K&A manager made redundant in CRT restructuring

Mark Evans, who has been the manager of the Kennet and Avon Canal since April 2015, will lose his job as a result of CRT restructuring. He will leave on 4th July 2018 when the new Regional Director for Wales and the South West, Richard Thomas, takes up his post in Gloucester. Once again the K&A will be run from Gloucester, as it was until 2009 when BW carried out an earlier restructuring exercise.

The Devizes office will remain open however, and senior staff including Customer Operations Manager Dale Marshall, Customer Service Supervisor Simon Kirby and Customer Service Manager Alison Jordan will remain in post. Mr Marshall has worked for CRT and BW for the past 19 years. We understand that part of the restructuring will include the management of local enforcement staff by the regional directors rather than centrally as it has been since 2009.

Richard Thomas

Jon Horsfall has been CRT’s Interim Head of Boating since the sudden and unexplained departure of the previous Head of Boating Mike Grimes in April 2017 after only 22 months. He will become Head of Customer Service Support. This move is likely to push boating and navigation further down the list of priorities as Mr Horsfall’s responsibilities are extended to cyclists, anglers, walkers and any other groups that CRT considers to be its customers.

According to CRT our new ex-Navy regional manager grew up in Gloucestershire and has aspirations to live aboard on the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal. It remains to be seen what his attitude to other liveaboard boaters will be, especially to those without a home mooring. We remind Mr Thomas that there is a small but significant population of ex-Navy and other ex-service people living on boats, both with and without a home mooring.

You can download CRT’s press release about the appointment of regional directors here 35964-canal-and-river-trust-appoints-regional-directors

To contact the CRT Devizes office, email enquiries.kennetavon@canalrivertrust.org.uk or phone 01380 737907 or phone the main CRT number 0303 040 4040 and ask for the Devizes office.

See also

http://kanda.boatingcommunity.org.uk/ka-will-not-be-split-in-crt-restructuring/

http://kanda.boatingcommunity.org.uk/partnership-tries-to-stop-ka-being-split-in-crt-restructuring/

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2 Responses to “K&A manager made redundant in CRT restructuring”

  1. Steve D MonsterID Icon Steve D says:
    May 22, 2018 at 8:51 am

    It seems to me that we are loosing the management and funding to keep the network open in favour of non boaters having a nice towpath to walk and ride bikes.
    We as boaters will soon need to take matters in hand and be more forthright in insuring sufficient money is spent on maintenance and infer structures before they are unusable.

    Reply
  2. Paul Hooper MonsterID Icon Paul Hooper says:
    May 22, 2018 at 7:29 am

    Walking or stumbleing backwards seems to be the way on the towpath these days.When the K and A was last run from Gloucester,we had the likes of Messrs Jarvis and Goodenough.ln my mind these two were as good a Manager you could find.However,running a navigation from Stourport on severn right across to Reading,taking in the Welsh canals and those in the West Country was never going to work.
    Now we have an ex navy guy at the helm.l’m sure we all welcome him and wish him luck.The fact is we’ve met these types before,generally cositted,retired,costing the taxpayer a fortune.They might have passed through the Suez canal but have never heard of gongoozlers,ditch crawlers and are not quite sure what to make of winding ‘oles,bridge ‘oles,engine ‘oles and bed ‘oles.
    Both the managers from the K&A and G&R7have gone,gone after two decades or so’s service. lt is amazing how people who tell so many porky pies can last so long.
    Should our new man become a liveaboard,l wish him well.l would remind him not to fall fowl of the patrol lady.A lady who organised the then crane barge with four staff to deliver a section 8 notice to a Noddy boat one summer evening..l hope also that when granted permmision to overstay due to extemsive medical treatment for cancer,he is not asked to move on within 24 hours of the treatment ending..Would it not have been nice to recieve a text simply wishing one good health for the future?
    Richard Thomas,l welcome you.
    kind regards
    Paul.

    Reply