The Floater November 2017

Colin makes next move towards restoring Northern Reaches

November 2017 - Despite unnecessary and groundless objections from North West waterways manager Chantelle Seaborn, Colin Ogden and his 1,000 strong band of Owd Lanky Boaters have taken a major step forward in their plans to restore the Northern Reaches of the Lancaster Canal, as Peter Underwood reports.

Did C&RT really spend £80m on restoration last year?

November 2017 - Canal & River Trust has finally confirmed that it is to spend £7m less this winter in maintaining the waterways entrusted to it, but the mystery that remains is another £80m allegedly spent on 'restoration' as Allan Richards reports.

C&RT's admission follows a Floater article quoting press releases detailing spend during the winter period for the last four years (C&RT boasts of maintenance spend – but it's down £7 million this winter).

Fishermen win a cut in winter mooring space

November 2017 - Hard on the heels of fishermen attracting widespread condemnation for demanding that more Cormorants and Goosanders must be shot across the country, it seems fishing lobbyists have also persuaded Canal & River Trust to change the rules in their favour, and to the detriment of boaters, as Peter Underwood reports.

Manchester lock to get the Hacienda treatment

November 2017 - Not satisfied with reaching out to cyclists, dog walkers and runners C&RT is now targetting fans of funk, disco and house music from the days of Manchester’s Hacienda club, as Peter Underwood reports.

Lock 91 on the Rochdale Canal is to host what the Trust describes as 'the World’s first DJ set in a drained canal lock chamber' and it claims, 'visitors can dance the night away to some much-loved Hacienda club classics,' - although the event ends at 9.00pm

Apathy rules in boat licence consultation

November 2017 - With the deadline less than a month away it seems boaters have lost either interest or faith in Canal & River Trust's unnecessary consultation on boat licences, as Peter Underwood reports.

C&RT, perhaps concerned that it's consultation will lack legitimacy as just 17 per cent of boat owners have responded, has just issued a plea all boaters and boating groups to take part in the final stage of its consultation on the future of boat licensing.

Jenny tells it like it is

November 2017 - The formidable Jenny Maxwell has just posted this and it sums up the feelings of many, many boaters:

"It's a while since I wrote this, but it still seems relevant.

CAN YOU HEAR ME?

At ITV news report gave it out that the inland waterways of Britain are now in a thriving and healthy state, because of the investment that has been made by the Government through, first, British Waterways, and more recently, the Canal and River Trust.

Rubbish!

More job losses to come at C&RT?

November 2017 - Up to 200 C&RT employees may be made redundant following a decision by the Trust to restructure in order to simplify how it works. Back in May the Floater queried why C&RT had nine highly paid directors when, in 2012, it only had six. Perhaps it is unsurprising, then, that we find out that the nine are now reduced seven. However it is not only directors that will go (or, or indeed have already gone) as Allan Richards explains.

Who are the licence dodgers?

November 2017 - How often have you seen boaters with a mooring complaining about continuous cruisers 'not paying their way' and implying that far too many are licence evaders? Now a Freedom of Information request has produced results that will surprise many – as well as questions about C&RT data on licence evasion, as Peter Underwood reports.

It began when Alan Baxter, a continuous cruiser who sits on the National Bargee Travellers Association National Committee representing Leicestershire & Warwickshire, decided to ask who were the real licence evaders.

Icknield Port Loop development - a "deathtrap" for children?

November 2017 - Plans for the first phase of the regeneration of Icknield Port Loop have been approved by Birmingham City Council. Permission was given a week ago, after a narrow 6-5 vote, for a first tranch of 117 houses and 90 flats to be built on the massive site, bounded by Edgbaston Reservoir and the New Main line, as Allan Richards reports.

Parry has his own reshuffle after shedding two directors in four months

November 2017 - After parting company with Sophie Castell as marketing, communications and fundraising director, the Canal & River Trust has now also said goodbye to Ian Rogers, as customer services and operations director and effective head of boating – seemingly matching the Prime Minister in shedding cabinet ministers – but Richard Parry has avoided a reshuffle by redistributed their roles amongst the remaining seven directors, writes Peter Underwood.

Boaters' worries come a poor second in Brum

November 2017 - Canal and River Trust's ability to ride roughshod over its paying customers and it's consistent refusal to advocate on behalf of boaters is being amply demonstrated in Birmingham, as Peter Underwood reports.

It is now clear that the narrowing of Edgbaston Tunnel will go ahead and C&RT's contractors have already closed the tunnel for a short time for initial groundwork investigations and they are currently working on designs.

Finally we have C&RT's list of 1,200 minimum safety standard failures

November 2017 - Two weeks The Floater asked whether C&RT was operating below minimum safety standards. Now C&RT, itself, has provided the answer - publishing a list containing around 1,200 instances where it is failing to comply, along with a much shorter list of instances where it has given itself a dispensation allowing itself not to comply. Allan Richards has been extracting the answers from the Trust.

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