The National Association of Boat Owners had three representatives at BW's Annual Meeting in Birmingham on 17th of October who each had questions for members of the BW Board, thereby proving the admission made by BW's chairman, Tony Hales, that User Groups were challenging, supportive, knowledgeable and forceful, and that meeting them was 'as healthily invigorating as a dip in the sea at Christmas'.
Water wastage, money wastage and, above all, consultation, were the main NABO issues, along with BW's increasing 'distance' from its customers and the neglected state of canals such as the southern Oxford. Two questions involved the Boat Safety Scheme – asking why BW had abandoned, without consultation, its financial support of a scheme that it required of boat owners in spite of the seemingly increasing number of accidents and fires.
In answer, the meeting was told that BW's record on water conservation was a success story but admitting the Oxford Canal wasn't, blaming the excess vegetation on problems with contractors. The financial support for the BSS was too trifling a sum for a Chief Executive of a business with a £200M turnover to seek external advice about, and BW had a difficult job balancing efficiency with an adequate presence of 'boys in blue' out on the waterways.
On consultation generally, the Chief Executive and Chairman seemed taken aback that there was anything wrong with it, and that, through meetings and the BWAF, they felt users' views were being taken into account. However the Chief Executive recognised that, if one party left a meeting without feeling that dialogue had taken place, then both parties were to blame, and, if that is how customers felt, then BW would have to try harder. The BW Board has a Fair Trading Committee whose chairman, John Bridgeman, would take a personal interest in user groups' concerns.
At the end of the session, NABO's General Secretary asked what was the future of BW's Headquarters. It seems the prognosis is not optimistic and directors might even end up desk-sharing in premises away from the waterside.
NABO's Chairman commented on the meeting saying, "Tony Hales told me beforehand
that he had put his body armour on and it certainly seemed BW was prepared for
a battle with boaters. Even the IWA, whose motto is 'Waterways for All', castigated
BW for singling out a minority of waterway visitors to have to satisfy the market
whereas the other 97% don't. BW may be prepared to 'fudge and mudge along' for
a year or two to bear the shortfall in asset maintenance funding, but they can't
get away with fudging and mudging the proper process of consultation."