Liveaboard boaters from the K&A joined demonstrations outside CRT’s headquarters in Milton Keynes on 10th May where in total about 90 boat dwellers without home moorings protested against the charity’s punitive and unlawful enforcement action against boats without a home mooring. Some 15 boaters also protested at CRT’s licensing office in Leeds.
This week we reported that Matthew Symonds was heard to say, twice, that liveaboard boaters were “gits”.
Since we reported this, someone on Twitter asked Mr Symonds if the comments he had made were true. He categorically denied that he would ever say such a thing.
Matthew Symonds
Matthew Symonds, subject of an allegation that he referred twice to liveaboard boaters as gits has cut his holiday in Holland short to publish this, official, rebuttal.
“Hello Yaz
Yes, I remember you, the good work that you were involved in at the Bristol Wood Recycling project in Bristol and the brief time we met outside the Southville Centre when you and my former colleagues were attending the training session there, but that’s where our memories start to differ I’m afraid.
I’m sure I would have mentioned that my new job was challenging and rewarding – but as I have already stated, the words attributed to me are not ones that I said – it’s not even a term I generally use. I’ve said many times, publicly and privately, that living on the canals can be a great lifestyle – but it’s important to be aware what is involved. We’re also obligated [sic] to fairly apply the rules as set down in the Act of Parliament to all boaters.”
Speculation has been mounting about whether Matthew would do the honourable thing and ‘fess up or entrench himself and call his former colleague a lair. It seems now it is the latter.
The non-seqitur seems a little strange to our ears. You meet a bunch of old colleagues and say “living on the canals can be a great lifestyle but it’s important to be aware what is involved”. Sounds more like his standard press statement than a casual response to “How’s the new job”.
But he asked us to print his rebuttal so we leave you to draw your own conclusions in this ‘her word against mine’ Mexican standoff.
The full text of Mr Symonds’ reply can be found here:
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/media/original/27661-matthew-symonds-response-to-misleading-article.pdf
Although holidaying in Holland, Matthew Symonds made time to issue his first denial via Twitter that he called liveaboard boater ‘gits’.
Following Matthew Symonds’ denial on Twitter that he referred to liveaboard boaters as “gits”, one of the former colleagues who overheard him say so has written the open letter below to Mr Symonds and CRT Customer Feedback. Headed “An Open Letter Re: Article: ‘CRT Relationship Manager: Liveaboards are ‘gits’, K&A Boating Community website, 30th April 2016”, Yaz Brien writes:
Documents obtained by a Freedom of Information request to BaNES Council, and the response to a recent complaint about proposals to restrict mooring at Mead Lane, Saltford, show that BaNES and CRT are planning a mooring strategy for the River Avon and the K&A Canal between Hanham and Limpley Stoke.