The Floater November 2017

November 2017 - Canal & River Trust has finally confirmed that it is to spend £7m less this winter in maintaining the waterways entrusted to it, but the mystery that remains is another £80m allegedly spent on 'restoration' as Allan Richards reports.

C&RT's admission follows a Floater article quoting press releases detailing spend during the winter period for the last four years (C&RT boasts of maintenance spend – but it's down £7 million this winter).

November 2017 - Not satisfied with reaching out to cyclists, dog walkers and runners C&RT is now targetting fans of funk, disco and house music from the days of Manchester’s Hacienda club, as Peter Underwood reports.

Lock 91 on the Rochdale Canal is to host what the Trust describes as 'the World’s first DJ set in a drained canal lock chamber' and it claims, 'visitors can dance the night away to some much-loved Hacienda club classics,' - although the event ends at 9.00pm

November 2017 - The formidable Jenny Maxwell has just posted this and it sums up the feelings of many, many boaters:

"It's a while since I wrote this, but it still seems relevant.

CAN YOU HEAR ME?

At ITV news report gave it out that the inland waterways of Britain are now in a thriving and healthy state, because of the investment that has been made by the Government through, first, British Waterways, and more recently, the Canal and River Trust.

Rubbish!

November 2017 - How often have you seen boaters with a mooring complaining about continuous cruisers 'not paying their way' and implying that far too many are licence evaders? Now a Freedom of Information request has produced results that will surprise many – as well as questions about C&RT data on licence evasion, as Peter Underwood reports.

It began when Alan Baxter, a continuous cruiser who sits on the National Bargee Travellers Association National Committee representing Leicestershire & Warwickshire, decided to ask who were the real licence evaders.

November 2017 - After parting company with Sophie Castell as marketing, communications and fundraising director, the Canal & River Trust has now also said goodbye to Ian Rogers, as customer services and operations director and effective head of boating – seemingly matching the Prime Minister in shedding cabinet ministers – but Richard Parry has avoided a reshuffle by redistributed their roles amongst the remaining seven directors, writes Peter Underwood.