CRT privacy issues
In December 2020, while the terms and conditions consultation was in progress, we reviewed the privacy documents and made a submission on our concerns. They were numerous, but three stood out: the first was readability; the second was that the documents were obviously written at different times, so they did not link up; and, thirdly, we did not agree with the legal consents. We felt that many of the matters were not compliant with the law. We heard nothing for six months, no request for clarification, no phone call, just the usual legal blanking that we have become used to from the CRT in-house legal department. They don’t do customer relations.
We did finally get a written response at the same time that the new terms and conditions were produced in May 2021. The privacy documents were also republished, like a rabbit out of the hat. Thankfully, many simple issues have been addressed, so we are making progress. Are we happy now? No, we are not. We have offered to help CRT, but they have not responded.
Crick Boat Show
Advance tickets are now on sale for the 2022 Crick Boat Show, saving up to 15% on the entry price. The event will be held across the Bank Holiday weekend celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee (3rd – 5th June), with an extra ‘Trade & Preview Day’ on Thursday 2nd June. The Preview Day will offer a maximum of 1,000 pre-booked visitors the opportunity to talk in-depth with companies offering equipment and services for inland boating and to view the boats before everyone else. The show will be open from 10am to 6pm on Friday and Saturday and to 5pm on Sunday. Evening entertainment will run from 7.30pm to 11.30pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Daily prices for Friday, Saturday and Sunday adult tickets are £18.00 on the gate, £15.30 if purchased in advance. Entry is free for children aged 16 and under. Three-day adult tickets are £40.00 on the gate or £34.00 in advance. Tickets for the Thursday Trade & Preview Day, open from 12 noon until 6pm, are only available in advance, from February, and are £25.00 each. Preview Day visitors will have access to an online booking system for boat viewings, which will open in early May. Advance tickets can be ordered online or by phone and will be sent out in May. 350 camping pitches are available, priced from £45.00 for one night for a 6m x 6m pitch for a tent and car. Moorings for up to 100 visitor boats on the Grand Union canal start at £1.35 per foot. For more information and to book tickets, camping pitches and moorings, visit www.crickboatshow.com or call 01283 742970, Monday to Friday 9am to 3pm.
Wales & South West
A very busy few months for CRT on both the K&A and the Mon & Brec, with some planned winter work having to be re-scheduled when a massive breach in the K&A occurred at the eastern end. This required an extensive operation to re-establish the bank, and also to create an access track to get equipment to the breach! Well done to CRT for sorting this out. Significant winter work has been taking place on both these canal systems. Near my own boat on the Mon & Brec, important canal relining took place in the very steep, sloping area between Cambrian Marina and the Usk aqueduct. This required the canal in that section to be drained. Strangely, when this happened a few years ago, CRT managed to pump water out of the river to ensure that the canal beyond the stoppage was full, but this time it was decided not to do this and simply allow the canal level to slowly drop – to the point when all our boats were sitting on the bottom! The most serious issue, though, was that the hire boat company could not undertake its usual winter work as it couldn’t move its boats. Another example of CRT not putting boats at the top of its agenda? I also have to say that the contractors doing the work left the very well-used towpath in the most shocking condition.
Editorial
Peter Fellows outlines some important issues that are expected to feature this year.
As Mike Rodd points out in his Chairman’s column, 2022 is an important year for the future of the waterways, with the Defra review of CRT funding underway as well as the (ongoing and seemingly continuous) reorganisation within the EA navigation division. The outcomes of both are difficult to predict. But, in the wider context of Government spending, many commentators are forecasting a reduction in CRT’s grant and the transfer of the EA waterways to the Trust. Neither gives much cause for optimism. Unless the Defra review recommends sufficient funding for waterway maintenance to halt the deterioration of infrastructure assets, it is difficult to see how the current situation will improve. To achieve this, I and others have long argued for a separation of CRT’s navigation responsibilities from its wellbeing agenda. The waterways are a national asset that requires national (i.e. central Government) funding, with a ring-fenced budget that is realistic to properly maintain them. This would stop the constant (and justified) criticism of CRT for wasting money on signage, PR and other non-waterway expenditure, as described in this issue by Ian Hutson and a letter from Robert Neff.
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