New canal becomes an election issue in Daventry

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For the first time in a couple of centuries, the building of a canal is a major election issue.

The Conservative-run Daventry District Council has come up with the madcap but magnificent idea of building a two-mile arm to link the town with the Grand Union.

According to a report in the Daventry Express:

The Labour Party will oppose any further expenditure on the proposal for a canal arm and will demand that more is done to make Daventry into an attractive market town again. 

It will press for better leisure facilities and entertainments for people of all ages, believing that "more shops are likely to be attracted to Daventry by a vibrant town centre rather than by a stagnant canal", as well as demand progress on a new cinema for the town.

"A stagnant canal" is silly and mean-spirited. Has Daventry Labour not seen any of the excellent urban canal regeneration projects around the country?

Meanwhile:

The Lib Dems say the canal project needs to have a robust business plan to justify it and it should not be at a cost to Daventry District taxpayers.

which sounds more sensible but probably means in practice that they don't support the new canal either.

Later...

DAVENTRY ELECTIONS: Conservative council leader Chris Millar says spending on canal arm plans now on hold because of uncertainty over future of councils. He says idea is NOT scrapped. (NOTE: If this pushes any decision on to a council not yet in existence, big uncertainty).

— Sam Read (@samrread) April 19, 2018