The new local Waterways Partnerships

[koukouvagia]

This document http://www.britishwaterways.co.uk/media/documents/Trustee-Announcement-The-Canal-and-River-Trust.pdf will be of interest to those who are following the transition from BW to the new CRT. The final composition of the Board of Trustees will consist of 35 members, only 5 of which represent private boating and another two boating businesses.

Soon the new Trust will also be recruiting members for local Waterways Partnerships, which will act in an advisory capacity to the local waterways management. As the document says, members will be drawn from a range of backgrounds in the public, private and charitable sectors and will offer knowledge, skills, experience and be willing to take a lead in one or more of sixteen areas. Boating interests will have to compete with the following to make their voices heard.

 

o Boating

o Commerce

o Community engagement

o Environment and heritage

o Engineering and asset management

o Education

o Finance

o Fundraising

o Health and well-being

o Partnership working with local government, commercial and charitable sectors

o Planning and regeneration

o PR, public affairs, the media

o Tourism

o Volunteering

o Waterway users - including walkers, anglers, cyclists

 

 

At a recent User Group Meeting, it was noticeable that anglers, who are well organised in our neck of the woods, outnumbered boaters.

 

I fear that in the years to come boating and navigation will be playing second fiddle to a whole host of other "stakeholders".

 

It is vital that we get good people from the boating community to apply for these posts. The advertisements go out on 21st November.

Edited November 3, 2011 by koukouvagia

[Butterfly8]

Very interesting. I would really like to get involved in this - will look out for the ad and find out more.

[fuzzyduck]

Totally agree, but boaters never agree on anything. Sometimes I think we deserve everything we get.

 

We should be saying to CaRT, "play ball or we'll sod off to EA / private waters, and you wont exist in 2years." Not please listen to me and me and me and me. We're pathetic.

 

If we stuck together, We potentially hold all the cards, yet we get excited about our favorite peeves, and bought with empty promises.

 

I will be applying. I wont get appointed, but Ill be applying.

[Higgs]

I guess the boating community will not be the largest funders of C&RT, but we need alot of the availale servicing capacity, more than we can afford to pay for, as a group.

 

We do pay twice to use the canal, as tax payers and license fee payers, anglers too. I don't think it has ever been expected of walkers or cyclist to do the same.

 

Boaters should be recognised for the intrinsic value they add to the whole experience along the canal. Not only do we enjoy being on the canal but we do give the whole set-up a reason for existing. As much as the canal is there for everyone, it isn't much use if it suffers through lack of maintenance and boaters are left begging for attention.

Edited November 4, 2011 by Higgs