Canal Boat — January 2018

(Jacob Rumans) #1

canalboat.co.uk Canal Boat January 2018 9


NEWS


TOWPATH


TELEGRAPH


LEICESTER LINE LATEST
As we went to press there was still no
news from the Canal & River Trust
regarding the full reopening of the Grand
Union Leicester Line, closed between locks
30 and 37 since late September because
of low reservoir water stocks. However the
situation had improved enough for CRT to
schedule one-day temporary openings for
booked passages on two Saturdays in
November. CRT told Canal Boat that “It’s a
delicate balance and we want to give the
reservoirs the best possible chance to refill
ahead of next year’s boating, so it remains
a case of monitoring things closely.”

LIGHTING UP FOXTON
Following the success of last year’s event,
another Festive Boat Festival is to be held
at Foxton Locks on 16-17 December.
There will be illuminated boats, live music,
hot food stalls and an illuminated fountain
alongside the historic locks. Tickets can be
bought in advance from canalrivertrust.org.
uk/ places-to-visit/foxton-locks.

MASONS HELP K&A CHARITY
As part of their 300th anniversary
celebrations, Berkshire Freemasons are
donating £25,000 to the Bruce Trust, a
charity which runs four specially-designed,
wide-beam boats, for hire for self-catering,
self-steer holidays by disadvantaged,
disabled or elderly people with their family,
friends or carers. Based at Great Bedwyn
on the Kennet and Avon Canal, they have
helped over 20,000 people enjoy canal
cruising holidays over almost 30 years.

BACK TO BLACK
In our feature Back to Black in last month’s
Canal Boat, we omitted to credit the author
of this cautionary tale of a leaking bow
thruster tube. Our apologies: it was written
by Symon Fraser.

CROMFORD TRIP BOAT AWARD
Trip boat Birdswood, operated from
Cromford Wharf by the Friends of the
Cromford Canal, has won a TripAdvisor
award as the top attration in the area after
carrying 25,000 visitors in four years.

A TRANSFER of the Basingstoke Canal to the Canal &
River Trust could be on the cards again, with discussions
re-starting between CRT and the canal’s current owners.
As part of the restoration of the 32-mile canal, it was
taken over by Surrey and Hampshire county councils.
But since reopening in 1991, they and the smaller local
authorities have often provided inadequate funding, and
it deteriorated to the point where it was closed for long
periods of time.
In 2012 the counties put up £4m to tackle overdue
work and get the canal open, but there remained a
sizeable backlog, with the waterway’s long-term survival
also depending on more ongoing funding. A CRT
takeover was seen as the best way forward, but talks
ended as CRT could not take on a liability without the
councils providing a ‘dowry’ they couldn’t afford.


However the counties have now opened fresh
discussions with CRT under a five year plan to make the
canal more sustainable, by increasing income generation
and tackling the repair backlog, with the long-term plan
being for CRT to manage the canal. The news has been
welcomed by the Basingstoke Canal Society, which led
the restoration.

DESPITE being slammed by users, above-inflation rises
in boat registration (licensing) fees on the Environment
Agency’s rivers are to go ahead as proposed.
The increase varies from 5.7% on the Thames to
7.5% on the Anglian Rivers and 10 % on the Medway.
When announced, the Anglian proposals met strong
criticism from the Great Ouse Boaters’ Association
whose members felt they were paying enough for a
deteriorating service (citing problems of fallen trees,
weed, water depth and facilities), and that no rise
above inflation could be justified. The Inland Waterway
Association described navigation structures “in poor or
unsatisfactory condition and likely to fail at some


point”, and called on the Government to provide
adequate funding, rather than the EA raising fees.
However the Agency maintains that its consultation
showed that boaters accepted the need for rises, and
that “although many did not agree with the level of
increase we proposed”, responders were clear that
they didn’t want any cuts in service. On the basis that
“We can only achieve this if our overall funding position
improves”, the increases will therefore go ahead.
For the longer term, the EA is starting work on a
“5-year charging plan for Navigation for 2019 – 2023”,
and will review charges “with the aim of creating a
simpler more consistent scheme”.

Basingstoke CRT transfer back on?


Steep EA licence fee hike goes ahead


THE CANAL & River Trust has
published its Equality Policy, which
lays out how it will comply with the
law regarding discrimination for
customers – and in particular, how
it will seek to avoid disadvantaging
boaters with disabilities.
Alongside general concerns
regarding identifying proposals that
could potentially result in
discrimination there are more
specific items, in particular those
relating to disabilities where the
policy includes commitments to:


  • Ensure the needs of people with
    disabilities are built into
    restoration, regeneration and
    refurbishment

    • Incorporate measures to reduce
      access restrictions for people
      with disabilities into maintenance
      work where practicable

    • Review the need for motorcycle
      barriers on towpaths

    • Encourage the provision of
      accessible boats and other
      facilities
      The policy also covers
      ‘reasonable adjustments’ where
      physical features on the waterways
      place a disabled person at a
      substantial disadvantage, and in
      particular the Trust’s Guidance for
      boats without a home mooring –
      CRT’s interpretation of the
      requirement for these craft to be




used ‘for navigation’ under the
1995 British Waterways Act.
The Policy says that if the Trust
becomes aware of such a boater
with a disability, it will make them
aware of its duty and offer to review
its usual requirements, and may
carry out an assessment with a
view to identifying adjustments.
These could include a reduced
range and/or pattern of movement,
mooring longer than the stated
limits, or assistance with navigating


  • and might depend on the boater’s
    disability, availability of assistance
    from friends or family, and
    characteristics of the waterway
    such as number of locks.


CRT launches equality policy for boaters


BASINGSTOKE CANAL


The Basingstoke Canal at Deepcut Locks
Free download pdf