A boat dweller who is facing court action by CRT was told that Richard Parry will not personally scrutinise every decision to take boat dwellers to court, whether against sick boaters or otherwise, according to a petition on the 38 degrees web site. This is in direct contradiction to the discussion between a K&A boater and Mr Parry. During the Chief Executive’s visit to Crofton last December Mr Parry told the boater that he would personally scrutinise every decision to take boaters to court from January 2014.
This begs the question of who is in charge at the top of CRT: is there a power struggle going on between the CEO and senior staff? And with the ‘resignation’ of former CEO Robin Evans in May 2013 and the fast-forwarding of former Legal Director Nigel Johnson’s ‘retirement’ in December, who is left for the new Chief Executive to struggle with? Marketing Director Simon Salem appears to have taken on part of the role previously filled by Johnson. Mr Salem line manages both the Head of Licensing and Enforcement, Denise Yelland, and the Head of Boating Sally Ash. Ms Ash, who is 63, has worked for BW and CRT continuously since 1976, much longer than any of the senior directors.
Meanwhile the petition, which calls on CRT to stop evicting boat dwellers who are disabled, elderly or vulnerable has topped 5000 signatures. The petition also challenges CRT to meet its obligations under the Equality Act 2010, something that it appears unwilling to do, which is the reason that BaNES Council will not work with CRT or endorse its Towpath Mooring Plan for the K&A. You can read the petition and sign it here
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-evicting-disabled-elderly-and-vulnerable-boat-dwellers
See also
Tags: continuous cruising, equality, liveaboards, petition, Richard Parry, Sally Ash, Section 17, Simon Salem, Waterways Act 1995