Keeping it in the family
AN IMPORTANT consultation concerning the Liverpool Link by Canal & River Trust has led to complaints from waterway organisations that it has been 'kept in the family' with only the IWA being involved.
Waterway organisation only found out about this crucial consultation when their officers read about it in an IWA bulletin, having had no intimation before or since from the Trust.
Most concerned
Chairman of the influential National Association of Boat Owners (NABO) Mike Rodd, was most concerned at the way it had been undertaken, keeping concerned parties in the dark, and wrote in its own statement:
'We only read about it in IWA's bulletin, having had previously been assured that such consultations would not take place without proper agreed procedures in place. We went to the CaRT's list of consultations, and there is no mention of it there either. Who has actually been consulted is still a mystery to NABO and many of our members are extremely angered by the process. We would strongly recommend that the consultation is re-run if it is going have any real significance'.
Local issue
CaRT then extended the consultation by an insignificant three days. It seems CaRT has made this a local issue, seemingly unaware that boaters from the entire system use the Link, that is backed-up by NABO alone receiving 20 submissions, many from members who moor elsewhere on the system, it believing that this present consultation demonstrates clearly that CaRT must get away from local-only consultations where possible changes could affect all boaters.
The consultation concerns restrictions on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal and the Link, with NABO believing that access to the whole of the waterway should be open and unrestricted.
Pale shadow
As Mike explains, when the Link was opened it was intended to be boater-operated throughout, and figures of 7,000 plus+ boat movements per annum were expected. Of course nothing like this exists, and today is sadly a pale shadow of that and anything we can do to promote the use of the Link is welcomed.