Chair Anne Husar writes:
There’s a BBC report that we’ve had ‘the driest spring in England since 1961, with northern regions experiencing the driest start to the year in nearly a century.
Almost all of the UK is expected to have below normal or low river levels in May, apart from the south-west of England and southern Wales’. It went on to say that if drought conditions become severe, the government can ‘reduce boats’ movement on waterways’. A glance at the stoppages confirms that any government pronouncement is already unnecessary on several canals. Toddbrook coming back in to operation would help the Macc, Peak Forest and Trent & Mersey but not until next summer, assuming it fills up over the winter and spring.
In the meantime there’s confusion about whether boaters have to notify CRT if movement becomes difficult because of drought. There’s this on their overstay page: You do not need to apply for an extended stay….where we…..have drought. But then there’s this on another Q&A: ‘If an emergency stoppage does happen, don’t worry, we’ll help you work out a plan. If you think you’re going to be stuck in one place for longer than 14 days or are worried that your ‘movement pattern’ might break the rules, then contact our team.’
This is the reply when I asked for clarification: ‘We don’t need to be notified if customers find themselves within the stoppage area and are struggling to move, and an extended stay application isn’t necessary. We will consider water supply issues and take sensible and pragmatic decisions that won’t unfairly penalise people that can’t move. We have given as much notice as possible through the Stoppages and Notices, so hopefully people have used that time to attempt to move somewhere more appropriate, though I appreciate not always possible. When reviewing licenses without a home mooring, we will consider if boats are in areas that have been affected by water supply issues. We’ll take that into consideration to ensure we make fair and sensible decisions. I should add that whilst I accept that navigation will be difficult, it is still expected that everyone shares the space fairly, observes mooring time limits and makes every effort not to block essential facilities for prolonged periods of time.’
Finally, NABO welcomes on board the new CEO, Campbell Robb who will be taking the helm in October. By the end of the year we should begin to see the cut of his jib as he learns the ropes although he may still be maintaining an even keel at that point. From stem to stern, there will be much for him to fathom out if he’s in for the long haul with time to try different tacks. We wish him smooth sailing and look forward to seeing him on the cut, maybe doing a bit of lock wheeling or just simply gongoozling. Reading his statement, I wonder if anyone has told him that CRT is a navigation authority? Final thought, let’s hope he has the ear of DEFRA.