A group of fourteen boaters from the K&A joined the national Boats Are Homes march on Saturday 8th April 2017. The demonstration was organised in protest against CRT’s unlawful enforcement policy against boaters without home moorings. Boat dwellers from all over the waterways took part. The march was organised by the National Bargee Travellers Association.
On Saturday 16th April there will be a demonstration to demand that CRT:
*stops evicting or threatening to evict boat dwellers without permanent moorings based on their travel pattern, because of an arbitrary and unlawful minimum distance ‘rule’ that has been imposed since last May
*stops imposing 24 hour mooring time limits (the law entitles us to stay 14 days in any one place)
*stops any plans for the sale of our waterways,
and instead takes positive action to:
*maintain the banks and towpaths of the waterways
*install more mooring rings where these are needed and
Boater Andrew Pinney has started a petition calling on CRT to carry out a comprehensive review of sanitary, water and rubbish facilities on the K&A, which he says are much worse than on most other CRT waterways. You can sign the petition here
A petition against CRT’s new policy of refusing to renew licences of boaters without a home mooring has reached almost 12,000 signatures in just 10 days.
Sean Williams, the recently appointed CRT Welfare Officer, started work this week. We do not have any contact details for him yet, but assume his email address will be sean.williams@canalrivertrust.org.uk and that he will be based in the CRT head office at First Floor North, Station House, 500 Elder Gate, Milton Keynes MK9 1BB.
CRT is holding another consultation on methods for allocation of its directly managed moorings, but despite the previous consultation in 2008 showing overwhelming opposition to the principle of an auction system, it is refusing to even consider abandoning the auctions. In addition, the consultation only runs for one month, in contravention of the law on consultations. If you oppose the mooring auctions, please respond to the consultation before 3rd November expressing your opposition. Send your response to mooring.updates@canalrivertrust.org.uk. Or make a formal complaint.