IWA disowns Welch

THE Inland Waterways association is distancing itself from trustee Vaughan Welch following the IWA spy scandal, writes Allan Richards.

Whether this is due in some part to pressure from the Canal & River Trust is not known. What is known is that there has been much pressure from boaters, and IWA has lost membership over the issue.

Underhand snoopers

Earlier this month, narrowboatworld suggested (Underhand snoopers are IWA!—4/1/2013) that IWA was encouraging its membership to snoop on boaters. It was also suggested that this might explain reports of this activity by people not in CaRT's employ.

Two weeks after the first report, narrowboatworld documented some of IWA trustee Vaughan Welch's astounding claims including that just 180 out of about 4,500 boats without home moorings were complying with the legal requirements of the British Waterways 1995 Act.

Not the only one

But it seems that Vaughan Welch is not the only one making unsubstantiated claims about 'non compliant continuous cruisers' (CaRT's new name for 'continuous moorers'). Jo Gilbertson, IWA Campaigns and Communications Manager (one of IWA's few paid employees), stated on twitter six months ago that 80% of those without home moorings were continuous moorers and he would 'spill the beans' in a day or two. He even had a £10 wager with a boater that he could prove it.

He never did!

Now, it seems, he has done the right thing and resigned over his unsubstantiated claim.

IWA statement

IWA have issued a convoluted statement ending '....IWA does not, and never has, encouraged boaters to photograph or spy on other boaters'.

However, based on IWA's own publications this is blatantly untrue

IWA minutes

IWA's minutes from its last annual meeting state 'Peter Caswell of the Milton Keynes Branch asked what the association's view was regarding boat visitor index numbers being recorded by IWA members in an attempt to prevent continuous cruisers from mooring in the Milton Keynes area'.

Was Peter Caswell told '....IWA does not, and never has, encouraged boaters to photograph or spy on other boaters'.

Of course not!

He was told it was in order to inform the trust of problem areas. How could he do that without gathering supporting evidence such as photos?

Vaughan Welch

Lets have the IWA statement again '....IWA does not, and never has, encouraged boaters to photograph or spy on other boaters'.

Yet here is trustee Vaughan Welch encouraging IWA members to do just that in his regional magazine, Navigation, stating: 'I would encourage you to report, with substantiating evidence if you have it, to CRT all those that are obviously bending the rules to the determent [detriment?] of other boaters'.

Clear proof

Clear proof that an IWA trustee is encouraging its membership to photograph or spy on other boaters.

Little wonder IWA is trying to distance itself from Vaughan Welch by saying that his views do not represent those of the association.

But will it get rid of him?

[On a lighter note, our Allan Richards has received an email and photographs purporting to be from one of Vaughan Welsh's spies showing the sort of information that is being provided to CaRT. He has checked out the unlicenced boat himself. A very prominent IWA trustee not displaying a current licence!]