Shedding no tears

I FOR one will certainly shed no tears over the loss of Phil Spencer, CaRT's erstwhile Head of Business Boating. That he argued that Canal & River Trust was in total ownership of our waterways and could therefore do as it liked did nothing to warm me to him, or to the Trust, writes Pam Pickett.

I in fact reminded Phil Spencer of the role purely of navigation authority CaRT should be following, and was stung to ask if he saw Joe Public, his tax-paying customers, only as money boxes!

He who pays the piper

As Allan Richards has so correctly observed, (Customer services) CaRT is dependent upon not only we boaters, but on all of the taxpayers of this country, regardless of whether they use our waterways, or otherwise. I hardly think members of our government put their hands in their own pockets, other than as taxpayers, to finance the Trust.

I can only hope that Phil Spencer's successor will possess not only much improved people skills, but will also be aware of CaRT's true role, that of maintaining our waterways, nothing more.

Lacking waterway experience

Writing of shedding no tears however, this is not the case with regard to the experienced Dean Davies (pictured) who I had sincerely hoped the Trust would see as an asset not to be overlooked, and who would be chosen to take on the mantle of Head of Customer Services. Following the announcement that Simon Salem will soon he leaving the Trust, one would have thought that experience of both boaters and the waterways would have been key for any successor.

Again though, it seems CaRT has chosen to go outside of the navigation in choosing yet another without experience of our waterways, Ian Rogers, (pictured) who has I think now big boots to fill. Given Ian Rogers' new role encompassing enforcement, I will certainly be watching his progress with close interest.

In conclusion, one good point here is I suppose that Ian Rogers has not been sourced from a railway background. Looking back to the past, many will I'm sure recollect what happened to canals in the hands of the railways!