Aylesbury Arm to Close?

I heard a rumour recently that C&RT are considering closing the Aylesbury Arm for five months over the winter in order to tackle the leakage problems. The leakage problems are not new: most of the sixteen locks have notices on them instructing boaters to empty them after use because the walls leak.  As anyone with a swimming pool will tell you, such structures are less sound when empty. Winter is not the most conducive weather for canal maintenance but stoppages in summer inconvenience boaters.  So why didn;'t C&RT carry out maintenance on the arm last year when it was closed for eight months over the summer?