BASINGSTOKE Canal Authority will continue to operate leisurely activities under Surrey County Council management, it has been confirmed.

The Basingstoke Canal Partnership was established to fund the canal operation following restoration in the late 1980s.

In 1990, as landowning authorities, county councils for Hampshire and Surrey created the Basingstoke Canal Authority (BCA). Under the arrangement, Hampshire employs the staff, provides IT and finance support to the authority, and Surrey manages the visitor centre at Mytchett.

A recent report indicates that the current arrangement was not financially sustainable. Therefore, a proposal to change governance arrangements was approved on Monday, March 11 to provide a more efficient solution.

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This proposal aims to retain the BCA to continue delivering statutory requirements and leisure navigation.

According to officers at Hampshire County Council, this change involves that the Mytchett Centre, which provides boat hire, cafeteria, and community activities, will no longer be managed by the BCA but instead will be transferred to the direct management of Surrey County Council and continue offering leisure activities at the centre.

It was previously suggested that the change could end leisure activities at the canal. However, in response, Hampshire council officers clarified and confirmed that the authority in Surrey is committed to continuing with the services provided at the canal.

Hampshire County Council officers said: “In effect, the public won’t see any change to the way that services are delivered. Surrey [County Council] is committed to continuity of the services and they will be making a decision later this month.

“To this effect, we would transfer the staff responsible for providing the visitor centre services to Surrey.”

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Surrey County Council owns Mytchett Centre, and its future will be in their hands.

Executive member for the countryside and regulatory services, Cllr Russell Oppenheimer, indicated that the proposal involves a change in governance arrangements to save money, make it more efficient, and ensure its continuation, not to cut services to the public.

Cllr Oppenheimer said: “There’s not going to be cuts to services to the man or woman on the street. They will see no change. Everything will continue. This is really a change to the governance arrangements to try and streamline saving money, make it more efficient and make sure we can continue to let navigation in the short term. So I’m pleased about that.”

Cllr Oppenheimer also indicated that the canal is a valuable asset for Hampshire, a legacy from the Victorian era that the council wants to treasure.

As part of the proposal, car parking fees could be introduced. This proposal is already being consulted on the Savings Plan to 2025 public consultation, which ends on Sunday, March 31.