No vulnerable boaters policy

THE Canal & River Trust (CaRT) has admitted that it has no policy for dealing with vulnerable people, writes Allan Richards.

In a written response to a National Association of Boat Owners (NABO) official, Simon Robbins, it admits that it has no ‘formal procedures, policies, guidance or other standing written instructions'.

Petition

It was a petition entitled ‘Stop evicting disabled elderly and vulnerable boat dwellers' that brought public attention to the way in which CaRT were treating some of its most vulnerable boaters. The petition, which attracted almost 5,000 signatures, gave three examples including ‘Maggie', a mentally ill boater, who was made homeless and living rough by the Trust.

A further example of the way in which the Trust deals with the vulnerable was highlighted by Pam Pickett in narrowboatworld (Chief executive to review illness cases).

Delay

In view of the storm of protest, it is perhaps understandable that the Trust has delayed a month before simply admitting that it has no written mechanism for dealing with its obligations under the Equalities Act 2010.

Hopefully, it will now implement the very reasonable suggestion from NABO's Vice Chairman, Mark Tizzard, that a welfare manager be appointed.

Who better than a welfare manager to formulate its procedures and policy relating to the vulnerable?

[It is understood that the appointment of a welfare manager is also backed by the Association of Continuous Cruisers. CaRT now stae that such an appointment is one of a number of options it is considering.]