The Floater August 2017

August 2017 - Whilst it is rare to the point of vanishing to see the Inland Waterways Association criticise the Canal & River Trust it has no similar compunction about attacking the Environment Agency, especially over its East Anglian waterways, as Peter Underwood explains.

The IWA has not signed a 'Memorandum of Understanding' with the Environment Agency (EA) and is desperate to see its waterways run by its friends at the C&RT, so it suits the organisation to be able to declare that an 'EA Waterway is Not Fit for Purpose' as it does in its current newsletter.

August 2017 - Boaters have a view of the Canal & River Trust shaped by using its waterways but the Trust itself is bent on promoting itself on a much wider basis and spends lots of money and effort in portraying itself as much more than a navigation authority. Peter Underwood has been going through the press releases to get a view of how C&RT wants to be seen.

Next weekend is Manchester Pride and C&RT is 'transforming a series of historic lock gates and a bridge crossing over the Rochdale Canal into rainbow colours' - to celebrate.

August 2017 - The Canal & River Trust's team of spin doctors churn out largely self-congratulatory press releases every week, you can read them on their website if you are interested. Now and again there is something on interest to boaters and Peter Underwood has been sorting the wheat from the chaff.

If you are one of the hundreds of boaters planning to pass along the Shropshire Union Canal this week – and especially next weekend – C&RT is delighted to tell you that you'll be meeting hundreds of dedicated anglers.

August 2017 - One of C&RT's claims when it launched its Annual Report last month was that 2016/17 included its biggest ever programme of lock gate replacements. Allan Richards digs out the facts and comes to the conclusion that, once again, the Trust's claims are not supported by the facts.

Worse still, it appears that the Trust has misled on the number of gates it produces and installs and falls far short of the requirement to replace gates every 25 years.

August 2017 - Plans to replace The Flapper pub on historic Cambrian Wharf in central Birmingham with 80 flats crammed alongside the basin have already outraged 8,500 people who have signed an online petition against the development, as Peter Underwood reports.

While boaters and music fans are clearly appalled at such an insensitive development in a highly sensitive heritage area and concerned about the impact on those who moor their boats in Cambrian Wharf there has been no comment from Canal& River Trust.