TIME FOR CHANGE - BW CULTURE CHANGE - WANTED NOW

[Laurence Hogg]

Given the concerns aired by Towpath Talk on its front page over the funding of the new charity it seems to me it is now the time for a culture change with in BW. This needs to be from the top down. there will be no comparably salaries being paid to any one heading a large charity in the UK as far as I can see, and why do we need these people?

BW is now a lesure orientated business and needs to wake up to that fact. Staff need to be around 8.00AM to 8.00PM not dissappearing at 4.00PM We do not need the excessive "over the top" office staff spread around the country, they need to be re deployed to do real work on the track.

The system has only apprx 2500 miles of track and 33000 boats, that can be run from one office as re the highways in a large town or city. Barcode the boats if necessary and install readers, it works for congenstion charging monitoring tens of thousands of vehicles a day.

BW at the top need to wake up, you'r not a major British Industry just a tourist attraction with a waterway infrastructure.

If they want to be like the National Trust or other camparable outfits then get modelling your selves on them now otherwise come April next year the same Fat Cats will be lapping up the milk and nothing will change other than an expensive makeover,

 

Article below lifted from "Narrowboat world"- today. Is this content true? or false?, it doesnt paint a healthy picture.

 

" Down, down, down

Monday, 01 August 2011 10:52

DESPITE the ever ludicrous visitor claims, British Waterways Chief Executive, Robin Evans, failed to achieve his personal target on visitor numbers again last year.

 

Against a target of 6.9 millions, British Waterways' 2010/11 annual report informs us that he only managed to achieve 3.8 million, writes Allan Richards.

 

2012 Vision

Robin Evans' promotion to chief executive in December 2002 was swiftly followed by British Waterways' 2012 vision statement, only the first part of which contains objectives that can be measured, stating 'Our ambition is that by 2012 we will have created an expanded, vibrant, largely self-sufficient waterway network used by twice as many people as in 2002'.

 

To support British Waterways' vision of doubling visitor numbers, its chief executive was set yearly targets to achieve growth in visitor numbers from 3.6m to 7.2m over the nine years from 2003/4 to 2011/12.

 

Eight times a failure

Narrowboatworld has already reported a seven percent drop in boat usage across the waterways in 2010, and warned that visitor numbers would fall. It is now a rather sad duty to inform that visitor numbers fell by a staggering 11.6%.

 

The chief executive has failed eight years in a row to meet his visitor targets with his latest failure being the greatest (3.8m against a target of 6.9m).

 

Board's failure

 

Unfortunately, the chief executive's failure is also the Board's failure, so he has never been held to account. With Tony 'two chairs' Hales now heading the interim trustees and British Waterways' Marketing Director, Simon Salem, attempting to convince that volunteer days are more important than visitor numbers, it is unlikely that he ever will be.

 

Yours to enjoy anytime runs the slogan. It seems that the public remains unconvinced!

 

[it really is time that British Waterways stopped its misleading claim of '13 million visitors a year'. when its own report clearly states it is only 3.8 million. And its claim of 300 million visits is to ludicrous to comprehend—Editor.]

 

ends

Edited August 1, 2011 by Laurence Hogg

[greywolf]

I agree but who has the power to put that point of view to them ?

[fender]

Hang the lot!

 

I dont want any of the BW in the new waterways trust (and I do not want any of the IWA in it either)

 

I want a fresh lot of persons who have genuine interests in the waterways and who can spend half their time knee deep in mud and filth - without pay.

[twbm]

Me too.

 

Will it be the case that the Waterways management charity is one we can join like the National Trust, so the management is accountable to its members and has to hold AGM's etc?

[steve hayes]

No problemo BW will set some new targets for being a tourist attraction with a waterway infrastructure , which they will miss, get a bonus and carry on regardless

[Robin2]

come April next year the same Fat Cats will be lapping up the milk and nothing will change other than an expensive makeover,

 

Isn't that what is meant to happen? ---- So perfect score for a bonus -----

[sueb]

Me too.

 

Will it be the case that the Waterways management charity is one we can join like the National Trust, so the management is accountable to its members and has to hold AGM's etc?

BW does have AGM's at least we may get only one, as The Waterway trust is joining hopefully saving one AGM.

Fender where are you going to find these people?

Sue

[Chickadee]

Hang the lot!

 

I dont want any of the BW in the new waterways trust (and I do not want any of the IWA in it either)

 

I want a fresh lot of persons who have genuine interests in the waterways and who can spend half their time knee deep in mud and filth - without pay.

 

Although I agree in theory that people from BW are not necessarily the right people to be running the waterways trust there is alot of good arguments for employing people on a pay roll who can bring their expertise to the table.

 

I also think re the original post that there still needs to be plenty of involvement at a local level. Although alot could be done from a central office different areas of the canal work very differently from others and more local offices would be helpful to make sure that the individual canals can work well.

[koukouvagia]

Me too.

 

Will it be the case that the Waterways management charity is one we can join like the National Trust, so the management is accountable to its members and has to hold AGM's etc?

 

Each of the eleven BW areas will have local partnership boards to advise and "guide local decisions" when the new waterways charity is set up.

 

Already two of these Local Waterway Partnerships have been appointed in the West Midlands and the North West on a trial basis. What is depressing is how few boat owners are represented - only 8 out of 27 members. See here.

 

Is it because not many boat owners applied? Or is it a question of other canal related interests outweighing those of boaters. Mind you, there aren't any anglers on the boards, either.

[Richard Fairhurst]

Are you sure? I count seven boaters out of 13 on the West Midlands board (Steve Burt, Ivor Caplan, David Caunt, Graham Fisher, Jim Matthias, Vaughan Welch, Neil Wyatt) and seven out of 14 on the North-West board (Trisha Buzzard, Barry Cole, Ken Hudson, Mike Macklin, John Roff, Audrey Smith, Sue Stevens).

[koukouvagia]

Are you sure? I count seven boaters out of 13 on the West Midlands board (Steve Burt, Ivor Caplan, David Caunt, Graham Fisher, Jim Matthias, Vaughan Welch, Neil Wyatt) and seven out of 14 on the North-West board (Trisha Buzzard, Barry Cole, Ken Hudson, Mike Macklin, John Roff, Audrey Smith, Sue Stevens).

 

I did say boat owners. I'm glad that there are more than appear to be listed, but it's still a small number.

[twbm]

I did say boat owners. I'm glad that there are more than appear to be listed, but it's still a small number.

 

Without wishing to wander off topic I don't think not owning a boat makes you less qualified, any more than owning a boat automatically imbues you with all the necessary knowledge to be an effective member of the boards.

[Tiny]

Of course the whole becoming a trust is politicians ditching BW cost and the fat cats in BW stripping the bones bare.

 

In this country we have a culture of managers and lesser (managed) beings now across all groups where public officials are running things. (For what these management clowns believe look up their SOLACE organisation at http://www.solace.org.uk/library.asp?library_id={20F39405-B16E-494D-96A4-C65CEDA3EF65} .

 

Once BW was run from sections engineers offices on the ground while London knew bugger all about it. But since a certain 'Sir Leslie' 'modernised' BW the lunatics have taken over the local offices and even at this level they have no real knowledge or interest in the canal.

 

There is no chance of shifting all this chaff in the short term and for the actual canals as we know them their actions may well not allow a medium or long term.

 

Unfortunately we can shout as much as we like but no one who does have power is really interested - and government rarely listen to committees they set up if the findings are not what they want to hear so I doubt things will improve.

Edited August 1, 2011 by Tiny

[Allan(nb Albert)]

 

Is this content true? or false?

 

 

The sources for the story are:-

 

 

(the full document can be found on Wikileaks)

 

Actual visitor numbers published in annual reports (for example the 2010/11 figure of 3.8m is on page 9 of of the latest AR)

 

Information concerning falling boat usage is from an internal report supplied by a 'disgruntled' BW employee.

[Robin2]

People, including you and me, respond to incentives. Some of these are created in our minds (want to be seen to be generous, serious, successful etc) and others come from the external environment - have a better suit, watch, car, kitchen than X, earn more money to afford said car, kitchen etc.

 

The trick for us boaters is to create an incentive that drives BW management in the direction we would like. This is not easy, but by no means impossible.

 

Pages of negative comment (while it may help us by letting off steam) will get us nowhere.

 

I think it would be helpful if we could adopt realistic and achievable goals for different bits of canal and put them in the public domain. The whole collection of goals must be realistic and achievable - the list would be useless if it was clearly only possible to achieve part of it.

 

Indeed it would probably be most successful if the list of goals was relatively easy to achieve - in other words a list of goals that BW could achieve and still have resources for other things. The important thing from the boaters' perspective would be that a substantial part of BW funds would be dedicated to the things that are most important to us.

Edited August 1, 2011 by Robin2

[Laurence Hogg]

[quote name='Robin2'

The trick for us boaters is to create an incentive that drives BW management in the direction we would like. This is not easy, but by no means impossible.]

 

This is what CanalScape-BCN set out to do. It has worked really well so far getting BW out and to the waterway. Through this we have managed to get things done otherwise seemingly impossible, ie spot dredging the Walsall Canal.

Working with the local BW can be fruitful and enjoyable, they learn from us and we get to know their problems and obstacles. Between us there is often a solurtion.

Edited August 1, 2011 by Laurence Hogg

[Robin2]

 

This is what CanalScape-BCN set out to do. It has worked really well so far getting BW out and to the waterway. Through this we have managed to get things done otherwise seemingly impossible, ie spot dredging the Walsall Canal.

Working with the local BW can be fruitful and enjoyable, they learn from us and we get to know their problems and obstacles. Between us there is often a solurtion.

 

Interesting - have you a website link?

 

I presume that group is only concerned with the BCN?

[koukouvagia]

Without wishing to wander off topic I don't think not owning a boat makes you less qualified, any more than owning a boat automatically imbues you with all the necessary knowledge to be an effective member of the boards.

 

A boat owner has a lot more money tied up with BW than, say, a cyclist and as such would want to ensure that his interests were adequately represented on the new boards.

[Laurence Hogg]

Interesting - have you a website link?

 

I presume that group is only concerned with the BCN?

 

We are BCN based and look after the presently underused northern bits where possible working with BW permission link: http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/CanalScapeBCN/

I also have a private website which is slowly being developed: http://www.canalscape-bcn.org.uk/

 

As an aside there is a growing London based group too: http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/CanalScape-London/

Edited August 1, 2011 by Laurence Hogg

[CV32]

I agree with Laurence, the whole system could be administered from one office with a decent computerised system (IT projects often don't deliver because its the people not the computers). The barcode system is a great idea, the licensing system could give people the option to print their own license discs and display them. That would prevent the regular delays in getting a new license and the associated pains involved. It could also improve the checking of licences, if you have nothing to hide or evade you will display it.

 

The now organisation (whatever it ends up being called) needs to be efficient, slick and well run by people that know how to deliver, not the existing senior management who clearly know how to line their pockets whilst not delivering on their objectives. The money needs to be spent on the improving/repairing the system and not on property investment (be it marinas or pubs).

[mayalld]

I agree with Laurence, the whole system could be administered from one office with a decent computerised system

 

And next week, everybody will say that the problem is that it is all administered centrally rather than locally.

 

Actually, when it comes to licencing, I suspect that centralisation is not enough. Boat licencing should be contracted out to DVLA.

[sueb]

You are spoil sports. BW loves reorganising it has been doing it regularly for the last umpteen years. It should be good at it by now.

Sue

[cotswoldsman]

We seem to have a number of threads running knocking BW so not sure where to post this. As I have said before I at times do have problems with things at BW, but do feel that maybe another point of view needs to enter the fray.

What I do not see in any of these posts is a solution, unless you count barcoding boats and sacking management as the way to save the waterways, oh yes and having people working from 8am to 8pm!!

The reality is that government was no longer prepared to fund BW the way it had in the past, that includes the previous government. It was suggested by Labour the solution might well be privatisation. It was decided that this would not be the solution.

The answer seems to be to turn it into a charity or trust with very limited funding from the taxpayer and that is where we are like it or not. Surely what we have to do now is support the new trust, it would appear we will be unable to rely on the likes of NABO and its members to ensure we have a waterway going forward.

Now I know in the eyes of many I am not a proper boater, I have only been doing it for 5 years (nearly) and I do not own a proper boat ( I have a Liverpool Boat) but I do care about the canals, and am prepared to try and support the new charity. Looking at some of the posts all I can see is plenty of people knocking the new charity and almost wanting it to fail. All I can say is be careful of what you wish for.

The waterways will not survive if it just relies on revenue generated from boaters so having it run by boaters would be a disaster, it needs a very broad management. They have appointed a very experienced fundraiser, this was immediately knocked on here as she was thought to be overpaid, of all the appointments this is one of the most important. She needs to be able to attract funds from all sorts of people and companies.

All I ask is that people try and be a bit more positive try and support the new charity going forward or we will end up in long term boat parks.

[mayalld]

We seem to have a number of threads running knocking BW so not sure where to post this. As I have said before I at times do have problems with things at BW, but do feel that maybe another point of view needs to enter the fray.

What I do not see in any of these posts is a solution, unless you count barcoding boats and sacking management as the way to save the waterways, oh yes and having people working from 8am to 8pm!!

The reality is that government was no longer prepared to fund BW the way it had in the past, that includes the previous government. It was suggested by Labour the solution might well be privatisation. It was decided that this would not be the solution.

The answer seems to be to turn it into a charity or trust with very limited funding from the taxpayer and that is where we are like it or not. Surely what we have to do now is support the new trust, it would appear we will be unable to rely on the likes of NABO and its members to ensure we have a waterway going forward.

Now I know in the eyes of many I am not a proper boater, I have only been doing it for 5 years (nearly) and I do not own a proper boat ( I have a Liverpool Boat) but I do care about the canals, and am prepared to try and support the new charity. Looking at some of the posts all I can see is plenty of people knocking the new charity and almost wanting it to fail. All I can say is be careful of what you wish for.

The waterways will not survive if it just relies on revenue generated from boaters so having it run by boaters would be a disaster, it needs a very broad management. They have appointed a very experienced fundraiser, this was immediately knocked on here as she was thought to be overpaid, of all the appointments this is one of the most important. She needs to be able to attract funds from all sorts of people and companies.

All I ask is that people try and be a bit more positive try and support the new charity going forward or we will end up in long term boat parks.

 

A huge amount of sense talked there.

 

There are too many knockers out there who seem to think that if they whinge enough, and talk the NWC down enough, there will be a return to a amply funded BW as a public corporation.

 

Except of course that never actually existed, did it.

 

The detractors are in danger of ensuring that the NWC is as big a disaster as they claim, by repeatedly talking it down. But what do they imagine will happen if they manage to bring down the NWC? Do they think HMG will step min to save the canals? Think again.

[Odana]

Well said, Cotswoldman.

 

The other thing that we can do, is write to our MPs,and sign every petition going, to highlight concerns. It may not be much, but if you don't then it is evidence of apathy. Now is the crucial time when decisions are being made about funding, and those who shout loudest and make the best case will get it. Those interests who grumble privately or on forums without contacting the decision-makers won't. The canal system we have now is there partly as a result of many individuals lobbying individually, not just 'big events'.

 

An easy way to contact MPs, councillors etc if writing actual paper letters is one of those tasks that gets put off is through one of the sites such as Writetothem.com - just stick in a postcode to get the link to the correct people. It'll take about as much time as composing a reply here!