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Canal & River Trust to offer 'Trust Aware' stickers


Ray T

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PRESS RELEASE

 

24 January 2020

 

CANAL & RIVER TRUST TO OFFER ‘TRUST AWARE’ STICKERS

Work continues to help boaters who need extra support

 

The Canal & River Trust is to begin providing ‘Trust Aware’ permits to boaters who have been granted an adjustment to their cruising requirements under the Equality Act 2010.  This follows feedback at a series of meetings held with disabled boaters over the past year.

 

The Trust supports disabled people and those with protected characteristics under the Equality Act by making ‘reasonable adjustments’ to their cruising requirements to ensure that they can use the waterways.  Tailored on a case-by-case basis, this could involve allowing overstays on visitor or towpath moorings or adjusting their cruising range. 

 

The permits, which were suggested by the boaters themselves, are intended to let other people know that the Trust is aware of the situation and that there is permission to overstay or move in a limited range.  They will be provided automatically to every boater who has an adjustment and boaters can choose whether they want to display them – it is not a requirement of the Trust.

 

There are currently around 240 boaters with approved adjustments, and around a further 140 in the process of being arranged.  Before the advent of the Equality Act 2010 the Trust informally supported boaters with additional needs.  Having formalised the process, there was an initial spike in agreed adjustments as those boaters’ adjustments were transferred.  Since then application numbers have levelled off and they’re reviewed every couple of weeks by the Trust’s team.

 

Matthew Symonds, national boating manager at Canal & River Trust, said: “We are committed to supporting all boaters and it is important to understand the needs of all, including disabled boaters who may find some of elements of boating a bit more challenging. 

 

“In our recent meetings with disabled boaters we’ve heard that a sign to let other boaters know that we are aware of a boat’s situation would be helpful.  We recognise that this is a personal choice and some boaters would prefer not to display anything.  Following discussions, we are pleased to offer an optional ‘Trust Aware’ permit for those boaters who wish to put them in their windows.”

 

The permits will be the size of a licence disc but will be printed on yellow paper to clearly distinguish between the two.

 

Find out more about reasonable adjustments and the Trust’s equality policy here:  https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/boating/do-you-know-a-vulnerable-boater/disabled-boaters-information

 

-ends-

 

Fran Read

National press officer

I work Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays

M  07796 610 427

E  fran.read@canalrivertrustorg.uk

 

 

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And there was I thinking "Trust Aware" stickers are what they attach to broken lock mechanisms, detached handrails and orange netting around voids in the tow-path, as an alternative to actually fixing them!

  • Greenie 1
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On 24/01/2020 at 14:36, alan_fincher said:

And there was I thinking "Trust Aware" stickers are what they attach to broken lock mechanisms, detached handrails and orange netting around voids in the tow-path, as an alternative to actually fixing them!

No, no they're "we don't know how / haven't got the parts or labour" stickers

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I imagine these are to stop the entitled, not enough to do, boaters from reporting people who have a concession. One guy in 60s I know has a 3wk stay on 14 days and range of 20 miles with no locks. He does it and is a nice guy living aboard. Heard shiny leisure boaters moaning about his boat overstaying. Why didn't they just ask if he was okay?

  • Greenie 4
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So possibly 380 'Continuous cruisers' out of 5000 (CRT figure) - some 7.5% will soon  have a licence to overstay on prime visitor moorings?

 

Is this right or fair to others? 

 

(Dons hard hat, steel boots and protective leather apron)

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10 hours ago, Andy Soper said:

So possibly 380 'Continuous cruisers' out of 5000 (CRT figure) - some 7.5% will soon  have a licence to overstay on prime visitor moorings?

 

Is this right or fair to others? 

 

(Dons hard hat, steel boots and protective leather apron)

No it is not fair.

 

Full artwork to produce your own Aware notices will be available here next week for free.  But applications will be limited to 5000 and subject to a postage fee of £50.

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9 hours ago, Boater Sam said:

No it is not fair.

 

Full artwork to produce your own Aware notices will be available here next week for free.  But applications will be limited to 5000 and subject to a postage fee of £50.

Wait and see the number of applications from those who "have to stay here so my children can go to school" or "my job is nearby".  It's not the thin end of a wedge, more like CRT shoving a Grand Union balance bean through the cruising rules. 

 

Another scenario to watch as the year unfolds

 

 

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21 minutes ago, rustynewbery said:

Wait and see the number of applications from those who "have to stay here so my children can go to school"

We've already got this and revised cruising requirements

 

A 5Km is acceptable during School Time.

Cannot post much of the detail as it is Powerpoint &  Pdf's (not allowed on this forum) but it can be found on C&RTs website with a bit of hunting.

 

According to a letter sent to Richard Parry by Michelle Donelan (MP) there are 750 boaters affected that require this concession.

 

 

Screenshot (54).png

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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6 minutes ago, Andy Soper said:

So that is the 380 PLUS the 750 with term time distance exemptions  - 1130 - 22% who have found a way round the need to continuously cruise but don't need to pay for a home mooring.   Interesting.

Richard Parry has put up some resistance tho', but the reduced requirements have been approved for a (smallish) number of parents of school aged children.

 

 

image.png.22935841c58acbae309025bd6171b32d.png

 

image.png.1a6acdfc83b08411cde205e5da0515ba.png

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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55 minutes ago, Delta1 said:

Like  the old incapacity benefit it wont be abused will it lol?

 

 As with the bylaws CRT seem to have given up on cc enforcement anyway, 

 

I brought this subject up at a number of CRT meetings and in emails.  The whole problem goes back to BW days and the number of non-cc boats have reached the point where CRT cannot realistically do anything.  My suggestion was to at least charge these people a mooring fee so at least there is some sort of level playing field.

 

Where there is genuine hardship, there are ways of getting financial assistance through universal credit and other allowances.  But to just let these people get away with paying diddly squat is what I'm sure gets up the rest of us who do pay handsomely for the privilege of boating past these boats.

 

The bylaws are being totally ignored by CRT and that is why we have the travesty of wide beam boats travelling between Braunston and Hillmorton - but that's another  story.

 

I wonder how supportive of these unlawfully moored boaters Ms Donelan would be if they were all moored at the bottom of her garden with frame gennies running all hours, nefarious stuff being burnt in solid fuel stoves and detritus all over the towpath?

 

 

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4 minutes ago, rustynewbery said:

I wonder how supportive of these unlawfully moored boaters Ms Donelan would be if they were all moored at the bottom of her garden with frame gennies running all hours, nefarious stuff being burnt in solid fuel stoves and detritus all over the towpath?

 

She does have a professional interest - she is currently Parliamentary Under Secretary (Department of Education)

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1 hour ago, rustynewbery said:

I brought this subject up at a number of CRT meetings and in emails.  The whole problem goes back to BW days and the number of non-cc boats have reached the point where CRT cannot realistically do anything.  My suggestion was to at least charge these people a mooring fee so at least there is some sort of level playing field.

 

Where there is genuine hardship, there are ways of getting financial assistance through universal credit and other allowances.  But to just let these people get away with paying diddly squat is what I'm sure gets up the rest of us who do pay handsomely for the privilege of boating past these boats.

 

The bylaws are being totally ignored by CRT and that is why we have the travesty of wide beam boats travelling between Braunston and Hillmorton - but that's another  story.

 

I wonder how supportive of these unlawfully moored boaters Ms Donelan would be if they were all moored at the bottom of her garden with frame gennies running all hours, nefarious stuff being burnt in solid fuel stoves and detritus all over the towpath?

 

 

CRT charge me an amount for a licence, the marina also charge me a certain (larger) amount for my mooring. If I was not prepared to pay these amounts, I have a simple solution - sell my boat. I do not understand how what anyone else pays makes any difference to me, not only does it not "get up" me, I don't give it a thought, why should I?

 

It can be a passing irritation to need to avoid a wide-beam once in a while but it cannot be genuinely described as a travesty of anything, surely?

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8 hours ago, nbfiresprite said:

It does that CRT have throw in the towel on enforcement. But then the end game of the NBTA was to make the process of enforcement so extremely time-consuming and costly that the navagation authorities give up.

Look, they are their bye laws (in the sense that they are charged with administrating them) so isn't up to them the extent to which they police them?

 

I have (I suppose) control over who comes into my garden and (if I was wally enough) I could put up signs to that effect.

 

That does not oblige me to do anything about a particular intruder if I can't be bothered.

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