Rosslynx

Thanks OldGoat for the correction (I hate to get things wrong!) Thames Visitor Moorings were very polite and helpful when I called them. There's no reason why District Enforcement couldn't also adopt a helpful attitude if they wanted to and if it was important to them - but the threatening signage and rude response to telephone enquiries suggests they have another agenda.

I think for a lot of the EA moorings (and a few others) use a firm called Thames Valley Moorings have been given the responsibility of collecting fees over the phone or internet (self-declaration). I spoke with them about moorings in another area and I think they are a small family team, but unlike District Enforcement, they are pleasant and very helpful. Why an important Thameside town like Reading doesn't use them I can't understand. It couldn't be that they are more interested in keeping mooring to a minimum in the Borough could it????

Here is my reply to Reading Borough Council, which I hope is diplomatically worded - Let's hope that common sense prevails!

Thanks for taking to trouble to obtain that Rosslynx Does outline the major problem well and tries to address some of the issues. I can see why the need to address temporary short term mooring was not the main consideration during this phase of the implementation but is a least being addressed now. Need to see how it goes once the above amendments have been implemented and I suspect we will need to be vigilant with DE enforcement of the policy. DE and their methodology are my main concern I think for this to be a success for all legitimate parties we will need to have confidence in the enforcement agency. I've stated a number of times that I am happy to play fairly if the other party is also playing fairly, if DE fail in this then council needs to be made aware of any failings. That is my point exactly. The first thing that DE could do is to answer their phones promptly and not be so rude to customers seeking clarification of this issue. A confused issue that was partly caused by their poor signage!

About this issue - I wrote to Reading Council to complain about DE and their very poor attitude and service. Here is there reply dated 3rd July 2018 - Thank you for your email regarding the provision of moorings in reading and their management. The Council adopted its current policy position in respect of moorings in 2011. The policy identifies 3 formal sites for leisure mooring, as follows: 1. Chestnut Walk 2. Christchurch Meadows 3. Kings Meadow (Tesco) Mooring is permitted at each of the sites for up to 24hrs on payment of a fee, currently £9.50 (inclusive of vat), with no return allowed within 72hrs. No mooring, regardless of length of stay, is permitted at any other riverside location and there is no provision for residential mooring in the Reading area. Whilst the policy was adopted in 2011, it was not regularly enforced due to a lack of staff resource to regularly inspect and police the moorings. As a result of the inconsistent collection of mooring fees and enforcement action, the riverbanks in Reading soon became a haven for live-aboard boaters whom were unable / unwilling to secure a suitable residential mooring for their boat. This created a number of issues for the Council, predominantly linked to the anti-social behaviour of boaters and the negative impact this had on neighbouring residential property owners. It also made it difficult for legitimate leisure boaters to find available mooring space within the borough. The legal process for regaining possession of the riverbank and moving overstaying boaters on was labour intensive, costly and slow, exacerbating the negative impact upon the Council’s neighbouring residents. The costs associated with enforcement were also a drain on the Council’s limited resources at a time when cuts to central government grant funding required service related savings to be made. The summer of 2016 saw an unprecedented rise in reports of ASB, noise, fires and fly tipping from boats across the Council’s riverside estate, leading a number of highly vociferous residents to rightly raise their concerns with their local Councillors and MP’s. The moorings most adversely affected by this behaviour were those to the rear of Tesco and I am sure the Council’s efforts to address the associated issues are appreciated by the Tesco management team, although I am unable to speak for them. The need for an efficient and sustainable method of mooring management became a priority for the Parks Service and officers sought to identify best practice amongst other local authorities and partner agencies that could be replicated by the Council. In May 2017 Council considered a series of options for the effective and financially sustainable management of the Council’s moorings. Following this consideration lead Councillors agreed a 12 month trial arrangement with an established mooring enforcement company, District Enforcement (DE). DE are currently managing the Council’s leisure moorings under a twelve month contract and due to the success of this there is an intention to extend the arrangement for a further period of 12 months. It should be noted that the arrangement with DE did not change the Council’s policy in respect of mooring provision and the associated fee charged, but has made application of the policy and the collection of fees more robust. Reading Borough Council’s fees are benchmarked with its nearest neighbour ‘Henley’ to ensure that neither party displaces the issues associated with the abuse of moorings to the other local authority’s estate. Regular contact is maintained with officers in Henley through participation in the cross Council networking activity provided through membership of The River Thames Alliance and best practice is regularly exchanged. The trial with DE is considered a success with the number of reported incidents of misuse / abuse of moorings and the associated ASB reducing to a negligible level. Residents neighbouring the Council’s riverside estate have made contact to express their satisfaction with the pilot scheme. The fee of £9.50 for stay of up to 24hrs on any of the Council’s moorings and the rationale for this: In summary - the Council provide leisure moorings at 3 sites; Chestnut Walk, Christchurch Meadows & Kings Meadow (Tesco). Stay is permitted at each of these sites for up to 24hrs upon payment of the stated fee of £9.50 (inclusive of VAT). No return is permitted to any of the moorings within a 72hr time frame. The fee charged by Reading Borough Council is set to be consistent with its nearest local authority riverside neighbour of Henley on Thames. The Council has an agreement with Henley to manage moorings in a consistent manner so that neither party displaces issues associated with misuse and or abuse of moorings to the others estate. Henley currently charge £10 (inclusive of VAT) for stay of up to 24hrs, but do permit stay of up to 7 days at a discounted rate of £55. Reading Borough Council agrees its fees and charges by committee for implementation on 1st April and 1st October in each year. The adopted method of mooring enforcement does not permit free stay for a period of 24hrs and the Council does not plan to introduce such a period of free stay. Reading Borough Council has however identified a need to accommodate stays of less than 24hrs in a manner that is cost appropriate to the boat owner and that permits effective enforcement by the Council’s appointed agent. The Parks Service is therefore currently considering the introduction of a short stay mooring fee mirroring that charged by Hampshire Council of £4 for a stay of up to 4hrs. This proposal will feature within the Councils mid-year review of fees and charges presented to Committee in September for implementation from 1st October 2018. The introduction of the revised fees and charges referenced above will be accompanied by updated public information, in the following formats; • Updated and enhanced signage at each mooring site making clear the appropriate fee and method of efficient payment. • A mooring information page on the Council’s website which makes clear the Council’s provision, policy position, management regime including fees and charges and rationale. • Distribution of Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) data on moorings to call centre staff to permit them to clearly and concisely respond to enquiries. This public information will be developed over coming weeks and introduced as soon as available, allowing for update as soon as the revised fee schedule is approved by Council. I have arranged for an inspection of signage at each of the three permitted leisure mooring sites and will ensure that any/all signs that make reference to a period of free stay are removed. Unprofessional service: I am sorry to hear that from your experience of contact with District Enforcement you have found them to be rude and lacking in customer service skills. This is not reflective of our experience to date or that of the Environment Agency whom had recommended them to Reading Borough Council. We are in regular contact with the management team at District Enforcement and will alert them to this feedback so that they can conduct an appropriate internal review of their customer management practices. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions. Yours sincerely Marcus Hermon Business Development Manager Email:Marcus.hermon@reading.gov.uk Am I the only one that thinks that DE are rude and only interested in collecting fines????

Thanks so much to all of you for your advice. It seems we are definitely looking at 2 separate systems - one for internet and one for HDTV. For the internet the strongest option seems to be using a MiFi system (like a Huawei modem) with an external aerial mounted on top of the current TV aerial pole. I'm still undecided whether to go for 3G or 4G but either way the 3 or EE networks seem to have the best options. I am aware that Roydon Marina does have it's own WiFi but it is very restricted in terms of download limits. For HDTV, I do understand that Freeview has it's fans, but let's face it it only has 4 HD channels and is missing some of the most popular channels. Therefore our choice will be to go for Sky, but with a smaller dish as opinion is that it is less susceptible to "boat roll". What we'll probably go for is a Sky+ HD package with a Sky PVR box. However I've read some comments that it is difficult getting Sky on a narrowboat, because they insist upon a land address and telephone number. Once we move we will have neither. Are there any tips as to how to get round this??

Thanks Grace & Favour and Junior for your prompt responses, I think what we are looking for is probably a Sky system and something the equivalent of our current TiVo box. If we can we want the ability to record programmes, have on demand TV and be able to use the Catch Up function. It's probably the best way to get Sky on a narrowboat that's the key question. WE have already looked at 3G/4G via a mobile phone but also would prefer a more hard-wired permanent solution. As for our reasons for buying a 70ft boat, staying in the marina for 45+ months of the year and wanting to replicate the effectiveness of systems you currently have in a house, it's a matter of personal choice. Both my wife and I work, but want to live aboard a narrowboat.. Why does that mean that you settle for second best when effective solutions are available?

We are looking for advice/solutions on 2 areas – Internet and HDTV. We are buying a 70ft narrowboat which will be a liveaboard moored at Roydon Marina on the Essex/Hertfordshire border. We would like the following – a.) A good reliable internet connection (preferably WiFi on board) with enough capacity to download e-mails, a few HD movies and surf the Web. (Our current average usage on land is around 15-20 Gb per month). b.) A good reliable HD TV service/selection. We currently have on land a Virgin HD+ (inc TiVo) system plus a good package for films, etc. However this relies on the fibre optic virgin network which unfortunately is not an option at the Marina. We have read lots of past blogs (some quite old) about this subject, but much of the advice either contradicts other postings or is now out of date, because of the introduction of new packages, roll out of 4G, etc. Where we will be moored for at least 45+ weeks a year has good mobile reception (inc 4G) and very good sightlines to the Southeast (Satellite locations) We have also read about some very expensive installations (£2000+) involving marine autotrack satellite systems and some very inexpensive options (Freeview, Dish in a briefcase, etc.) but again most of these posts are from 2,3 or more years ago. Although we will be moored on a very quiet Marina, we still have considerations regarding “roll” as we walk about the boat and how serious a problem that might be. Good quality fast internet and a good selection of TV channels is important to us so we have a reasonable budget. If we could take our Virgin system with us on board we would, but unfortunately we can’t. Does anyone have any up to date solutions or suggestions?

AND very bad form for you to make such a pathetic schoolboy insult! If you haven't picked up the vibe from the majority of postings in this thread YOU ARE NOT WELCOME on our canals with your barbaric attitude. I think your provocative statements are probably because you are a wind-up merchant ... either way, do us all a favour and stay "down under". I've got plenty of Aussie friends who are cat (and dog) lovers and they are welcome ... you are not!