1) to amend the Trust’s Articles of Association to allow fully virtual Council meetings to be held, tidy up the wording around director meetings and change the reference from Waterways Partnerships to Regional Advisory Boards, 2) to reappoint three Trustees (Sue Wilkinson, Ben Gordon and Sir Chris Kelly), 3) to amend the Trust rules to enable the Chair of the Welsh Board to become a Council member ex-officio, consistent with the Regional Advisory Board Chairs.

Finance Director Steve Dainty explained the Trust’s financial position up to year end in March 2020, two weeks after lock-down. Major expenditure included Toddbrook Reservoir (£5m spent on make-safe and £20m provision made for completion of repair works), partially offset by gains in investment income. The long-term situation remains uncertain due to the effects of Covid-19; following furlough, almost all of the 600 affected staff are now back in their roles. More money will be spent on addressing the long-term risk of our reservoirs.

Richard Parry updated the meeting on activities during the year to date including the impacts of the Coronavirus and Simon Bamford described the work to be carried out at Toddbrook, following the public consultation, expected to start on site around September 2021. Risk assessments are being carried out on the remaining 69 reservoirs; a new reservoir asset manager has been appointed, along with other additions to the team. Expectation is to spend an additional £55m over the next 5 years.

Tom Deards presented the Trust’s Ethical Policy Framework that set out existing Trust activities against UN Sustainable Development Goals and possible areas for further Trust action for review and comment by Council members (very aspirational but shows how the Trust’s activities address broad areas of sustainability with action in some areas and others to be developed).

The next (also virtual) meeting will be on 18 November, at which point the Annual Report (due to be approved by the Board shortly) will be received by the Council formally.