Email: Tool hire

I disagree with Pam Pickett. Hiring in tools from specialist hire companies, especially with increasingly complex and specialist tools that do a wide variety of tasks is clearly the right way to go.

The only tools that should be kept on stock are low cost hand tools with minimum upkeep and anything that is needed every day. It costs a fortune in insurance and safety certificates to keep power tools on stock, and also soaks up useful staff time keeping them maintained. There is also significant depreciation to factor in.

I can assure you Pam, that it is far more efficient, both financially and logistically, to hire in as and when you need the tools. I'm not a British Waterways stooge by the way but have carried out many consultancy assessments on this subject in other similar industries. Unless you are using a machine or tool with something like 50% + utilisation it is always more efficient to hire.

The only thing I'm surprised about is that British Waterways haven't done this sooner. The increasingly complex and specialised range of tools would cost a fortune to have on the books, and because they are so specialised these tools are only needed infrequently and it is far better to hire them as needed in the knowledge they are technically up to date and properly maintained.

On the point about British Waterways hiring out kit to volunteer organisations, I do agree with you and I can't see this working very well at all unless these are again very simple tools. Anything specialist will need trained operators and will need thorough checking and repair between hires. This is a service that requires great experience hence the number of highly developed tool hire companies which on the whole give excellent service. I don't think British Waterways should dabble in this business.

Let's for once applaud British Waterways for making a sensible technical and business decision.

David Pullen