Unnecessarily aggressive
THE National Association of Boat Owners (NABO) has strongly criticised Canal & River Trust (CaRT) proposals to amend boat licence terms and conditions, writes Allan Richards.
Commenting on the proposals NABO council say they ‘seem to adopt an unnecessarily aggressive tone'.Just one day to comment
National boating associations were given CaRT's proposed amendments just one working day before a meeting on the 19th January and asked for their comments. However, NABO's Vice Chairman, Mark Tizzard, (who was present with Chairman, Mike Rodd), told the meeting that longer was needed to review the changes.
NABO subsequently published CaRT's proposals asking its membership to provide input to its Council's response which it published on 10th February.
Aggressive
NABO's has commented both generally and specifically on CaRT's proposals. Its general comments read:
NABO's Council believes that these proposals seem to adopt an unnecessarily aggressive tone; not the way in which you might expect an organisation to welcome new and retain existing customers.
CRT is seemingly trying to bolster the ‘contract'—not as it states ‘to make it clear to boaters', most of whom will never read it. It smacks of ‘I have a lawyer and you do not, so I (CRT) will take advantage in this contract because you have no choice'. A new customer should not have to get legal advice before applying for a licence. It greatly saddens us.
If we take it on face value that CRT says it needs these changes to manage current boaters' misbehaviour, then it is a sad reflection on our waterways. It just goes to show how the misbehaviour of a few has resulted in significant change in regulations for everyone.
NABO also states that the Trust should have a note at the end of its Terms & Conditions confirming that agreement to them does not absolve either party from complying with any relevant law or Act of Parliament governing CaRT's canals and rivers.
Unnecessary and bullying
In its response, NABO raises specific concerns about the obligation for boats to ‘cruise', recovery of costs and the Trust's new self given powers to enter land and board boats. It also raises concerns regarding clauses that may not comply with the Data Protection Act 1998. Proposals on refunds are labelled as ‘corporate theft' and proposals that would prevent a boater applying for a licence as ‘unnecessary and bullying'.
CaRT's suggestion that in future it will only give one month's notice to vary terms and conditions in future is condemned as ‘aggressive and unreasonable'.
Other organisations
The other boater organisations attending the national boating associations meeting on 19th January were IWA, AWCC and ACC. RBOA were invited but did not attend, presumably due to the resignation of its chairman (Bandsman Jim falls out). NBTA were not invited.
Out of these five organisations, four appear not to have made membership aware of the proposed changes to licence terms and conditions via their websites. Only RBOA has published the proposal but it has asked members to respond direct to CaRT.
One is left wondering if boating organisations other than NABO will bother to respond.
.... and if they do so if it will be with the benefit of input from membership?
[The full NABO response can be found at:
Details of the proposed changes and notes from the last two national boating organisation meetings can also be found on the NABO website.]