Boaters’ Update March 2011

Update on the transfer of state-owned waterways

The Government has announced its preference for a phased transfer of state-owned waterways in England and Wales into the planned new waterway charity, with BW’s canals and rivers moving in 2012 and the Environment Agency (EA) navigations moving in 2015. The decision is intended to ensure that sufficient funding can be found to enable the charity to take on the liabilities associated with the EA navigations from the start of the next Spending Review.

Commenting on the announcement, BW’s chairman, Tony Hales said: “We welcome the Government’s continued commitment to the planned ‘national trust for the waterways’ and hope the EA navigations may be able to benefit in the future. While there will be some who are disappointed by the decision, we appreciate the Government’s caution in ensuring the considerable issues of financial sustainability for the EA navigations have first been fully addressed.”

Consultation on the proposal to establish a ‘national trust’ for BW’s canals and rivers in England and Wales is expected to begin late this month. The setting up of the new charity will be enabled by the passage of the Public Bodies Bill through Parliament later this year. The new waterways charity is expected to be up and running by April 2012, subject to Parliamentary time and consent.
Read the Government’s statement on transfer of state owned waterways into new waterways charity

BW announces cost saving measures

BW has announced a number of cost reduction measures to help the waterways through the current economic climate. Funding for the programme of day-to-day maintenance on the nation’s canals and rivers will be maintained as a priority; however spending on major repairs will reduce over the next three years with the most pressing repair projects prioritised. There will also be a proposed reduction of around 60 office-based roles.

BW’s chief executive, Robin Evans comments: “We knew the next three years were going to be difficult and, in preparation, we have already done a lot to control costs. However the impact of the financial climate on our commercial income, the pressures on our pension scheme, and now a cut in our public funding mean that we have to reconsider our plans. This means making the difficult decision to reduce numbers of staff and spend less on major waterway repairs.

“While the waterways, as within the rest of the public sector, are facing up to a very challenging funding climate, we are in a stronger position than many when looking to the future. As we make the transition into civil society next year, the new waterway charity will be able to look forward to a guaranteed long-term contract from government, new income streams from voluntary sources and tax relief, and increased commercial income when the property market recovers. We cannot underestimate the challenge over the next few years, but there is also a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Find out more information about BW’s cost saving measures over the next three years

The road to charitable status – get the latest news and views

With the countdown to the new waterways charity well underway, BW’s chief executive has been posting regular blogs with news and views on the road to charitable status. Recent blogs have seen him comment on the decision about including the Environment Agency’s waterways in the new charity, the increasingly prominent working relationship with volunteers and feedback about the governance arrangements for the new waterways charity.

On volunteering, Robin points out that around 150 volunteers will be appointed to positions of governance in the new charity. These will be either as a member of the governing Council (circa 50 people), Board of Trustees (8-12 people) or within one of the eleven Local Partnerships which will influence and shape on-the-ground local decisions (90-120 people).

Robin is keen for BW to understand how to get the best out of the Local Partnerships that will work with the new charity’s local waterway managers to identify and then deliver against local priorities. BW has one trial currently underway on the K&A and is setting up two more trials in the West Midlands and the North West which should be operational within the next two months. Whilst other waterways will not get a fully functioning Partnership until nearer April 2012, Robin says on his blog that local BW’s waterway managers are increasingly involving local user groups in many more local decisions on maintenance and resource allocation.
Read BW’s chief executive, Robin Evans’ latest blogs

Boating in London during the Olympic Games

It’s probably a once in a life opportunity for most of us to the witness the wonder of an Olympic Games on our doorstep. And for boaters interested in coming to London to join the Olympic party, BW will be offering bookable visitor moorings during the summer of the 2012 at key locations across greater and central London.

Simple towpath moorings on the southern section of the Grand Union Canal, in central and east London and at Hackney Marshes on the River Lee, as well as both un-serviced and serviced berths in Docklands will be on offer for people who want the security of knowing that they will have somewhere to moor. Those happy to take pot luck on free moorings will still be able to tie up on the towpath for free further out of London, subject to normal maximum stay rules.

An online booking system is scheduled to go live in April 2011 to coincide with ticket applications for the Games themselves. If you haven’t already registered, do so now and BW will email you when the system goes live, inviting you to browse the available sites and book online. Spaces will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

To help manage the London canal network efficiently at this busy time and meet the requirements of the security authorities, some exceptional navigation controls during the summer of 2012 will be inevitable. BW will be writing very soon to boaters with home moorings in London to outline these provisional arrangements. These boaters will have the opportunity to raise questions to help us refine the plans and full details will be published on the BW website in due course.

Find out more information about boating in London during the Olympic Games

The name game – the findings are in

Throughout January research was conducted to test possible names for the new waterways charity, which will take over the management of the waterways in 2012. Thank you for putting forward your suggestions via BW’s online survey - quite literally helping to make waterway history.

Seven names were tested: British Waterways, British Waterways Trust, Waterways Trust, National Waterways Trust, Canals & Rivers Trust, National Canals and Rivers Trust, and finally National Waterways Charity. The findings from this survey and further research across other waterway users found the names that had the widest appeal were British Waterways Trust, National Waterways Trust and British Waterways.

Comments suggest that the latter was a favourite to save on rebranding costs. However, a similar weight of comments suggests that many people would prefer the charity to have a completely fresh start with a new name – although these people had different preferences for what that name should be. The outcomes of the name research will feed into Defra’s consultation that is planned to start in late March. At the same time BW will undertake further research to ensure that new waterways charity’s name has longevity and resonates with the widest audience possible.

Ultimately it will be the transition trustees that make a final decision on the name later in 2011.

Help shape BW’s future web presence

BW's web team are looking at ways to improve their websites, notably waterscape.com and britishwaterways.co.uk in light of the new waterways charity. If you’re a frequent web user and have any suggestions or views, the team would be grateful if you could share them using this online survey. The survey is open until Thursday 31 March 2011. Nicky Wakeford, BW’s national marketing manager says: “We are really keen for current BW customers to help shape the future charity’s web presence, so any frustrations, wants or even compliments we'd love to hear.”

Crick calls for volunteers

Fancy helping out at the Crick Boat Show this year? Crick is looking for volunteers. Not only will you get to work behind the scenes at one of the biggest boat shows, but you'll also get a free family and camping pass.

Find out more information on opportunities available

Crick runs from 28-30 May this year and is set to be bigger and better than ever. For more information about the show visit www.crickboatshow.co.uk.

Life as a volunteer waterway ranger

Have you noticed volunteer waterway ranger or additional seasonal volunteer lock keeper roles recently advertised across the country? Tempted? What to know more about the role? Waterscape has interviewed Dek, a volunteer waterway ranger at Audlem, Cheshire about his work and what he gets out of volunteering.

Dek says: “I had done a lot of volunteering work in the past, and I like giving something back to society. I chose this particular opportunity because it was so different to my day job, being very customer-oriented and very physical – I thought it would give me some much-needed exercise and a chance to meet new people.”

Dek’s duties include helping boaters – especially single boaters – through the locks, giving advice to boaters, answering visitors’ questions, building links with the local community, promoting local businesses and general ‘housekeeping’ tasks, such as picking up litter and cleaning canal signs: “It is my role to be a friendly, customer-oriented face for BW and to help promote Audlem.”

As a boater himself, Dek already had lots of relevant knowledge before starting volunteering and BW provided comprehensive training to prepare for the role, including a site induction, fire and water safety and life-saving courses and customer service training.

Dek sums up: “It has been a fantastic experience for me and has far exceeded my expectations of the role and its opportunities. I’ve got a lot out of it.”

Read waterscape’s interview with Audlem’s volunteer ranger in full

Find out about new opportunities on the K&A Canal

To find out more about volunteering on your local canal or river, visit www.waterscape.com/volunteer

Barclaycard volunteers bank on making a difference

Following hot on the heels of Barclaycard in Northampton, Barclaycard’s London team has adopted a mile-long section of waterway from Limehouse Basin to Mile End on the Regent’s Canal.

The two-year adoption will see volunteers carry out a whole range of activities to help tidy up and enhance the waterside area. The first job the volunteer team tackled was to refurbish and replanting floating bird rafts which provide a floating habitat for water fowl as well as acting as a refuge for fish.

Diane Black, Barclaycard said: “The Regent’s Canal is a haven for wildlife right in the heart of the London; and a brilliant car-free route to walk and cycle across the capital. It’s a real asset to the area, and flows close to our office.

“We are very keen to help improve the area and make it a more enjoyable place to visit. We hope that we can show that by working together we can make real improvements to benefit the wider local community.”

Read more about Barclaycard volunteers on the Regent’s Canal

To find out more information on volunteering adoption schemes on your local canal or river, visit www.waterscape.com/adoption

Don’t forget BW’s Annual Towpath Tidy kicks off this month.

There are plenty of jobs to get stuck into: you could pull litter out of the canal from a boat, paint lock gates, cut back vegetation or fill a rubbish bag from the towpath. Find your nearest BW Towpath Tidy event on waterscape

What a waste

Continuing on the theme of rubbish! The collection and disposal of waste is a significant financial burden on the waterways but you can help to reduce these costs simply by reducing the amount of waste that you dispose of in BW’s facilities. Ensuring you follow the instructions at each facility regarding which bins to use and the types of waste that are acceptable will also ensure that more money is available to spend on much needed canal maintenance.

Unacceptable waste such as batteries, appliances or oil filled containers left at waste sites whether in bins or in the surrounding area result in significant costs for collection and disposal.

Fly-tipping is also a topical subject at the moment as highlighted on BBC1 Countryfile last weekend. BW welcomes your help in tackling the problem (in the last twelve months BW has dealt with at least one thousand incidents). If you see any fly-tipping (or witness any fly-tipping taking place), please report it to your local waterway, BW’s Customer Service Centre on 01923 201120, or in Scotland you can also contact Dumb Dumpers Stop Line on 0845 2 304090.

Win a copy of the latest Cool Canals book

The best-selling Cool Canals guide books by Phillippa Greenwood and Martine O’Callaghan are perfect for anyone who enjoys spending time on or around Britain’s canals and rivers.

The latest book in the series is Britain’s Great Waterways Outdoors an essential guide to all things canal-related. The book splits the country up into bite sized chunks with chapters dedicated to food and drink, useful routes for boating, cycling, walking, days out and wildlife. Whether you want to while away your time in a waterside pub or find an adventure on a new stretch of waterway, the Cool Canals Book can help.

Waterscape has six copies of ‘Britain’s Great Waterways Outdoors’ to give away. For your chance to win a copy of the book tell us what your ideal day out on the canal would involve in 50 words or less.

Waterscape will select its favourite ideas and winners will receive a copy of the book and a waterscape goody bag. Send your entries to feedback@waterscape.com along with your name and address.
For more information and to order the latest book visit www.coolcanalsguides.com.

The Boat That Guy Built

Have you been watching ‘The Boat That Guy Built’ TV programme? If not, it’s not too late to catch up on BBC iPlayer and start watching the next episodes in the series. Guy Martin, a motorcycle racer and engineering enthusiast and his friend Mave attempt to fit out an ageing narrowboat with all the mod cons you could expect to enjoy in the Victorian Era.

BW’s national marketing manager, Nicky Wakeford, comments: “We’re all very excited about the series and watching Guy’s attempts to restore an old narrowboat. Hopefully it will introduce a new audience to the joys of canal boating and highlight the amazing heritage we have on our doorstep.”
Watch ‘The Boat That Guy Built’ on BBC1 on Wednesdays at 7.30pm or BBC1 on Sundays at 6.30pm.

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Last updated: 09/03/2011