ROCHDALE CANAL

That this House welcomes the environmental, leisure and cultural benefits that the restored Rochdale Canal brings to the districts it passes through; further welcomes the increased investment and economic growth the canal has brought in areas like Canalside in Rochdale; notes that a further £10 million will be needed to complete the restoration of Rochdale Canal; further notes that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs plans to cut British Waterways' funding by £60 million over five years, of which £600,000 will be cut from this year's winter maintenance budget for Rochdale Canal; is concerned that these cuts in funding may jeopardise the future of waterways such as Rochdale Canal; and calls on the Government to acknowledge the important role that Rochdale Canal still plays in Manchester, Lancashire and West Yorkshire by restoring British Waterways' cut in funding.