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What will become of the Waterways Managers?

12/2/2018

11 Comments

 
​In what can only be described as a surprise move, C&RT will replace its six remaining Waterways Managers with six Regional Directors, writes Allan Richards. Having advertised for Regional Advisory Board Chairs who will replace Waterway Partnership Chairs, the Trust now appears to have decided not to promote existing Waterways Managers to Regional Directors but to make new appointments, with all the additional costs of recruitment. 
 
As before, there has been no announcement that the Trust is recruiting – or public discussion of the new structure - just a single advert in the Sunday Times that looks hurriedly put together. The advertisement is less than professional with a graph which does not say which of the two lines is the expenditure and a strange photo with no caption. The advert was placed on 23 January 2018 with a closing date of 19 February.



The stage appears to be set for the appointment of another group of top managers who need have no knowledge or understanding of waterways or boats, never mind boaters. Perhaps that is what we must now expect as Richard Parry focuses on the 'wellbeing' of every type of canal visitor.


The Trust is seeking six Regional Directors on an undisclosed salary. The advert states: ‘The appointed individuals will be given a large degree of autonomy to deliver the Trust’s plans and objectives whilst working within a broad team of waterway, property and other associated professionals. It would be desirable if candidates could demonstrate experience of community engagement, growing visitor numbers, and delivering operational performance, as well as commercial and financial acumen.’ 
 
The advertisment goes on to say: ‘The regional structure is made up of six large waterways across England & Wales. The six Regional Directors will lead on all aspects of volunteering, engagement, education, local fundraising, events, restoration, communications, licensing and attractions and will manage the contracts which are critical to ensure excellence in customer service. The new regions will strengthen the Trust’s ability to deliver customer service and build reach, awareness and support, and to provide the opportunity for the Trust to maximize the breadth of public good that it achieves.’ 
 
The only mention of navigation or boating is the reference to licensing but the question surely is whether licensing really something that is better run locally? Could it be that C&RT still pursuing zoning of licence fees which was so roundly rejected early on in the recent consultation?  
 
However, at least we now know – almost be accident - the names and geographic extent of the six new Regions (even if exact boundaries are somewhat elusive). They are included in the advert! 


  • North West, including Liverpool city region, Lancashire, Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Cheshire.
  • Yorkshire and the North East, including the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Sheffield City Region, North Lincolnshire, Humber and Stockton on Tees.
  • The West Midlands including the combined authority and surrounding counties, i.e. Stafford, Worcestershire, Stoke on Trent, Coventry, Warwickshire and Shropshire.
  • East Midlands, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire.
  • London & South East, Greater London, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Milton Keynes, Berkshire, Reading, Slough, Oxfordshire.
  • South West and Wales (Wales as a whole for external relations but operationally there will be nuances) Swindon & Wiltshire, Gloucester, Bath and Somerset.
 
Does that last bit mean that that the Llangollen canal is now operationally in the West Midlands? 
 
On a more serious note, what will happen to the remaining six Waterways Managers? Will C&RT simply make them redundant to make way for the new Regional Directors or will they be found positions within the new structure? 
​

11 Comments
Roger Abbott
12/2/2018 08:22:29

Stand by for another almighty fiasco festival from CRT.

Allowing "a large degree of autonomy to deliver the Trust’s plans and objectives" to a bunch of candidates who are required to "demonstrate experience of community engagement, growing visitor numbers" but not required to show any understanding of boats, boaters, the boating community and its day to day needs and requirements, the navigation, its infrastructure and maintenance and the preservation of various historically important sites and buildings just as long as they can show themselves capable of "delivering operational performance, as well as commercial and financial acumen".

How can someone lacking understanding of these basics possibly be capable of "delivering operational performance", and as for commercial and financial acumen, tell me again... how much is it that CRT are trying to borrow in order to balance the books for the next few years... 150 million wasn't it ?

So, bottom line, the long suffering boating community is once again going to be saddled with a bunch of idiotic schemes and plans aimed at bolstering CRT's failing credibility with yet more "wellbeing" plans put together by yet another bunch of high flyers who live in houses, work in offices and know next to nothing about the boating community or our way of life !

CReTins

Reply
Brian Jarrett
12/2/2018 09:51:53

Well Mr Abbott so elequantly put !
The only thing I would add is :-
Have we not just had a well publicised round of redundancies of middle & higher management and now we appear to be adding another layer of “Directors” this time around
Perhaps the large borrowing is in part to pay for these new positions !
As again you point out that these higher management positions have nil requirement for even a rudimentary understand of navigations or boating

Reply
Desmond Deckhand
12/2/2018 10:06:03

so the idiots are replacing regional management with regional directors probably with at least double the salary's and they think that is going to improve things? How will that work eh ???

Reply
Alan Theaker
12/2/2018 13:01:23

I think c&rt top brass have only recently twigged that our housing shortage & balloon immigrant population is spilling over onto the cut when it was happening back in the 90s & powerless to do anything about it they want to pass the buck as leisure boats are gradually squeezed off with ever increasing numbers of liver boards. Marinas however won't suffer & c&rt have a portfolio of 19, all built in the last fifteen years. So perhaps it's a change of career direction they seek.
Alias Whistler nb Sawdust

Reply
Lynda Ogden
12/2/2018 15:01:28

As we have come to expect from this outfit, this sounds like yet another "bright idea" for a priveliged few to get rich for doing nothing related to waterways or the associated life. How they have the faced cheek to call themselves a "trust" when they engender to very little of it through their actions.

Reply
Brian D Jarrett
13/2/2018 07:48:49

I’ve had direct contact with various senior members of the truston on many issues related to boating
Whilst they have appeared to be concerned and open to discussion I have made it abundantly clear that they need to engage, with experienced and long term boaters, at an early stage on matters that have an impact on boaters and Navigation before introducing changes
This is the only way that they could start to show some transparacy in their actions and possible win over “paying customer”
The current meetings of “mooring & Navigation” groups appear to only operate as a gesture by CaRT !
Brian D Jarrett
Autarky

Reply
Alan Theaker
13/2/2018 12:52:37

For those of you boaters on the cut prior to 2008 will recall BW top brass appointing themselves entrepreneurs with public money & asset's. These were civil servants that weren't paid to think, but to do a job. Therefore wouldn't have a clue how to run a business & back then they took it upon themselves to invest monies destined for canal restoration work & upkeep to buying pubs instead & I think twenty pubs were bought at how many tens of millions. Whilst also busy buying pubs from 2002 to 08, tens of millions was also spent on building marinas under the ownership of newly formed BW Marina's LTD. So fair comment is it that government bodies would think with all this flashing of cash BW doesn't need subsidising. Ten years on, now skint, the same bunch of self appointed entrepreneurs are seeking to borrow money. To invest in what one wonders! & What happened to the pubs investment we here nothing about?
Alias Whistler nb Sawdust, cc git

Reply
Nicole
16/2/2018 13:37:50

And one of those pubs, right by a lock, didn't let dogs in nor muddy boots! Therefore alienated boaters and walkers. Who's bright idea was that? Things changed quickly after a barrage of complaints

Reply
Brian D Jarrett
16/2/2018 13:47:20

Unfortunately as I’ve already pointed out decisions affecting boaters are made without any prior consultation with itinerant and experienced boater
They then wonder why we become disengaged with them
WAKE up CaRT include your long suffering paying customers in your navigational aims

Reply
Alan Theaker
8/3/2018 13:41:01

Times are changing Brian in that of long established experienced boaters are probably like myself, retired & we now retired have lived through post war prosperity, job security & or opportunity & luxuries of expensive pass times incl 2nd homes. A dying breed one could say. Millennial on the other hand are much less spoilt. No job security, minimum hours contracts, competition for jobs fifty fold & cheapest affordable accommodation being that of a boat. So the role of C&RT is changing to that of catering for ever increasing numbers of livaboards opposed to satisfying the needs of spoilt retirees with 2nd homes. Well that's my theory.
Whistler nb Sawdust

Reply
Colin
27/10/2018 11:58:18

If someone with "commercial and financial acumen" gets a job with crt,at least they will have ONE person with those attributes!!!

Reply



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