A letter to the Canal & River Trust

Mark Tizard, general secretary of the National Association of Boat Owners (NABO), comments on some more topical issues.

BY THE time you read this, the Government may have relaxed the lockdown and hopefully this will allow marinas to reopen and boaters will be able to visit their boats.

However the virus will still be among us and as the majority of boaters are over 55, many will still be apprehensive of taking their boat out. Personally I suspect for many, moving a boat may be a safer environment than moving around in their home location.

It is difficult to predict what the future may hold for the canal network as already this month the Macclesfield, Peak Forest and Leeds and Liverpool canals have stoppages due to lack of water. No doubt as a result of a mixture of lower reservoir levels due to Canal & River Trust inspections following the Toddbrook reports and lack of April rain.

Even allowing for a third of its staff being furloughed I imagine the longterm effects on CRT’s finances will be substantial. It is already reeling from the likely costs of Toddbrook repairs and other reservoir upgrades which are bound to affect the wider engineering and maintenance budgets.

There now needs to be added the likely slump in rental income/value from CRT’s substantial investments in commercial/retail property and drop in museum and other visitor income. In the circumstances the trade being given a three-month licence rebate and private boaters a one-month extension is very welcome.

Now more than ever, whatever your political viewpoint, boaters need to get behind CRT’s efforts in persuading a no doubt cash-strapped Government to renew the grant.

Following NABO’s Council meeting in April our chairman Mike Rodd was asked to write to Richard Parry, chief executive of the Canal & River Trust. I have shared this below.

“We appreciate the efforts that CRT is now making to limit the use of the towpath for exercise, specifically in areas where there are moored boats, but we feel more needs to be done.

“We are hearing of instances (Nantwich and New Mills, to name but two) where speeding cyclists and serious runners are putting the rest of the towpath population at risk. Because they are exercising strenuously, they are inevitably exhaling more forcibly than a gentle walker or leisure cyclist and this is why we feel that this particular group should be told, not encouraged, to use alternative routes such as dedicated cycle paths, roads and wide pavements where 2m distancing can be guaranteed.

“It is often too late if they happen to see a poster once they get to the towpath. We suggest a local radio campaign or a press release sent to the relevant outlets and posters within the nearby communities.

“We welcome the extra month given to leisure boat licences. We suspect many boaters are likely to face increased financial difficulties in the coming months in meeting their licence and mooring payments and hope that CRT will review this again the longer the current restrictions remain in place.

“We are concerned that boaters will be tempted to vacate moorings and move to the towpath to reduce costs. Some marinas, already hit by loss of trade through chandleries, hire boats etc. will struggle to cope and will be at risk of closure, with the resultant loss of facilities and moorings. We would support any attempt by CRT to support the marina industry, either directly or through Government. We would suggest that CRT considers temporarily forgoing its 9% mooring levy for those marinas that are prepared to offer a mooring ‘holiday’ to those in genuine need.

“We urge CRT to start talking to the insurance sector regarding the requirement for a BSS certificate, to arrive at a general agreement that this requirement is formally suspended. Hopefully, there is an awareness and understanding that, once the lockdown requirements are lifted, there is a need for a substantial period of time, months not weeks, for surveyors to be able to deal with the backlog and for boatyards to be able to carry out any remedial work.

“Finally, there is growing concern that safety of some boats moored on the towpath may be at risk either internally through the state of batteries, bilges etc. and externally through the possibility of vandalism etc. Some insurance policies insist that boats are not left unattended for extended periods of time. Should the lockdown be further extended, CRT should consider granting permission for boaters to visit, but not move, their boats to enable batteries to be recharged etc.

“In summary our members are very appreciative of the steps CRT is taking to contact and protect vulnerable boaters and the steps already taken to cushion the effects of the lockdown on the trade and boaters generally.”

If you would like to comment on any of this I can be contacted at mark. tizard@nabo.org.uk or comment on the National Association of Boat Owners Facebook page.