Every help from CaRT

THOUGH this is very rare, we are including the following without a name, as we know of the person, and he wishes to to remain anonymous since he does not wish specific individuals or teams within CaRT to be identified, and writes:

I too am disabled and cannot walk more than 50 yards or so. I was in receipt of Income Support and Housing Benefit, which paid towards my licence until March 2013, when it was all withdrawn due to an Atos re-assessment. Since I am unable to physically present myself at a Job Centre fortnightly, I have no fixed income, and certainly insufficient to cover my licence.

Had to 'disappear'

In October 2013 CaRT obtained a Court order, which most would interpret as a consent from the courts to 'steal my home and sell it to recover outstanding fees. This is entirely incorrect. The Court order in fact gave me 30 days to remove my craft from CaRT waters, after which time CaRT would have the authority to remove it itself. In essence, the Court really only ruled that the craft had to 'disappear' from CaRT waters by whatever means, not that it was inevitable that CaRT take possession of it.

In my opinion, CART was extremely patient for nearly a year while I tried unsuccessfully to obtain some sort of assistance from various councils and social services. It did not 'just turn up with the police, bailiffs etc and throw me out of my home'. I am still living in my home and in fact CaRT went well out of its way to assist me with the removal of my craft from its waters.

CaRT offered assistance

There are actually a few places where one in dire straits can go, such as the rivers Derwent or Idle, which are not controlled by any authority, so licensing etc is not an issue. CaRT actually offered physical assistance in the form of its employees to assist me with locks, and even a helmsman, in order for me to vacate its waters as speedily and easily as possible. All this, without any guarantee that outstanding arrears will ever be paid, although I will of course pay these up as soon as I am financially able to do so. In the end I was fortunate enough to be offered a place off CaRT waters where I can keep my boats, so all is well now, and the assistance was not required.

I am not suggesting that CaRT has always been quite so forgiving, but I do wonder how much responsibility should be borne by the vulnerable boaters themselves? In my case, I could not justify 'refusing to move', or going to live elsewhere, since CaRT really did try hard to assist me to resolve the issue, even if it caused loss and extra expence to itself.

Someone should be appointed

I do agree that someone should be appointed to deal with cases involving vulnerable people and should be tasked with approaching the various DWP departments/councils on the boaters' behalf, where the boater has exhausted all possible means of obtaining assistance—or as in my case—not even a reply from seven out of nine applications made.

No, there are usually two sides to every story, let's be fair and give all the facts.