I attended the User Forum for North Wales and Boarders in April. The well attended afternoon meeting was held in the club house of the Nantwich Town FC, about 300 yds from the SU towpath. CRT were also well represented with Manager, engineers, and customer service and volunteer senior staff.

The meeting was split into two parts, the first being the usual presentations of current activities and plans, and then questions taken. Then the meeting split to breakout tables, each with a CRT senior to take notes. Individual discussions took place, and this included the current consultation on “Sharing Towpaths”.

The consultation, which closes on 2^nd May  can be viewed here:

http://canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us/consultations/current-consultations

NABO has already fed back some criticism of the consultation document, as it poorly represents the navigation needs of boaters using the towpath.

On the meeting again, the format of the two parts worked well, and users had a good opportunity to talk face to face with senior local staff. This for me is a marked improvement, and a contrast to the past when meetings have been solid ‘good news’ presentations and little time for free discussions or alternative thought.

There were many questions about lack of enforcement. There was no one there from enforcement, but a commitment was made for them to be present at the next meeting. The general tone of the meeting was supportive of CRT’s activities.

There were responses to written questions and these can be seen here.