A failing navigation authority

LATE last week, I received a copy of the Canal & River Trust (CaRT) guide to its new Operations & Asset Management structure as from 1st November, writes Allan Richards.

On Saturday, I attended the National Association of Boat Owners (NABO) AGM and heard Dean Davies, speak about his first (and last!) six months in the role of Head of Customer Services (An enlightening AGM from NABO).

Achievements to be proud of...?

The first paragraph of the new structure document suggests 'As we look back on the Trust's short history, we have many achievements to be proud of—from the growth in volunteering and community involvement, to the new funding opportunities and local partnerships we have formed'.

Sadly, the first paragraph makes absolutely no mention of the Trust's performance in maintaining its waterways and reducing its growing backlog in maintenance.

The fact of the matter is that the Trust is a failing navigation authority. An authority without a meaningful plan.

Volunteering

Volunteering and community involvement on our waterways is nothing new. Indeed, without volunteers and community involvement, many of the waterways would never have been restored and would no longer exist in a navigable state.

Any increase in volunteers only adds to the high number of volunteers claimed by British Waterways (BW). It's 2011/12 annual report states ‘We have also been helped greatly by an increasing number of volunteers from all ages and walks of life. It was good to see our Waterways Action Squad honoured at the Waterways Renaissance Awards. Volunteer involvement has increased dramatically in the past year; with almost 39,000 volunteer days recorded compared with 24,000 in 2010'.

Two years later, in its latest annual report, CaRT give the number of volunteering days for 2013/14 as just over 51,000.

So the growth in volunteering under BW was 15,000 in its last year whilst it has averaged just 6,000 a year for two years under CaRT. Sorry if this embarrasses but it is their figures taken from their annual reports.

Funding opportunities

As for new funding opportunities, where is all the money that the Trust told MP's that the Waterways Partnerships could bring in? Will these Waterways Partnerships be self sufficient in financial terms by the end of next month?

Of course not!

.... and then we have the 'Friends' who are meant to number 100,000 in ten years according to an advert recently placed for yet another fundraising manager. Despite much good-will when the Trust got off the ground (and taking over TNT regular donors) the Trust was still only about 5% of its ten year target after two years of effort.

Surely it should be four or five times that amount by now.

Are these really the best examples the Trust can come up with regarding its ‘many achievements'?

Difficulties

Now on to the presentation of Dean Davis and, in particular, the last slide which was a picture of a woman on her knees attempting to scrub a floor with a toothbrush. The audience were told that the picture represented the difficulties in making progress made over the last six months by the interim Head of Customer Services.

Telling it like it is, Mr Davis stated that much of his efforts were of the fire fighting variety dealing with such matters as visitor moorings and actually getting waterways managers to talk to customers about local issues.

Watered down

It appears that the new structure's emphasis on customer services is being watered down somewhat. Having gone live on the first of this month why is Dean Davis not being kept in place until a new Head of Customer Services is appointed rather than being shunted off to a position where he will have negligible customer contact?

.... and where are the 11 ‘Waterway Development and Engagement Managers' mentioned in the guide? It seems that they don't exist yet. CaRT is recruiting but only five managers (on about £35,000) who will each be responsible for two or three regions. Think of the problems in reporting structure that that will cause.

Bigger toothbrush

It is quite obvious that this reorganisation is not quite going according to the published guide, with many of the staff needed to make it work simply not appointed. CaRT is even recruiting three Waterways Managers to replace staff appointed on an interim basis.

Would it not have been better to delay the public announcement until the staff necessary to make it work have been recruited and the reporting structure has been ironed out?

Until then, perhaps the Trust would like to keep Dean Davis in role as Head of Customer Services. Just buy him a bigger toothbrush!