NABO News, Issue 6, November 2012

Editorial

By the time you read this it will be approaching six months since the CRT took over the waterways and now is a good time to look at how things have started off. There has, of course, been an enormous number of appointments to the various advisory groups and local partnerships, and it will take some time for these to all bed in and begin to work – and to see how CRT Trustees are able to coordinate and make sensible policies from the outcomes of these diverse deliberations. At present there are, as might be expected, some plusses and minuses as reported in this issue. A bouquet is due to CRT for the new dredging policy, which promises to be more transparent, with increased funding and a request for inputs from boaters. If you know somewhere that has some high spots let the local waterway manager know and CRT promise this will be taken into account when planning dredging priorities. However a brickbat looks forthcoming for the confusion that appears to be unfolding with the new K&A moorings strategy as reported by Geoffrey Rogerson. Elsewhere in this issue CRT has announced its policy towards continuous cruisers, which has the support of the IWA and Residential Boat Owners Association. This follows a statement in NABO News on NABO’s position earlier this year and much debate in the letters pages. The CRT announcement came just as we were going to press and NABO will make its response in a future issue. There are also updates on the CRT consultation on houseboat mooring permits and CRT’s efforts to deal with the serious canal breaches due to heavy rain in September which has caused it to rethink how it will spend its funds. So in the last six months CRT Trustees and managers have certainly been busy, with four important policy statements and work on the ground to deal with the unprecedented drought-then-deluge that has not occurred for 100 years – altogether, not a bad start. Elsewhere in this issue Louis Jankel reports on progress with consultations between the EA and Thames user groups, there is my own two pennyworth on a visit to the Droitwich Canals, there are articles on boat safety following a number of recent sinkings, and Stephen Peters gives the lowdown on LPG gas installations on boats. I look forward to seeing you at the AGM on the 17^th November at Bradford on Avon.

Peter