CRT Council nominations open

[jenlyn]

 

Bandsman Jim seems to me to be a complete liability - I presume you have seen his idea that we must all pass an approved canal "driving licence"? I've yet to see anything posted by him that is not at least half bonkers.

 

He certainly would not be my choice, and clearly Welch would not be either, so already I have a choice of four from just a remaining six, even without researching those 6. I'm just hoping all are better choices than either of the two just listed!

 

To Rachel, Ange, etc, etc, the reason you should vote is that it may be possible to vote out the obviously dangerous candidates, even if you feel those remaining don't really represent you. If someone totally ineffectual gets in I would prefer that to those who have expressed downright bonkers or downright divisive views.

 

To be clear I have not done my research to know how good or bad any of the 6 candidates that remain might be, and I'm sure some are not at all bad. Whether there are four that I could say that about I'm rather doubtful, but I'd genuinely like to be proved wrong.

 

Are the 150 word statements for all candidates now back on view? Link anybody?

Absolutely correct, if voting for nothing else, at least vote to keep the loons out.

As for the friends nominated position, what an utter joke! Just goes to show, organising a pee up, and getting a brewery into position is not one of CRT's strongpoints.

[nine9feet]

Are the 150 word statements for all candidates now back on view? Link anybody?

 

Haven't checked for a link, but here are the original Statements I copied:

 

Boating: 8 candidates for 4 places on the Council:

Steven John Wickes

Stella Ridgway

Ruth McCabe

Richard Phasey

Vaughan Welch

Phil Prettyman

Jim Owen

Roger Stocker

 

Steven John Wickes

 

Election statement:

As a member of Rammey Marsh Cruising Club, I have cruised the inland waterways for the past 28 years.

I have held numerous positions with RMCC and have always been heavily involved with User Groups and User Group meetings for the London are.

I strongly believe that co-operation between CRT and users is essential to maintain our waterways for future generations.

Any committee membership, officer, trusteeship, directorship or other official position held with any inland waterway organisation during the 12 months immediately preceding 14 October 2015:

Honorary Treasurer/Secretary, Association of Lea Cruising Clubs

 

Stella Ridgway

 

Election statement:

My name is Stella Ridgway and I continuously cruise with my husband and two Labradors on NB Gracie.

I have considerable experience in mediation and consultation and if elected I would:

Encourage CRT to focus on the maintenance of the canal navigation and infrastructure.

Seek to ensure all users respect the canal and its environment

Canvas and seek to get boaters views heard on, for instance:

Towpath safety and responsible cycling

More facilities in popular areas

Accessible moorings long and short term

Fair and consistent enforcement

If we all show consideration and treat others, as we would like to be treated, I believe we can preserve our way of life. Boaters and towpath visitors should be able to enjoy a safe environment to enjoy canal life. I would encourage CRT not to affect the enjoyment of the vast majority when trying to manage the irresponsible behaviour of the few.

Any committee membership, officer, trusteeship, directorship or other official position held with any inland waterway organisation during the 12 months immediately preceding 14 October 2015:

none

Miss Ruth McCabe

 

Election statement:

I am nominating myself for the Canal and River Trust Council as I believe my experience as director of a charitable organisation and a member of the London based canal clean up crew would be beneficial to the council. I have been a CC'er for two years and travel around the south east. The boating community is welcoming and friendly and the waterways have become my home. Therefore I would love to help in protecting them and the way of life enjoyed by a fantastic group of people.

I am director of a community based initiative, Save the Date Cafe in Dalston and a proud environmentalist. Save the Date Cafe is a pay as you feel, waste food cafe which is run and built by volunteers out of waste materials.

Any committee membership, officer, trusteeship, directorship or other official position held with any inland waterway organisation during the 12 months immediately preceding 14 October 2015:

none

 

Richard Phasey

 

Election statement:

This is my rationale for election to the Council of Members.

To help shape policy by presenting the considered views of private boaters to the highest echelons within Canal & River Trust, drawing upon knowledge and experience gained as an enthusiastic boater for seventeen years.

Familiar with committee procedures, I served as Commodore of St. Pancras Cruising Club for seven years, including chair of the management committee. Additionally, I serve on: National Executive Committee of the Association of Waterways Cruising Clubs; Technical Committee of the Boat Safety Scheme; and Inland Navigation Panel of the Royal Yachting Association.

Boating adventures, with Frances, include 10,000 hours of cruising on the nation's canals and rivers. I have planned and led many Thames tideway cruises, to which our club welcomes all boaters, and was appointed leader of the 40-strong narrowboat contingent during the planning and execution of the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant.

Any committee membership, officer, trusteeship, directorship or other official position held with any inland waterway organisation during the 12 months immediately preceding 14 October 2015:

National Executive Committee of the Association of Waterways Cruising Clubs

Technical Committee of the Boat Safety Scheme

Inland Navigation Panel of the Royal Yachting Association

Commodore, St. Pancras Cruising Club

Vaughan Welch

 

Election statement:

With your support I hope to: -

Establish primacy for boating

Prevent navigation being subsumed by non-navigation interests

Reduce spiralling boating costs

Develop cheap entry traditional boating for the young and families

Establish opening hours to suit the users especially manned structures

Develop a proper dredging programme

Improve vegetation management

Prevent closures

Increase provision and improve essential boaters facilities

Seek network expansion and adoption of EA Waterways

Promote internal and external cost reductions

Establish salaries equivalent to ‘like’ charities

Re-establish the Right of Navigation

Compensate for long term closures

Encourage residential boating and legitimate Continuous Cruising

Ensure the fair use of towpath based moorings for all

Legitimize those who have chosen the waterways as their home

Continue support for less well off boaters and those in difficulty

Establish security of tenure

Any committee membership, officer, trusteeship, directorship or other official position held with any inland waterway organisation during the 12 months immediately preceding 14 October 2015:

Chairman of Inland Waterways Association’s Restoration Committee

Member of Inland Waterways Association’s Navigation Committee

Member of Inland Waterways Association’s Promotions and Communications Committee

Member of Inland Waterways Association’s West Midland Region Committee

Former Trustee of the Inland Waterways Association, now retired

Member of Canal & River Trust West Midlands Partnership

Member of the Joint Canal River Trust and Inland Waterways Association’s Joint National Restoration Partnership

Director and Trustee of Lichfield and Hatherton Canal Restoration Trust

Director and Trustee of Stratford and Warwick Waterways Trust

Phil Prettyman

 

Election statement:

I believe CRT Council must represent the whole waterways community, with boaters' members striving to ensure that waterways remain fit for navigation, including depth, original features and vegetation management.

I have owned the same boat for 43 years and have witnessed impressive improvements from the 1970s. Nevertheless, vigilance is needed to ensure that appropriate maintenance remains high on CRT's agenda so that standards do not slip.

I support the Trust's wider inclusivity and will continue to promote the waterways' public profile. It is also important to raise awareness of good boating techniques and encourage considerate attitudes to other waterways users. Our shared resource is a national treasure but is first and foremost a navigation for boats.

I have been a member of IWA and various canal societies since the 1970s. From 2007 to 2012 I was a member of the British Waterways Advisory Forum and its Heritage Group.

Any committee membership, officer, trusteeship, directorship or other official position held with any inland waterway organisation during the 12 months immediately preceding 14 October 2015:

Historic Narrow Boat Club, Chairman

Central Shires Partnership, member until December 2014

Jim Owen

 

Election statement:

Having been a liveaboard for 10 years I would like to see and fully support ANY motion that would bring a fairer and more commonsense approach to the way CRT is connecting with boaters.

We need to stress to local councils the need for more marinas.

We need the scrapping of the distance regs for CC'ers as it it obviously unenforceable without a proper way of logging movements.

Any committee membership, officer, trusteeship, directorship or other official position held with any inland waterway organisation during the 12 months immediately preceding 14 October 2015:

I am the ex-Chairman of the RBOA,, Benefits and Legal advisor in the RBOA for 3 years.

Served on the Bench as a full member for Independent Tribunal Services

 

Roger Stocker

 

Election statement:

Interests: Narrowboats , cycling (riding and campaigning), Rugby League, Speedway, Trade Union representation.

Why stand? To help represent all canal users across the diversity of users, we have a finite space that needs people to understand the need to share.

I am the owner, since 2012, of a nb moored on the Slough Arm of the GU. In this time I have experienced the delights of rivers, canals and the problems with a lack of boating facilities on key parts of the system. Unfortunately these facilities have yet to catch up with demand and CRT needs to look at different ways of delivering services to all communities and ensuring general maintenance is not forgotten. Before owning our boat I was a regular hirer of the BBC Club boat, Savoy Hill. I've been a volunteer Towpath Ranger, attendee at canal clean-ups and help support local IWA branches.

Any committee membership, officer, trusteeship, directorship or other official position held with any inland waterway organisation during the 12 months immediately preceding 14 October 2015:

none

[jenlyn]

If I did not know Vaughan Welch, I would vote for him, (going on his statement). Scary stuff.

Phil prettyman is on my radar, not sure what to make of him. Jim=no. Stella=no. Ruth= yes. Roger=not sure. Steven=no. Richard= whose he?

[ditchcrawler]

 

Of course they won't -- they're not supposed to.

But an awful lot of people expect them to

[alan_fincher]

 

Haven't checked for a link, but here are the original Statements I copied:

 

 

Thankyou, that is most helpful

[ditchcrawler]

 

Bandsman Jim seems to me to be a complete liability - I presume you have seen his idea that we must all pass an approved canal "driving licence"? I've yet to see anything posted by him that is not at least half bonkers.

 

He certainly would not be my choice, and clearly Welch would not be either, so already I have a choice of four from just a remaining six, even without researching those 6. I'm just hoping all are better choices than either of the two just listed!

 

To Rachel, Ange, etc, etc, the reason you should vote is that it may be possible to vote out the obviously dangerous candidates, even if you feel those remaining don't really represent you. If someone totally ineffectual gets in I would prefer that to those who have expressed downright bonkers or downright divisive views.

 

To be clear I have not done my research to know how good or bad any of the 6 candidates that remain might be, and I'm sure some are not at all bad. Whether there are four that I could say that about I'm rather doubtful, but I'd genuinely like to be proved wrong.

 

Are the 150 word statements for all candidates now back on view? Link anybody?

From the dark side www.votebyinternet.com/CRTelections2015

[alan_fincher]

If I did not know Vaughan Welch, I would vote for him, (going on his statement). Scary stuff.

 

Same problem with "Bandsman" Jim Owen.

 

He has managed a 150 word statement that gives no clues just how bonkers some of the stuff he posts elsewhere actually is.

 

Based on those statements it is hard to weed out the dangerous and the downright nasty from the candidate list, unfortunately.

 

I'm not sure I understood the earlier reference to "Thatcher quoting" - have I missed that?

[Alan de Enfield]

 

Yeah I got that bit - what I mean is, can the non-narrowboat owner proportion be defined as "large" compared to the narrowboat-owning proportion.

 

In 'our' marina there are 2 pontoons of Narrowboats and 6 pontoons of 'Tupperware' (very few, if any, of which are 'narrow')

 

The next marina heading West is 100% 'Tupperware',

 

The next marina heading further West is (guesstimate) 90% Tupperware.

 

The next marina heading even further West is probably 75-80% 'Tupperware'

 

I wonder if any statistics exist to break down the 30,000 licences into NB and others ?

[jenlyn]

 

Same problem with "Bandsman" Jim Owen.

 

He has managed a 150 word statement that gives no clues just how bonkers some of the stuff he posts elsewhere actually is.

 

Based on those statements it is hard to weed out the dangerous and the downright nasty from the candidate list, unfortunately.

 

I'm not sure I understood the earlier reference to "Thatcher quoting" - have I missed that?

One of the nominee's used a Thatcher quote on me whilst being questioned.

[Naughty Cal]

 

In 'our' marina there are 2 pontoons of Narrowboats and 6 pontoons of 'Tupperware' (very few, if any, of which are 'narrow')

 

The next marina heading West is 100% 'Tupperware',

 

The next marina heading further West is (guesstimate) 90% Tupperware.

 

The next marina heading even further West is probably 75-80% 'Tupperware'

 

I wonder if any statistics exist to break down the 30,000 licences into NB and others ?

In our marina there are 250 berths. 10 or so of which are for narrowboats the rest are cruisers of varying sizes.

 

That doesn't count the 150 odd houses with their own moorings, 95% of which are occupied by cruisers.

[alan_fincher]

One of the nominee's used a Thatcher quote on me whilst being questioned.

If I'm guessing the one I think you mean, they are clearly not a Thatcherite, though!

[Alan de Enfield]

In our marina there are 250 berths. 10 or so of which are for narrowboats the rest are cruisers of varying sizes.

 

That doesn't count the 150 odd houses with their own moorings, 95% of which are occupied by cruisers.

 

We were up at Goole yesterday and of the two marinas at the top of the Aire & Calder there was probably 20 NBs out of a 200-300 boats.

 

Some people forget that C&RT have responsibilities for waters other than 'muddy-ditches',

 

Edit - just checked and between them they have 210 berths

Edited October 23, 2015 by Alan de Enfield

[jenlyn]

If I'm guessing the one I think you mean, they are clearly not a Thatcherite, though!

Exactly, hence why I found it funny.

The quality is lacking this time around.

[Naughty Cal]

 

We were up at Goole yesterday and of the two marinas at the top of the Aire & Calder there was probably 20 NBs out of a 200-300 boats.

 

Some people forget that C&RT have responsibilities for waters other than 'muddy-ditches',

Indeed they do.

 

York Marina at Naburn is another example with very few if any narrowboats on their berths.

[ditchcrawler]

 

We were up at Goole yesterday and of the two marinas at the top of the Aire & Calder there was probably 20 NBs out of a 200-300 boats.

 

Some people forget that C&RT have responsibilities for waters other than 'muddy-ditches',

 

Edit - just checked and between them they have 210 berths

And not one of all this lot bothered to put their name forward, The must be very worried being represented by Narrowboat owners. On that point does Vaughan actually own a Narrowboat?

[Naughty Cal]

And not one of all this lot bothered to put their name forward, The must be very worried being represented by Narrowboat owners. On that point does Vaughan actually own a Narrowboat?

How do you know that?

[alan_fincher]

On that point does Vaughan actually own a Narrowboat?

 

I am told he does, (and where he keeps it in the West Midlands), but also that it hardly ever goes anywhere.

 

Surprising then that he feels he has the knowledge to spout fort about the London area.

 

Nobody could be standing in this election who dies not have a boat, (or at least part of a boat, if a sharer) on CRT waters. It doesn't necessarily mean they take it anywhere though - that is not a requirement, unfortunately.

[churchward]

And not one of all this lot bothered to put their name forward, The must be very worried being represented by Narrowboat owners. On that point does Vaughan actually own a Narrowboat?

I just can't see that having any particular type of boat makes a difference over another or what it is made of. Those kind of distinctions are just divisive. I can just about see the point of consideration of wide beam boating on wide canals etc. as folk who have these boats will not wish to see actions taken that restricts their access to waterways for instance.

 

I can understand that types of boating and the knowledge of them could make a difference. Such as canal and canalised/non tidal rivers, estuary and tidal waterways. These distinctions may have a bearing as there will be particular aspects of the boating that need to be considered.

[ditchcrawler]

How do you know that?

Well if they had the you and others in the same camp would have supported them.

[Naughty Cal]

Well if they had the you and others in the same camp would have supported them.

Not necessarily.

[Allan(nb Albert)]

Urgh. I have to wonder, if there were not enough interested "Friends of CRT" to be able to rally ten votes behind one of them, why they feel that co-opting one at random onto the council seems appropriate!

There were three Friends nominations and one did have ten sponsors. I can only assume that either the person was not eligible to stand or that one or more sponsors were not eligible. I'm sure it was not because she described herself as a single black mother!

 

I would agree that co-opting a 'Friend' is inappropriate because Friends do not want to be represented at present. However, it is also inappropriate because it will not be a random choice but one made by the Council's appointments committee which includes Trustees.

 

Two major reasons that the Council has been ineffective over the last 3 years are that it's appointments committee contains Trustees and the Chairman of the Council, Tony Hales, was also the chair of Trustees.

 

This has allowed CART's Trustees to dictate new appointments to the board and also control the agenda of Council.

 

 

[adam1uk]

Richard= whose he?

 

Most people would know him as Andrew rather than Richard. Has been (not sure if he is still) commodore of the St Pancras Cruising Club, regularly organising convoys on the tidal Thames including up to the Thames Barrier, Bow Creek, Royal Docks, and Barking Creek, and to the Olympic waterways. He and his wife do a lot of boating. He has also been a BSS examiner, although I think he's retired from that. A really good guy, IMO.

[jenlyn]

 

Most people would know him as Andrew rather than Richard. Has been (not sure if he is still) commodore of the St Pancras Cruising Club, regularly organising convoys on the tidal Thames including up to the Thames Barrier, Bow Creek, Royal Docks, and Barking Creek, and to the Olympic waterways. He and his wife do a lot of boating. He has also been a BSS examiner, although I think he's retired from that. A really good guy, IMO.

Worth a nosy at then.

Thanks for info, I know who he is now.

[Starcoaster]

I'll be going for the tactical vote to keep out Mr.Welch particularly. Whilst some I have discounted, I don't have any actual favourites or nominees that I would strongly get behind.

[jenlyn]

I'll be going for the tactical vote to keep out Mr.Welch particularly. Whilst some I have discounted, I don't have any actual favourites or nominees that I would strongly get behind.

I'd be really surprised if welchy didn't get in.

What's worrying, is that he has been at parry's side when attending duties more often than not. He even attended the south east partnership meeting last year. (i bet Fincher regrets making me behave).