One little proviso from the beginning, before people start saying "This shows what boaters think!!!"....
"In total, 4,678 responses were received from a cross-section of
stakeholder groups. There are discernible prevailing trends in opinion from this set of
responses. It is important to note, however, that the survey was not weighted, and
therefore the results may not be representative of the broader population of
waterway users."
Any reputable poll/survey trying to find out "what people think" uses such weighting to get a representative sample -- for example, here that might include weighting the results to match the real number of liveaboards vs. "holiday boaters", or HMers vs. CCers, or newcomers vs. long-term boaters. Apart from anything else, a self-selecting/self-engaging survey is likely to give too much weight to the views of a vocal minority (e.g. NBTA members/supporters, CCers) and too little to the views of the "silent majority" (e.g. HMers and marina dwellers). For example:
"The drivers for this sense of unfairness appear to focus on affordability and value for
money of licences, and the arrangements for different users of the waterways. There
was an overall sense that the licensing model lacks the nuance necessary to
accommodate all user types. Continuous cruisers and users of wide beam boats aired
particular frustrations."
Could that be the frustration of being asked to pay more, and possibly even more in future?
"Other ideas included reducing licence fees by half or returning to a flat rate for the
licence fee, with some suggesting that all boaters should pay the same licence fee
regardless of their mooring status."
Anyone thinking halving license fees by half is sensible given CARTs financial position needs their head examined. I think we can all guess where the other ideas come from... 😉
However the report does show how many boaters are frustrated by the lack of enforcement of possibly unclear rules -- which again should come as no surprise... 😞
"4.6 There is considerable frustration for those boaters who see themselves as adhering to
the rules and paying their fees, and yet struggling to find mooring spaces because (in
their view) the system is being abused by those who do not comply."
"4.11 The feelings elicited by this issue bear similarities with those prompted by overstayers
– frustrations with the lack of enforcement and penalties, and a sense of unfairness
and frustration among those who adhere to the regulations, as they see others
benefiting from the waterways without contributing to their upkeep. Boaters who pay
their licence fees feel they are bearing the financial burden of other non-compliant
boaters. The perceived proliferation of unlicensed boats undermines the integrity of
the licensing system in their eyes, and the sustainability of the waterways."
"4.16 Overall there was a sense among respondents that the Trust fails to enforce its own
rules consistently, leading to a disparity between those who follow regulations and
those who do not, and a sense of ‘chaos’ on the waterways"
And then the points that I'm sure everyone is aware of... 😞
Maintenance and facilities
5.6 Of the respondents who raised the subject of operational management of the
waterways by the Trust, 2,860 (69%) felt that maintenance of the network and boater
facilities was a key issue. Maintenance was the most frequently mentioned issue
across all survey responses, with 61% of all respondents sharing frustrations in this
area.
5.13 There is a strong sense among respondents that maintenance of the canals and Trust-
owned moorings is a core responsibility for the Trust, should always be the
organisation’s top priority, and that income generated from licences should be used
primarily for that purpose. Senior staff salaries and signage were cited by some
respondents as examples of expenditure which should be of a lower priority.
Perceptions of the Trust
6.2 Respondents expressed concerns about the Trust’s governance, culture, accountability
and transparency, and its understanding of the core stakeholder community.
Comments suggest a strained relationship between the Trust and boaters, particularly
continuous cruisers, as a result of the Trust’s communication style, which is perceived
as heavy handed and accusatory. There is also a feeling that the organisation does not
advocate sufficiently for boaters’ needs. The portrait that these comments conjure is
of an organisation that may lack understanding of the boating community’s needs and
priorities. Some respondents suggested that this was a result of the removal of specific
boating officers allocated to nominated canals or regions and their replacement with a
centralised bureaucracy that makes it difficult for boaters to raise issues directly.
Management of funding and investment
6.8 Many respondents believe that the Trust’s funding environment is challenging because
of long-term underinvestment in the waterways and insufficient government funding.
They acknowledge that these issues are a root cause of many of the concerns across
the network highlighted elsewhere in the report.
The housing crisis
6.11 Many respondents have raised questions and concerns relating to the housing crisis.
These issues are relatively polarised between:
• people who believe it is not appropriate for the waterways to be used as a cheaper
alternative to traditional housing; and
• those who believe the Trust should be doing more to support the increasing
number of people living on the waterways.
6.12 The increase in residential use of the waterways appears to have contributed to many
of the issues around overstaying, congestion and general boater etiquette highlighted
through this report. It also gives rise to a number of strategic questions including:
• how the Trust balances the interests of residential and leisure boaters
• what the Trust’s additional responsibilities to residential boaters are or should be
• how the Trust works in partnership with local authorities and other agencies on the
specific issues facing residential boaters.
6.13 It is clear that the Trust’s charitable objects are in no way related to providing housing
to people in need and yet the consequences of the housing crisis pull the Trust into a
difficult and thorny space more akin to a social housing landlord than an organisation
looking to manage inland waterways for public benefit
Ah, I see the problem. However there would presumably be nothing stopping CART making the extension region-specific i.e. only in areas/canals with water shortages... 😉 (the NBTA would have difficulty claiming "discrimination" since "the circumstances" wouldn't apply to London -- though I expect that wouldn't stop them trying...)
