Oh yes they do!

IN RESPONSE to the claim by Canal & River Trust's Paul Griffin that 'They don't get away with it' (NbW—9/8/2012), I would reply 'Oh yes they do!', states Allan Richards.

But whilst Paul is referring to licence evaders, I am referring to the conflicting statistics the executive directors of British Waterways and now CART get away with time and time again purporting to show how well they are performing.

Reduced evasion

Licence evasion has been an issue with boaters for many years. Indeed, it has been an issue with British Waterways for years because it means lost revenue.

Paul tells us that evasion has reduced from 10.4% in 2007 to 3.4% in 2012. That's exactly what the 2011/12 annual report tells us as well on page 19 '....significant improvements in the licence evasion rate which dropped 7% since we adopted new monitoring and enforcement procedures in 2007, standing at 3.4% in March 2012'.

Not 10.4%

However, the 2006/7 annual report categorically states that licence evasion rate was not at 10.4%. Specifically it says (on page 16) 'Throughout the year we have cracked down on unlicensed boats, reducing evasion by 1.5% to 7.1% and removing 125 unlicenced boats using our powers under British Waterways Act 1983.'

So it was just 7.1% in 2007 not 10.4% as claimed.

Personal target

Furthermore, Simon Salem, British Waterways (and now CART) marketing director was set a personal target to reduce evasion to 3% in 2006/7 and again in 2008/9. Yet six years later evasion is still above that target!

It is like visitor numbers. Directors are set targets which they then fail to achieve. So they simply change the figures and make preposterous claims about how well they are performing.

The thing is that they get away with it time after time after time.
Oh yes they do!