BW has misrepresented its own statistics in order to make a case for the proposals finalised in the Local Mooring Strategies consultation. These proposals were based on analysis of statistics about “continuous cruisers” presented in the pre-consultation document Updating BW’s Online Mooring Policy (April 2009).
The national consultation has had about 200 responses and the local one only about 100, Damian Kemp of British Waterways revealed today.
That’s not many people nationwide who really give a toss?
Gosh.
But I posted 36 responses from you lot. And I know of some who sent theirs in independently by post or email after the meetings.
So well over a third of the consultation on Local Moorings Strategy responses were from local boaters. And at least 20% of the response to the National Consultation on Mooring Strategy.
Well done you.
Want to help British Waterways in their assessment of the consultation responses?
<irony and deep sarcasm>
Nice to see they are using professional and independent teams for collating responses. Does it give you a warm glow to know our future is in such safe hands?
</irony and deep sarcasm>
Here’s the precis of Panda’s presentation to the Area Board for Bradford-on-Avon on Thursday 21st January 2010. It will form the basis for a press release to present the positive role of the boat dwellers amongst the local community, show how the threat to the boater’s lifestyle is a cause for concern throughout the community and ask the council to exercise their duty of care towards boaters as travellers.
As you may know, the Traveller Liaison Officer of Wiltshire council attended our meeting in the Canal Tavern on the BW consultations recently.
We have now been invited by Councillor Malcolm Hewson, the Councillor for Bradford South and Chair of the council’s Area Board, to attend the Area Board meeting on 21st January so that we can obtain the support of local parish and other representatives in this part of Wiltshire. He has also asked us to put our concerns in public to BW, as Damian Kemp of BW will also be there.
The meeting is at Holt Parish hall at 7pm on 21st January. The address is 335 The Street, Holt BA14 6QH.
Cllr Hewson has suggested that as many boaters as possible try to attend this meeting, in order to put the maximum pressure on BW. There would be room for quite a lot of us – up to about 30 or 40.
Please can you let us know if you can attend.
If you failed to get your local consultation response in by this Monday 11th, you will be glad to hear that following a number of complaints BW have extended the deadline to the 31st January, the same deadline as the national consultation.
So no more excuses, get that response emailed or posted as soon as you can.
It is not often that boaties move me to tears, barring when they hit my foot with a mooring hammer. But the response to the meetings has moved me muchly. The back bar at the Canal Tavern was packed and the Love Lounge at the Bell had a surprising number of people given how cold and damp the weather was that night.