So it was 'charitisation'?

Hello everyone. Still here but not had much to say recently. Not sure if it means CRT are drawing their horns in or if they are just getting better at keeping what they are up to a bit quieter?

One thing has caught my eye and it goes to the bigger picture stuff: A few years back I wrote a piece saying that the transfer of British Waterways to Canal and River Trust was akin to a privatisation as many of us remember that term being applied in the 1980's and 1990's. This article in the Guardian recently informs me that the correct word now is "charitisation".

(I'm pleased to note that the spell check here does not recognise charitisation as being a real word!)

NABO, BW/CRT and legal stuff - some personal retrospective!

I don't look at Canalworld Forum that much cos frankly I find that there is a lot of junk verging on personal abuse in there which is not constructive. However NBW's article highlighting that the CRT vs Wingfield transcript is now in wider hands prompted me to look.

Sterling work from my old mucker Nigel Moore and others here and I believe more valuable insights now (and to follow no doubt) into what I previously wrote about as the double edged sword.

Out of all that there were some comments about NABO and its 'legal activities'. I wrote about this a while back and it is notable to me that the 2013 post is one of the most read  on ths blog. I have felt moved to write some more now, albeit largely about past matters, which is now up on CWF and which I reproduce here for your consideration.

Caretaker boats

Ralph Freeman's latest post on Narrowboatworld rang a particular bell in my memory when he said of liveabard boaters, "Could it be that they see and know too much and embarrass the Old Guard at CaRT by complaining ?". This was certainly the case under the old caretaker scheme of which I was a part for over a decade. This apart from the general customer experience. (Just filter this blog using the label 'repairs' and you will see what I mean if you don't know already!)

RIP Roving Mooring Permits?

I'm not sure how I should react to the news that CRT have backed off issuing Roving Mooring Permits. (The CRT press release is here as a Word .Docx file).

As a former NABO Council member I suppose I should at least be slightly pleased that our scepticism about the legality of the proposal has proved valid.

However I'm more relieved that unsuspecting boaters are now not going to be duped into parting with money for what I have personally highlighted as a highly dubious if not outright corrupt proposal.

Canal and River Trust does not record complaint outcomes

CRT have confirmed that they don't keep a list of complaint outcomes, (I assume a practise inherited from BW). Following a recent FOI response to the question: 'May I ask what percentage of formal complaints made to Canal Trust are upheld on investigation by yourselves?', we are told:

"... We have considered your request and I am writing to let you know that we do not hold this information. At the first and second levels of our complaints procedure (where we consider complaints, as opposed to the Waterways Ombudsman) we try to resolve complaints rather than judge whether we 'uphold' a complaint; as such we do not record the outcome of a complaint only that it is made."

Hardly surprising then that problems re-occur. From my various rantings in these pages I could have told you that. The repetition and re-occurrence of problems previously reported and even formally complained about, has long convinced me that there is a 'lack of corporate memory' in CRT. Their response to this FOI confirms it.

This state of affairs of course makes a mockery of the complaints process as a whole and undermines any claims that CRT cares for its paying customers and the wider community.

Can't remember my new name?

Well CRT have finally published their conclusions from the Houseboat Consultation exercise they did last year. The most revealing thing for me is not their conclusions about the way forward. (I will doubtless come back to that.) No, it's much better than that!

There's a joke in the public housing sector about stock transfers, a feature of the last decade of UK housing policy. The joke is that although their landlords became housing associations, for the punters it too often makes no real difference and has little practical impact on the reality of their experience: years after you can always find one tenant who still thinks they are "with the Council".

Well it seems CRT are having the same problem but this time, internally:  Throughout the consultation report they refer to themselves as and respond as "British Waterways". Wonder how many CRT people were involved in drafting the report? It seems they all succombed to the same freudian slip?

Buyer Beware!

It seems after several years of looking, Sally Ash has maybe found a group of boaters prepared to give roving mooring permits a go. Well, that may be overstating it. But at least there is a group of boaters in West London looking at it and preparing to enter discussions with CRT.

Lots of people nationally are watching this activity not least myself and colleagues in NABO who still have huge misgivings about this proposal.

The sublime and the ridiculous

Which of these is sublime and which ridiculous I leave you to judge.

First there is Nigel Moore's thumping victory in the Court of Appeal. Now that the litigation is apparently concluded more can be said on this.

Then there is shock news that NABO Chairman David Fletcher has been served with an enforcement notice by CRT enforcement officers.

Happy 10th Anniversary Year!

Just noticed it is now into the tenth year that I have been waiting for full terms and conditions for my mooring. 

I would particularly like to thank Tony Hales, Robin Evans, Sally Ash, Nigel Johnson, Simon Salem and all those others whose broken promises have been instrumental in reaching this anniversary, and without whose wider efforts I would not be today marking the last decade's struggle.

Two people are not with us today; that is Hilary Bainbridge and Stephen Edell. Sadly neither they or I have seen their recommendations come fully to fruition to date but I am sure they both wish us well for the future.

As some will know 10 years is in some contexts celebrated as a Tin anniversary. I am happy to say that we still seem to be kicking the same can down the road today as 10 years ago.

Dawning of a New Era?

Let's not mince words. This week's news that Robin Evans is leaving CRT is good news from my perspective. Trying to resist the temptation to rant on in detail* but for me Robin's tenure has marked a decade of broken promises, some to me personally and some to the whole boating community.

Inevitably there will be much said both in favour and against Robin's tenure and achievements or failures. But the period is well summarised for me  by the CRT = Can't Really Trust'em tag on that poster that's been doing the rounds. That for me must be a priority for the new CEO. Start treating boaters as valued customers.

(* For more detailed ranting please pick almost any other posting on this blog!)

Same old nonsense

After a silence a little rant; but that's where I'm at so here goes.

I don't know how others are feeling, but I'm sitting here feeling pretty uninspired about CRT right now. Over the Summer we had the various launches over the promise of a bright new future. We had new committees and subcommittees, all be it with a variety of democratic deficits, and we had the royal wedding; I mean the civil partnership of CRT and the IWA. But for me it's all talk, no action, and the same old reality when you sit back and look.

I tend not to write a lot about NABO here but today a little change on that front. I've just allowed myself to be on the NABO Council for another year and it's clear when you look at the forums and listen to people around and about on the cut, that a lot of people ask, why bother with committees and such things? We don't seem to get much done.

It sometimes feels like that on our side too. But then it takes two to tango and this is where we seem to have a problem. Many in CRT still don't want to dance.

Manipulating Moorings Prices?

I've long held that British Waterways manipulated the moorings auctions process in order to push mooring prices up artificially. I've long held that they have almost never reduced reserve prices for moorings that are 'hard to let'.  It seems CRT are going to continue in the same vein. I wrote last year about Engineers Wharf in West London, how the moorings were blatantly over-priced and no-one took them. I wrote about the number of vacancies that persist there and about the then BW's steadfast refusal to reduce the price, apparently prepared to lose income rather than lose face.

Well guess what? I looked that moorings auctions website a few minutes ago and there are presently no less than 5 vacancies advertised at reserve prices of £5189 per annum, nearly £700 more than a year ago. (Do a search for residential vacancies before next Thursday and all 5 should still be there.)

What more proof do we need that the claim that where there is lack of demand BW/CRT will reduce the mooring price is too often a lie? This case seems to to prove beyond doubt that the reserve price system is being blatantly abused. It also confirms the view that  BW/CRT will forego income (in this case perhaps something in the order of £20 000) in order to artificially hold up prices.

Executive salaries at the Canal and River Trust

An interesting week of news around the CRT but the headline must be the announcement about executive pay. It is a huge relief that the Trustees have grasped the nettle and even the most hardened critics of BW/CRT like me are mostly pleased with the news.

One might be tempted to say 'cut down to size' but I think a better description is 'some sensible pruning'. As all gardeners know, in most cases pruning is something you have to keep an eye on and come back to periodically. It's a good start but lets not get complacent, because there are still things to watch on this front.

Canal and River Trust Launched (again)

This Thursday (12 July) saw the next launch of the CRT. Formal events took place at various events around the country and Robin Evans got a spin slot on Radio 4. As others have noted, precious little mention of boating. It seems acknowledging the largest group of existing fee paying customers was taboo?

As for my last post in response I have had a message from CRT thanking me for my 'vigilance' and they have now corrected the form. Though no apology for them getting it wrong in the first place. (Will this episode count as a contribution to the volunteer effort I wonder?)

Anyway despite the odd false start the begging bowls are now officially out and about and we will see how it goes.

RIP British Waterways. What is to follow? A resurrection of the waterways or the rise of the undead, now unchained from the encumbrance of government scrutiny?

Canal and River Trust launched (and my first formal complaint to them!)

It did not cross my mind to set out to be the first official complainant to the new Canal and River Trust (and maybe I'm not the first?) but,

I do not believe it! They have launched this week by publishing incorrect eligibility information for Houseboat Certificates repeating the old lie that I have spent many years highlighting to BW.

Just when I think we are finally getting to the end of it through the public consultation, BW, sorry CRT, just can't resist rubbing salt in the wound. Plus ca change...

Simplest thing is to see my complaint in full.

British Waterway's marginalisation of boaters plan proceeding well

Steve Haywood's recent vent on the subject of what a stitch up the recent election for boaters to CRT were reminded me of this theme. You've heard what I think, which is not so different. I've long observed that the one thing BW seem to fear the most and will do their utmost to disrupt is individual boaters from talking to people in power and authority about the reality of being a paying BW customer.

If there was any doubt about BW's contempt for individual customers, BW Director Stuart Mills kindly reminded me of it when he wrote to my MP in response to our complaints about the £600 mooring fee increases we are getting this year.

Anyway apparently I and my neighbours (so its not just me!) are mistaken in our complaints and should remember that we enjoy various privileges by being allowed to have our moorings. Gosh,  I am so honoured I don't know what to say; may I just grovel and say thank you, oh Great Munificence!

British Waterways/CRT begging bowls delayed

Still here - just been busy with lot of personal stuff over the last month but as BW will be delighted to hear I am still watching you! Like many of you who read this I keep a weather eye on the press and my personal highlights have been:

• BW's apparent discomfort over Parliament following due process leading to the postponement of the CRT launch.
• The complete mess that BW have made over Olympic moorings management, resulting in them having to offer to refunds boaters who had been led to believe they had no alternative but to buy extortionately priced towpath visitor moorings.
• The confirmation that BW did not do 'lessons learned' from past mistakes like the K+A bollards fiasco as has been clealrly demonstarted when it comes to the new fiasco with the Staffs and Worcester lock tail bridges. (This is a two part cock up - part 1, part 2.). Of course the lesson to be learnt from the 'waht a load of Bollards' case was remember to ask Boaters about plans you have that might effect them. This it seems remains an alien concept to too many people in BW!

Alan Richards continues to receive my admiration over his relentless dissection of BW spin over maintenance funding. When resorts to saying "misinformation", in my book that's  a good sign! It is in turn somewhat ironic that simultaneously we are being told that CRT's first priority and  one that is billed to be a central part of the official launch will be to start asking the public for donation money.

Don't forget Tony Hales thinks we are nasty people because we don't praise BW's achievements. With list of failures oops, sorry Tony, achievements like these what do you expect? 

Boaters and the Canal and River Trust

Been away from here for a few weeks, but been watching as ever. Some of my fellow boaters continue to disappoint, (but not surprise me). On the Facebook Boaters' Manifesto Group  a member posted the following on 05 April: Would i be right in thinking that The Boaters Manifesto has now died a very slow death?

No response from anyone for the next ten days, so I then said: Would it not be an idea to ask the recently elected Boaters Representatives for their detailed views on the Boaters' Manifesto?

This prompted a huge number of responses, but sadly most were in the negative. It seems no-one in the group has energy to take things much further following the elections. (If I'm wrong, and time may prove me so, that won't upset me.)

British Waterways/CRT begging bowls to appear shortly

This week saw the EFRA select committee's opening session on the transfer of BW to CRT. I have spent an amusing couple of ours watching Parliament TV. No huge surprises but what do you expect from these witnesses? Three core proponents of the CRT transfer and a fourth who pointed out from the outset that the people he represents rely on BW for their living. Hardly a representative group of the wider waterways community!

For me the most amusing part was Tony Hales explaining to the committee BW/CRT's apparently well-advanced plan to appear on towpaths with begging bowls disguised (as clipboards) this summer. 

British Waterways' latest proposals for wasting public money in London

With it's usual talent for wasting time and public money BW has launched a new consultation on cycling on the towpaths in Islington. BW is seeking view it's proposed mitigation measures for the towpath east of Islington Tunnel.

The whole consultation conveniently ignores BW's own policy that where appropriate they should direct cyclists, especially London commuters on to collateral routes. As a quick look at the London Cycling network website shows there are well established route parallel to the canal in the area.