Worth a read

[jenlyn]

I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but.........

 

http://www.narrowboatworld.com/index.php/news-flash/7670-not-the-review-of-the-year

[Ray T]

Oh, so full of joy I could hardly contain myself.

[jenlyn]

Oh, so full of joy I could hardly contain myself.

Yes. Surprisingly (to me anyway), it's not far from a quite honest review.

Now you may feel the need to belittle it, but in truth how much contact do you actually have with day to day running of the trust?

[c c]

A cup of tea is pleasant, refreshing and easy to digest ................

[DeanS]

What a load of tosh that article is.

Just my personal opinion of course.

 

I had to stop reading half way down....

 

 

(and the number of times I have had the need to contact the Trust, I have had nothing but excellent service from them)

Edited January 22, 2015 by DeanS

[jenlyn]

 

 

(and the number of times I have had the need to contact the Trust, I have had nothing but excellent service from them)

Perhaps one day, your treatment from the trust will be consistent across the waterways. :-)

 

Oh, I missed a bit, you denounce it as a load of tosh, but then state you only read it halfway down.

Classic dean, love it, lol...

Edited January 22, 2015 by jenlyn

[Rich]

Perhaps one day, your treatment from the trust will be consistent across the waterways. :-)

And then of course, perhaps he hasn't had any problems.

[DeanS]

Perhaps one day, your treatment from the trust will be consistent across the waterways. :-)

 

Oh, I missed a bit, you denounce it as a load of tosh, but then state you only read it halfway down.

Classic dean, love it, lol...

 

Posting in my personal capacity, Jenlyn, I'm quite free to offer a strong opinion on an article, which I feel does not reflect reality. I also of course fully recognize your right to hold a different opinion. No need to berate my opinion, unless you're looking for an argument, which is something I'm not interested in. I couldn't bring myself to read further, which simply highlights how bad I thought it was. You might love the article. I'm happy for you.

 

 

eta - I have now endured reading the entire thing, and my opinions unchanged, unsurprisingly.

Edited January 22, 2015 by DeanS

[alan_fincher]

Now you may feel the need to belittle it, but in truth how much contact do you actually have with day to day running of the trust?

 

Are you able to tell us what contact Mick Fitzgibbons actually has with the day to day running of the trust, and in what capacity, please?

 

Where could I find a record of such involvement.

 

(I did read to the end, and it is more or less exactly what I would have expected him to say, if I'm honest).

[Bettie Boo]

Well, I've read the article; and to be honest it hasn't changed my personal views on CRT.

 

I can only base these views on my own personal experience with the trust and so far I have found them to be helpful & informative any time we have had cause to contact them.

 

I don't feel I have had enough experience or knowledge yet to form a solid opinion in regards to the running of the trust. I do appreciate that in just the boating community alone they have a very wide eclectic collection of differing interests to consider in their decisions whilst hopefully maintaining the history and integrity of the units that fall under their responsibility. Then add onto that all the non-boating users as well.

 

I do know, I don't envy them at the helm the tasks at hand.

[Machpoint005]

What a load of tosh that article is.

Just my personal opinion of course.

 

I had to stop reading half way down....

 

 

(and the number of times I have had the need to contact the Trust, I have had nothing but excellent service from them)

 

Same here. And he can't even spell Willy Wonka, unlike my grandsons (8 and 5).

 

Can you add a 'Not' to the topic title, DeanS?

[b0atman]

British disease top heavy management and getting heavier.

That said the frontline contacts are generally very helpful its a pity that the canal side number takers seem only to take numbers.

I did Braunston locks on my own and just a push on one gate from the number taker would have been good customer service .

[PaulG]

Worth a read?

 

You're havin' a giraffe, mate!

 

"The eyebrow lifting and head scratching continues both inside and outside of the Waterways Partnerships. First of all it was over their role and function, which as far as I can make out is something akin to Willy Wonker [sic]. As the hump-a-lumpers [sic] carry on regardless of any appropriate direction and knowledge to meddle in what they are not supposed to meddle with."

 

That's just a meaningless diatribe, devoid of any facts, or any basis in reality.

 

Total b*ll*cks, IMHO.

[jenlyn]

Are you able to tell us what contact Mick Fitzgibbons actually has with the day to day running of the trust, and in what capacity, please?

 

Where could I find a record of such involvement.

 

Have a look around. Ask questions, but most importantly, never underestimate someone just because they do not move within your limited circle.

They may well have their finger closer to the button than you would like to believe, and others to assume. ;-)

[Paul C]

Yes. Surprisingly (to me anyway), it's not far from a quite honest review.

 

 

 

What a load of tosh that article is.

 

I find myself agreeing with DeanS and almost all the other posters on this thread; and that if you believe this kind of rubbish comes close to an "honest review", it possibly reflects one's own distorted view/relationship with CRT and its waterways. If you feel its so bad, when many others do not, it says more about the OP than CRT.

[alan_fincher]

Have a look around. Ask questions, but most importantly, never underestimate someone just because they do not move within your limited circle.

They may well have their finger closer to the button than you would like to believe, and others to assume. ;-)

Another nice straight answer then!

 

(It wouldn't surprise me if he had influence - lots of people do, of course - but it would certainly worry me).

[jenlyn]

Another nice straight answer then!

 

(It wouldn't surprise me if he had influence - lots of people do, of course - but it would certainly worry me).

I actually thought he rather made some good points on your favourite topic, mooring auctions. In fact, I thought you would be in agreement with him on that subject.

Also some good remarks about the partnerships.

[John V]

I read through the whole article......not an easy task..........and I wish I hadn't bothered

[mango]

Maybe one of our mods can change the title to NOT worth a read.

[jenlyn]

Oh well, does not look like anyone has the ability, inclination or knowledge to say why it's tosh.

[PaulG]

Oh well, does not look like anyone has the ability, inclination or knowledge to say why it's tosh.

I did.

[alan_fincher]

I actually thought he rather made some good points on your favourite topic, mooring auctions. In fact, I thought you would be in agreement with him on that subject.

Also some good remarks about the partnerships.

He didn't seem to say much about the auctons did he? - the only point I noted was that bidding for moorings should end, and minimum prices should be removed. That made no sense, because a minimum price can only be relevant if you have an auction - it has no meaning if you don't.

I also assume "exiting" moorer was a miss-type, unless he means somebody who is giving up a CRT mooring?

[jenlyn]

He didn't seem to say much about the auctons did he? - the only point I noted was that bidding for moorings should end, and minimum prices should be removed. That made no sense, because a minimum price can only be relevant if you have an auction - it has no meaning if you don't.

I also assume "exiting" moorer was a miss-type, unless he means somebody who is giving up a CRT mooring?

Well, this is the IWA mooring review response, (you may of course already have it, but I'll post anyway).

 

 

 

IWA Discusses Mooring Sales with CRT

Last year, IWA submitted a response to Canal & River Trust’s (CRT) Mooring Sales Consultation, which was followed up with up with a meeting with CRT in December. This allowed IWA to further discuss its views on CRT’s mooring sales proposals, as outlined below.

 

CRT has identified the need to change its existing mooring sales process to grow its value through the improvement of systems, the reduction of costs and an increase in occupancy whilst also improving customer service levels. CRT has suggested that cost efficiencies may be secured by rationalising the overall number of mooring sites that CRT manages, which it believes will drive improvements at the rest of the sites within the portfolio. In addition, CRT has acknowledged that the existing mooring sales system is not wholly successful as many moorings fail to let, which the Trust attributed to a combination of factors including pricing, varying demand, processes and publicity.

 

At the meeting in December, it was agreed that, where possible, CRT must let mooring space at the market rate for the area and that, as CRT operate a much wider range of moorings than other providers, site tariffs should vary in accordance with services provided. The services offered at CRT moorings fall into one of three categories:

Minimal services, (simple mooring site)

Average services (site with car park and water point)

Full services (as above with sanitary station and mains power etc.)

 

It was suggested that the demand for CRT sites offering full services has or would decrease in areas where new commercial marinas have been established. Despite this, CRT should continue to offer moorings and do more to publicise the availability of its minimal and average serviced sites.

 

The two issues of low and high demand and occupancy at certain sites was also discussed. CRT proposed that the rationalisation of some sites that were no longer feasible due to low occupancy could produce simple cost savings. Where occupancy levels were low at a number of sites in the same area, boaters could be moved to one site and the other sites closed. IWA suggested that prior to considering such closures, tariffs could be reduced to encourage more boaters to moor there, generating a more positive view of the site that could ultimately attract more boaters and perhaps an improvement in sustainability of demand. CRT indicated that such a policy had been successful in the past.

 

It was also agreed that CRT’s current auction system did not work at many sites where there was low demand, and that a system that advertises and sells the moorings at a fixed price on a first come first served basis could be more effective.

 

CRT added that in all cases pricing policy continued to be carefully considered to insure that CRT moorings reflect the appropriate market rate for similar serviced moorings in the area. However, the Trust also said that where moorings have been continually discounted below the guide price to encourage demand, a whole site price reduction would be implemented at the next review. This effectively reduces the market rate in the area for the same level of services.

 

At the other end of the scale where moorings are in demand and high levels of occupancy do or are expected to occur, CRT suggested this could be utilised to lead to mooring co-operatives. Mooring co-operatives are already being investigated in the London area where CRT hopes to work with appropriate groups to assist them in taking up lease schemes for some offside mooring sites. It was noted that the mooring situation in London was not typical of the rest of the network and that it only indicated how circumstances might develop in other heavily urbanised areas.

 

Unlike at low demand sites, it was agreed that CRT’s auction system was more effective in areas where demand is known to be high. It was thought that reserve prices should remain unspecified but a 'bids over' guide price could be suggested to aid boaters in the auction process. However, if an auction did not result in a letting then the site vacancy should be advertised at an open 'buy now' price.

[Alf Roberts]

Oh well, does not look like anyone has the ability, inclination or knowledge to say why it's tosh.

 

Indeed. It seems just because it's on narrowboatworld it gets dismissed without thought.

 

By the very people who have espoused this two things many times on here;

 

"I am also looking forward to the day when the Trust has a paying membership. One which the Trust must also be answerable to. When members of council are elected from the Trust membership. I am looking forward to the day when all the significant boating associations also have representatives on council, to help provide some insider knowledge, balance between various associations, clarity and direction."

This too seemed to get general agreement when debated on here, especially from one Fincher, A

 

"I am looking forward to our elected representatives reporting back on the first three years of their tenure in office. I can't wait to hear of their individual lists of personal goals and achievements 'on the job' so to speak."

[John V]

Jenlyn, It was two pages of fluff with 3 or 4 lines of content.

Your explanation of what he was saying took a 10th of the number of words and said twice as much.

That is why I wish I hadn't bothered wading through all the verbiage