NABO hits back

We were disappointed by Victor's attack on the National Association of Boat Owners over Canal & River Trust (CART) issues, writes Simon Robbins.

We made and published an extensive response to Canal & River Trust which as Howard has pointed out, Victor seems to have missed when he searched our website.

We said in our summary:

• Particular emphasis is placed on the need for:
• real change in British Waterways
• boaters representation on the Council
• recognition of the role of boaters in supporting and paying for the waterways
• a plan to address concerns for the maintenance backlog and funding.

Open meeting

This coming weekend following our AGM in the morning, we have invited boaters to an open meeting to discuss Canal & River Trust issues further with a panel and one of our guests will be Lynne Berry, one of the 'independent' Transition Trustees.

As per the details in the link below, non members are also very welcome to join us and participate.

http://www.nabo.org.uk/reference/nabo/390-update-on-nabo-agm-cart-trustee-to-speak

Frustrating

We may be guilty of not shouting enough about what we do, but when you are a small band of part time volunteers, that depends in part on sites like narrowboatworld reporting our activities. It's very frustrating when, as a Council member, one puts many hours of time and effort into trying to represent boaters best interests then not seeing the work we try to do being reported or as in this case not reported accurately or fully.

By the way I don't believe National Association of Boat Owners has ever represented itself as representing 'all boaters'. [Victor did not write 'all boaters' but wrote 'the boaters interests'—Editor.] Our primary interest is our paid members and what they tell us.

Welcome to join

As it happens we think our membership (both the individual and the associate collective members from boat clubs and other organisations) are probably representative of the wider boating community and as ever individual boaters and groups are welcome to join us as members at any time.

We hope narrowboatworld can send a representative to join us and Lynne Berry for the Open Forum because then I think you will see that we are far from silent on these issues.

Simon Robbins
NABO Council Member for Moorings Matters