Neath Canal

On this day, two hundred and twenty-five years ago, the last section of the Neath canal was completed. This makes the canal older than postage stamps, universal public education in Wales, and the United Kingdom itself! Despite the enormous changes that have taken place in Neath over the last two centuries, the Neath canal is a constant that has endured.

I believe that with the right support, the canal could play a vital role in the social, economic, and environmental wellbeing of our communities. Last week, I had the opportunity to meet with representatives of St Modwen, the majority shareholder in the Neath Canal Navigation Company, to hear about the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead for the canal.  I have also written to Neath Port Talbot Council and will be reaching out to community groups who are already doing so much to help maintain and preserve the canal, to ensure that we will not be the generation that allows this enduring part of our community disappear for good.