Following Richard Parry’s announcement that he would be leaving his role as CEO, Canal and River Trust have selected serial charity CEO Campbell Robb as his replacement. Previously CEO of housing charity Shelter and currently criminal justice, housing and education charity Nacro, Robb has long experience of running organisations attempting to paper over the cracks of a failing British state. Perhaps that why he was chosen.
Canal and River Trust’s previous CEO Richard Parry as previously featured on NBTA London
As when Parry took up the role shortly after the foundation of CRT, a certain amount of optimism was expressed at the announcement. Robb’s experience in the “social justice” third sector has been cited as evidence that boaters without a home mooring could get better treatment from the Trust. That would be nice, but given the stuff coming out of the licence review, even if that were his intention – and there is no evidence that it is – such a change in the well entrenched culture of CRT seems unlikely.
Anyone who takes the time to read Canal and Rivers Trust’s (CRT) regular cure for insomnia – the Boaters’ Update – will know that the Trust likes to go on about how they are in charge of a 200 year old system, naturally giving the impression that they are doing an outstanding job of it. But this raises a couple of questions – can the system really be called 200 years old, and are they doing an outstanding job?
Have you ever thought about how old everything really is? Take for example one of the most iconic pieces of canal infrastructure – locks, and in particular lock gates. Lock gates have a life span of…25 years, so you definitely won’t be using any 200 year old lock gates in the near future. The same goes for the towpaths which now support a lot more traffic than the original towpaths were designed for (the Regent’s Canal towpath goes all the way back to…1979)…and the metal armco piling which holds the canal in… definitely not 200 years old. I’m sure you can think of other things. It really is Trigger’s Broom from the British comedy, Only Fools and Horses made real! (“with 17 heads and 14 handles; how can it be the same broom” …)
Damage at Toddbrook Reservoir Dam
But what about where truly old things need looking after? Well CRT are bigging-up their impending work on the Toddbrook reservoir dam in the Peak district. The dam was completed in 1840. In 2016 one of the spillways, which had been added in 1970, started to collapse following a week long deluge of rain. The reservoir was full to the brim and the town of Whaley Bridge had to be evacuated for six days as the 80 foot tall dam – which held back over one and a quarter billion litres of water – was at risk of breaching. While the poor design and build of the spillway was central to the collapse, CRT’s poor maintenance and reporting systems were identified as major contributory factors. Of course, no mention of this is made in your latest Boaterzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Update.
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A volunteer organisation formed in 2009 campaigning and providing advice for itinerant boat dwellers on Britain’s inland and coastal waterways
National Bargee Travellers Association - London Branch 