Archive for July, 2012

(o)limpit news headlines

Friday, July 20th, 2012

http://professional.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304830704577496762880134978.html?mod=WSJ_World_MIDDLENews&mg=reno64-wsj

Petition: Security for towpath boat dwellers

Thursday, July 19th, 2012

Liveaboard boater Simon Greer has started an online petition for security for towpath boat dwellers. You can sign the petition here:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/447/522/923/security-for-towpath-boat-dwellers/

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BW had shares in hire boat company

Thursday, July 19th, 2012

Further evidence of the improper relationship between BW and hire boat companies has come to light. The annual return of Drifters Leisure Ltd shows that BW held shares in the company. CRT Head of Boating Sally Ash has been a director of Drifters since 2004.

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Council Tax update

Tuesday, July 17th, 2012

It is clear that moorings of all types are attracting the attention of cash-strapped councils. The position and advice, distilled and published by the RBOA and reported on this site in 2010 is being modified by the VOA (the Valuation Office Agency) as councils force case law judgement. It is clear that paying council tax is going to become a much more common component of mooring costs, whether levied through marinas passing on council imposed bills as is happening in Leicestershire or directly on CRT managed moorings.

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CRT Head of Boating runs hire boat company

Thursday, July 12th, 2012

On the day that the Canal and River Trust held its launch in London, boaters have discovered that Head of Boating Sally Ash has been the director of a canal holiday brokerage company since 2004. Liveaboard boaters have often speculated about the reason behind her department’s policy of harassment and bullying of boaters without home moorings, and this conflict of interest provides a possible explanation.

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BoACAN Open Day invitation 14 July

Tuesday, July 10th, 2012

Bradford on Avon Community Area Network (BoACAN) is co-hosting an open day and live music on 14th July in and around ‘The Hub’ in Lamb Yard, Kingston Mills, to co-incide with the launch of ”Made in Bradford on Avon’.

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Boaters’ Voices filming to take place this month

Saturday, July 7th, 2012

Wiltshire Council have sent us this update on the Boaters’ Voices project:

The Council would like to thank the boaters who contributed to the launch event in Devizes in February and the focus group meetings in Bradford on Avon and Pewsey in May.

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BW transfer becomes law with concession to itinerant boat dwellers

Tuesday, July 3rd, 2012

Both Houses of Parliament passed the BW Transfer Order on 27th June following debates on 25th and 26th June. In the debate in the Commons First Delegated Legislation Committee, Waterways Minister Richard Benyon announced that the Navigation Committee of the Canal and River Trust (CRT) “… will include at least one boater without a home mooring who understands and campaigns for the interests of itinerant live-aboard boaters.”

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