meeting of the board of trustees - canal & river trust · -1 - meeting of the board of trustees...

-1 -

MEETING OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Minutes of a meeting of the Board of Trustees (the Trustees) of Canal & River Trust (the Trust) held

at BDP, 11 Ducie St, Piccadilly Basin Manchester M1 2JB on Thursday 19 November 2015 at

8.00a.m

Present : Allan Leighton Chairman

Lynne Berry Trustee and Deputy Chair

Tom Franklin Trustee

Jane Cotton Trustee

Frances Done Trustee

Manish Chande Trustee

Simon Thurley Trustee

John Dodwell Trustee

Ben Gordon Trustee Apologies: Steve Shine Trustee

In attendance

Richard Parry Chief Executive

Stuart Mills Property Director

Vince Moran Operations & Asset Management Director

Sandra Kelly Finance Director

Jackie Lewis General Counsel and Company Secretary

Heather Clarke Executive Head of Strategy and Planning (15/081, 15/084 & 15/085 only)

Julie Sharman Head of Asset Management & Performance (15/081 only)

Simon Bamford Head of Asset Delivery (15/081 only)

Yetunde Salami Assistant Company Secretary (Minutes)

Carol Rudge Partner Grant Thornton (15/083 only)

Stephen Harper Senior Manager Grant Thornton (15/083 only)

Action

15/079 APOLOGIES

As noted above.

CHAIRMAN’S WELCOME & REMARKS

The Chairman welcomed all those present to the meeting. The Chairman

reported that notice of the meeting had been given to all members entitled to

receive it and that a quorum was present. The meeting then proceeded to

business.

Trustees noted that the Board stakeholder reception held the previous evening

in Manchester had been successful and well attended. There was agreement

CRT Trustee Minutes – 19 November 2015

- 2 -

that the Board’s afternoon visit to the city had identified the need to further

‘showcase’ the Trust’s activities – notably at visible high footfall locations like

Canal Street, to increase public awareness of the city’s canals, and to work in

partnership with Manchester City Council.

15/080 REGISTER OF INTERESTS & DECLARATION OF INTERESTS IN ANY

MATTER ON THE AGENDA [CRT160]

Trustees declared their interests as follows:

- Jane Cotton as a Pension Fund Trustee.

- Lynne Berry as a licenced boat owner.

- John Dodwell as the Chair of Montgomery Canal Partnership, a Licenced

Boat owner, Pension Fund Trustee, Committee member Commercial Boat

Operators Association and as Managing Director Rolandon Water & Sea

Freight Advisory Services.

- Manish Chande is a founding member and Senior Partner at Clearbell

Capital LLP. Under its discretionary mandate, Partners Capital (the Trust’s

fund manager) has allocated capital via pooled investments to CP Real

Estate Holdings Limited, a property company advised by Clearbell.

Partners Capital has also invested in CPBM Finance Limited (Project

Monza) a joint venture, which includes a fund managed by Clearbell.

The register was noted and no other interests were declared.

15/081 Commercially confidential material removed

Commercially confidential material removed



15/082 MINUTES

The minutes of the meetings held on 24 September 2015 were approved.


Matters arising:

It was noted that some of the matters arising from previous meetings held would

be considered during the course of this meeting and most of the outstanding

matters were either ongoing or completed.

(Carol Rudge and Stephen Harper of Grant Thornton joined the meeting.)

SK

15/083 CHARITY GOVERNANCE TRAINING PLAN – GRANT THORNTON

Carol Rudge and Stephen Harper gave a presentation on charity governance

with highlights on

financial reporting requirements

details of the Trust’s restricted and unrestricted funds

duties of trustees including serious incident reporting


- 3 -

hallmarks of an effective charity

fraud landscape and spotting fraud in the current environment

Carol Rudge noted that Trustees had a good appreciation of their duties.

In discussion it was noted that whilst the Trustees have overall responsibility for

reporting fraud, the Board’s Audit & Risk Committee monitors this on behalf of

the Board. It is management’s responsibility to ensure that necessary processes

are in place to prevent fraud.

Trustees thanked Carol Rudge and Stephen Harper for the presentation.

Carol Rudge and Stephen Harper left the meeting.

(Heather Clarke re-joined the meeting)








(Heather Clarke left the meeting.)




15/087 REVISED SCHEME OF DELEGATION [CRT165]

Richard presented the revised Scheme of Delegation which had been earlier circulated to trustees. Trustees commended the work done. It was noted that Section 28a and 28e of the Scheme seem very similar and one should be deleted with the remaining point making it clear that this matter is delegated to the Remuneration Committee.

RP

The Board approved the publication of the revised Scheme of Delegation,

subject to making this change.



- 4 -





15/090 GOVERNANCE APPOINTMENTS [CRT 168]

Trustees received and noted a paper from the Head of Governance Services concerning ongoing council elections, Bwrdd Glandwr Cymru and Partnership members. The Board ratified the following appointments to fill casual vacancies in the: London Partnership: - Dominic Pinto, 3 years to 19 November 2018 North East:- Caroline Thorogood, 3 years to 22 October 2018

Trustees noted that


Allan Leighton was appointed as a member of the Appointments

Committee

LB

RP

15/091 CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REPORT (CRT 169]

Richard Parry presented his written report which also incorporated the individual Director reports as appendices. Richard Parry explained that the Growing our Trust Workshops had been successful in reaching the vast majority of the Trust’s employees, and feedback from the workshops was positive. Commercially confidential material removed

KPIs: In response to queries raised about the performance indicators which

were falling short of their target, Richard Parry explained the current status. He

acknowledged that some targets had been consciously ambitious, with

performance improving but not at the rate proposed. A further update will be

given to the next Board meeting in January. RP

Health and Safety: Vince Moran presented highlights of his report and asked

the Board to note in particular the recent issues relating to volunteers explained

in the report. The report was noted.

Operations and Asset Management: Vince Moran presented his report


Customer Service: Richard Parry introduced the Customer Service report

which was noted.

Commercially confidential material removed.



- 5 -

Marketing and Communications: The report was noted




15/093 BOARD COMMITTEES


15/094 ANY OTHER BUSINESS

It was agreed that the Company Secretary should ensure that where possible

future board meetings be held in the hotel where Trustees are lodged.

Trustees noted that this was the last Board meeting that Vince Moran will

attend before his retirement. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, Allan

Leighton thanked Vince Moran for his immense contribution and service to

the Trust.

JL

15/095 DATES OF FUTURE MEETINGS

Wednesday 13 January 2016 (Sheffield) Wednesday 9 March 2016 (Liverpool) Thursday 12 May 2016 (NW& Borders TBC)

Wednesday 22 June 2016 (Conference call to approve accounts)

15/096 CLOSE OF MEETING

There being no further business, the Chairman closed the formal proceedings

at 12.40p.m.

Chairman

Trustee Ratification of Governance Appointments 1 November 2015

CRT168

MEMORANDUM TO THE BOARD REPORT BY THE HEAD OF GOVERNANCE SERVICES

10 November 2015

GOVERNANCE APPOINTMENTS

1.0 Council Elections. 1.1 The Nominations stage is now complete and we have contested elections in 4 out of the 5

constituencies:

Private Boating, 4 places - 8 candidates Business Boating, 2 places - 4 candidates Volunteers, 1 place - 3 candidates Employees, 1 place - 4 candidates

Overall, the numbers standing for election are reduced compared with 2012 when elections were held for Private Boating, Business Boating and Employees. However, in each contested election there is a reasonably balanced field of candidates.

1.2 Unfortunately in the Friends constituency, 3 people offered themselves as nominees but none achieved the required level of 5 eligible supporters to validate their candidacy, so there will be no election. Despite a sustained awareness campaign over the last 6 months (across all constituencies), as a new group the Friends do not yet have the network of contacts with other Friends that would have enabled more to stand and find support. The Appointments Committee has agreed to make a 2-year co-option from amongst 3 individuals who offered themselves as potential nominees, and the election can be re-run in 2018.

1.3 Voting opens on Friday 13 November and closes on Friday 11 December with results announced

on Monday 14 December. 2.0 Bwrdd Glandŵr Cymru. 2.1 The first meeting of the Board was held on 17 September in Trevor. 3.0 Partnership Members 3.1 Partnership Member appointments are the responsibility of each Partnership Chair. However,

appointments are subject to ratification by Trustees. Members are usually appointed for 3 years but some shorter terms of appointment are being made to enable rotation. Members may serve a maximum of 6 years.

3.2 Since the September 2015 Trustee meeting, two appointments have been made, with no further

Partnership renewals. These now require ratification by Trustees and are listed below commercially confidential material removed


3.3 South Wales & Severn, South East, Kennet & Avon and Central Shires are all actively looking for new members to join the Partnerships.

3.3 Annex 1 sets out the numbers of Partnership members, their remaining terms of office, and the

number serving a second term. 3.4 Appointments to fill casual vacancies.

The following appointments are to fill casual vacancies:

3.4.1 London Dominic Pinto, 3 years to 19 November 2018 Commercially confidential material removed

3.4.2 North East. Caroline Thorogood, 3 years to 22 October 2018


4.0 Recommendation. Trustees are asked to ratify the Partnership member appointment set out in Section 3.

Roger Hanbury November 2015


ANNEX 1

TABLE PARTNERSHIP MEMBERS TERMS OF OFFICE

PARTNERSHIP CURRENT

MEMBERSHIP NOS - TOTAL

REMAINING TERM OF OFFICE

NO. ON 2ND TERM Less

than 12 months

12-23 months

24-36 months

Central Shires 8 - - 8* 6*

East Midlands 11 - - 11* 8*

Kennet & Avon 8 1* 2 5 4

London 13 - 5 8* 7*

Manchester & Pennine 12 - 1* 11 8*

North East 10 - 3 7* 7*

North Wales & Borders 12 1 2 9* 4

North West 9 4 4 1* 2

South East 8 2 1 5* 4*

South Wales & Severn 7 3 1* 3 6

West Midlands 13 2 8* 3 10*

TOTAL 111 13 27 71 66

* Includes Chair

INFORMATION REPORT

CRT169

TEXT IN RED CONFIDENTIAL

Page 1

MEMORANDUM TO THE BOARD

CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REPORT – NOVEMBER 2015

1.0 INTRODUCTION & OVERVIEW

1.1 This report covers the period for the half year to the end of September 2015, with updates for recent weeks where available.

1.2 The main focus of the past two months has been the ‘Growing Our Trust’ employee engagement and culture change programme with almost 1,500 colleagues attending one of the thirteen workshops generating very positive feedback, with over 90% understanding the purpose of the programme and the need for it.

1.3 More recently, on 10 November we announced the start of a consultation to close the Waterways Pension Fund to future accruals from the end of September 2016. The Board will be given a verbal update on the reaction from employees at the meeting.

2.0 PERFORMANCE

2.1 Appendix 1 sets out performance in the year to date across the range of KPIs. As reported in September, it is already clear that we won’t meet the year-end target in some areas:

The percentage of planned High Priority Defects cleared (29%) remains significantly behind the rate required to reach the year-end target (95%), though the volume cleared in the past two months has accelerated as the different work planning arrangements have been embedded and transition issues addressed.

The Employee survey undertaken in the summer yielded a 40% engagement score.

2.2 Other measures that are behind the plan but which are recoverable during the second half of the year include:

The Safety AFR measure is behind target at the end of September and has deteriorated further to 0.29 in October (as shown in the Health & Safety report); it is now more unlikely that we can recover to hit the year-end target and this is likely to go ‘red’ at the next Board. The public safety measure is however achievable with a small improvement required in the second half of the year.

No of regular visitors is remaining at the historically high level of 4.5m visits in the past fortnight (averaged) but has yet to reach the target of 4.75m

The pace of the education programme has been limited in the first half of the year by the resource available in the team but it is expected to expand in the remainder of the year with three new recruits

Volunteer satisfaction is marginally behind the target for the year

Awareness of the Trust at 30% has not increased as expected and is now some way behind plan, though being survey based it is possible that this may catch up with the target.

Carbon emissions are very slightly off the planned rate, but are recoverable.

2.3 Commercially confidential material removed.

3.0 EXECUTIVE REPORTS

3.1 The Executive’s reports feature as Appendices 2 to 8. The main points to draw to the Board’s attention are:

Appendix 2 (Health & Safety) reports a decline in volunteer safety due to three incidents (including one involving the Chair of the local Waterway Partnership and another with a historic working boat volunteer, neither involved in repair works);

Appendix 3 (Operations & Asset Management) reports on the serious damage incurred at Caen Hill on the Kennet & Avon canal due to vandalism which is currently under review;

Appendix 4 (Customer Services) reports on further progress with our new approach to non-compliant Continuous Cruisers, with a number of those given short duration licences now making greater efforts to be compliant.


Appendix 6 (Fundraising) updates on the state of the fundraising industry, with the news that Fundraising Initiatives Limited, one of the largest suppliers of face to face fundraising in the UK and one of our suppliers until last year, entered administration on 1 November 2015, the latest in a series of suppliers to collapse. More positively, it reports our continuing progress in developing new corporate and trust partnerships, and in securing third party funding for towpath improvements.

Appendix 7 (Marketing/Communications) reports on our parliamentary reception at which the Waterway Minister gave strong backing to the Trust, following a positive meeting with the Chair and Chief Executive earlier in October.


4.0 UPDATE ON OTHER ACTIVITIES

4.1 Dr Sophie Castell has been appointed as our new Marketing, Communications & Fundraising Director and joins the Trust on 1 December. As reported in the last Board meeting, Operations & Asset Management Director Vince Moran will retire at Christmas and this will be his final Board meeting. Arrangements to replace Vince, approved by the trustees in September, have been agreed, with Ian Rogers assuming the Operations & Customer Service Director role from January, and asset responsibilities shared between Julie Sharman (Asset Management & Performance) and Simon Bamford (Asset Delivery) on the executive team.

4.2 Head of Fundraising Ruth Ruderham has resigned and will also leave at Christmas. Ruth has developed our fundraising capability from scratch and has established a strong team. Sophie Castell will review the scope of the role prior to starting recruitment of her successor, especially as there is also a vacancy for the head of enterprise role.

4.3 Commercially confidential material removed

4.4 Following a successful joint visit with the Chief Executive of Natural England, a new Memorandum of Understanding was agreed in early November which opens up the possibility of greater delegation to the Trust for the management of our SSSIs and other environmentally sensitive sites.

RICHARD PARRY Chief Executive November 2015

Appendix 1 : KPIs 2015/16 as at 30 September 2015

Bi-monthly Performance Measures Sep YTD Sep YTD Target Actual

2015 Target 2015/16 2014/15

Employee, Volunteer and Contractor Safety: RIDDOR Accident Frequency Rate (accidents per 100,000 hours)

0.23 0.18 0.18 0.23

Public Safety: Proportion of injuries directly associated with infrastructure condition

8.3% 8% 8% 8.5%

№ of days of unplanned closures to navigation

327 425 850 925

% of planned High Priority Customer Service/ Safety related Infrastructure Defects cleared

29% 47.5% 95% 81%

Users - % satisfied with experience (50% boaters,50% towpath visitors)

85% 70% 70% n/a

№ of individual visitors to our waterways in typical two week period (over last 12 months)

4.5 m 4.63 m 4.75 m 4.5 m

№ of children participating in face to face ‘Explorer’ educational sessions

23,283 34,000 50,000 43,586

№ of Volunteer Hours worked 233,832 218,000 475,000 411,419

Volunteers - % satisfied / that would recommend

87% 88% 88% 87%

Total № of Community Adoptions 120 115 125 104

% of people surveyed who are aware of the Trust - ‘brand awareness’ (over last 12 months)

30% 33% 35% 30%

% of people surveyed who say they are likely to support the Trust (over last 12 months)

24% 24% 25% 22%

№ of active Friends/ regular donors 14,740 13,377 17,000 9,754

Carbon Emissions Plan – Electricity Consumption (GWH)

11.5 11.0 22 23.4

Employees - Employee engagement score

40% 40% 48% 46% (part-

survey)

INFORMATION REPORT

CRT169 TEXT IN RED CONFIDENTIAL

APPENDIX 2: HEALTH & SAFETY MANAGEMENT

Report by Operations & Asset Management Director – November 2015 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 This report covers the period September/October 2015. The format of the report is in line

with the format of reports presented at each Trustee meeting during the year and covers the key areas of risk – Assets, Visitors, Employees, Volunteers and Contractors.

2.0 ASSETS 2.1 Asset Inspection Process 2.1.1 The Head of Asset Management & Performance is progressing improvements in the

structure of the inspections area with the recent appointment of technician engineers and dedicated lock gate inspectors.

3.0 VISITOR SAFETY 3.1 There were 8 fatalities on our property during the period with none being as a result of

infrastructure failings or other cause attributable to the Trust. This is in line with the long term average

3.2 Infrastructure related issues 3.2.1 The analysis of incidents involving members of the public reported during 2015/16 shows

205 incidents were reported where loss or injury occurred, 18 incidents were related to infrastructure i.e. 8.8%. This is above our target rate of 8%

6 pedestrians injured – 3 walked into a low branch, 3 fall in hole in towpath 5 boaters injured – 1 fall from quadrant, 2 fall into hole in towpath, 1 cut hand on

defective water point, 1 hit by low branch 5 cyclists injured – 3 fall from cycle due to towpath defect, 2 hit a low branch. 1 boat damaged – collided with a low branch 1 angler injured - fall into hole at fishing peg

3.2.2 The increasing number of incidents relating to low branches has initiated a review of our inspection and vegetation management processes to ensure that risks of such injuries can be reduced.

3.2.3 The following charts show the trend in Infrastructure related injuries and incident type:

3.3 Visitor reportable injuries

During the period, there has been no visitor reportable injury

4.0 EMPLOYEES 4.1 The chart below shows the overall position with regard to reportable (RIDDOR) injuries and the overall Lost Time Injuries:

Slip/trip/fall , 10Vegetation

related, 7

Injured by machinery or equipment, 1

Incident Type 2015/16

320

244

287

373334

353

205

11.9 10.2 9.4 9.4 10.2 8.5 8.8

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

40.0

45.0

50.0

Total loss & injuryincidents

% infrastructure related

Inci

den

ts

% I

nfr

astr

uct

ure

rela

ted

1110 10

9

1011

98

7 7 76

7 78

98 8

1213

12 1213 13

12

12 11

98 8

5 56

6

6 67

8 9

9

910

12

10 109

1112

14

16 16 16

18 1817

1817 17

1514

13

11

10 10

87 7 7

87

9

11 11 11 11 11 1112

1312

20 20

22

1920 20 20 20

21

23 2322

25 25 25

27

25 25

27 27

25

23 23 23

2019

18

16 1615

14

1617 17 17 17

18

20

2221

0

10

20

30

CRT Employees Lost time injuries (12 month averages) Emp ReportableinjuriesEmp 1-7 day LTI

Total LTIs

4.2 The positive downward trend at the turn of the year has not been sustained over recent months due mainly to an increase in short term lost time injuries caused mainly by manual handling and slip, trip & fall incidents. A campaign to focus on manual handling risks has been implemented through local Safety Action Teams to identify manual handling risks which can be designed out. The opportunity provided by the restructure for the Asset Delivery team to deliver our winter stoppage programme with their greater emphasis on efficiency through mechanisation for example should also significantly reduce the risk of manual handling type injuries. 4.3 Incidents recorded in this period:

31/8/2015 – South Wales &Severn – Operative injured hamstring stepping on a mooring

rope from a large vessel. A review of vessel handling has resulted in changed working practice. Commercially confidential material removed

23/9/2015 – West Midlands – Operative stepped off lock gate and twisted ankle. No defect with infrastructure was identified - Commercially confidential material removed

28/9/2015 – North East – Operative strained arm loading weed. The installation of a temporary flood defence wall increased the reach required to load skip. A longer rake was used to load as opposed to moving skip increasing the strain on the operative. Commercially confidential material removed

4.4 Safe Behaviour The number and type of safe behaviour discussions taking place in the workplace is an important indicator of safety improvement. The data recorded during 2015/16 is given in the following table.

4.3.1 We remain satisfied that our safe behaviour programme is being well supported with over

4278 conversations recorded in the first 8 months of 2015. To ensure this continues, we are

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800

Accidental damage…

Hit something fixed or stationary

Structural or equipment failure

Injured by vegetation/plants

Training/Competence

Threatening/aggressive behaviour

Fire/explosion incident

Electrical contact/discharge

Animal/insect incident

Road traffic incident

Exposure to harmful substance

Boat sink/capsize/hangup

Hit by moving, falling object or…

Fall from height

Handling, lifting or carrying

Injury from machinery/equipment

Slipped, tripped or fell on same…

SSoW (Safe systems of work)

Personal Protective Equipment

Proactive

Reactive

identifying areas where performance is highest and sharing the lessons of how that is achieved.

4.4 Occupational Health 4.4.1 There has been no reported case of occupational ill health.

5.0 VOLUNTEERS 5.1

Kennet & Avon, Bridgewater and Taunton Canal – A volunteer broke her arm as a result of a fall from a cycle. The volunteer was visiting the canal with members of staff when she braked on loose gravel and fell.

West Midlands, Stourbridge – A volunteer fell from a tug when stepping onto the lock landing. It is believed that the boat was still moving when she fell and dislocated her shoulder.

Asset Delivery, Montgomery Canal – A volunteer working for Shropshire Union Canal Society slipped on the muddy tracks as he dismounted from his excavator injuring his arm as he fell.

6.0 CONTRACTORS 6.1 In 2015/16 there has been no reportable contractor injury:

7.0 OVERALL SAFETY PERFORMANCE 7.1 Accident Frequency Rates (AFR) 7.1.1 AFR is our main safety key performance indicator and the table below shows AFR for each

component of the Trust‘s workforce - employees, contractors, and volunteers. The target overall performance for 2015/16 is an AFR of 0.18. Following the exceptional performance in the summer of 2015 the small number of employee Riddor reportable injuries has driven up the employee rate and this coupled with an increase in volunteer injuries has made achievement of the target unlikely. With year to date performance at 0.29 our focus on improved manual handling and general safety awareness is intended to improve performance in the remainder of the year.


Riddor AFR (12 Month average)

August 2015

Employees 0.25 Volunteers 0.97 Contractors 0.17 Combined Rate 0.29

1

INFORMATION REPORT

CRT169

TEXT IN RED CONFIDENTIAL

APPENDIX 3: OPERATIONS & ASSET MANAGEMENT REPORT Report by the Operations & Asset Management Director November 2015 1.0 ASSET REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE 1.1 Planned Priority Projects

1.1.1 Focus during the period has continued on actively managing the works programme to accommodate over £2m of arising emergency works and increased risk/scope in planned work to remain within the overall planned budget.

1.1.2 To manage the anticipated overspend a small number of projects have been deferred following detailed risk review, efficiencies have been gained on a number of projects including most notably within the dredging programme without compromising dredged output and funds have been reallocated from underspending areas as outlined in more detail in the Finance Director’s report.

1.1.3 The extensive winter works programme is now underway with projects to the value

of around £20m planned for delivery together with Enterprise funded projects of around £6m.

1.1.4 Any further significant emergency repairs that arise during the winter would need to be funded by either further project deferrals or the release of reserve funds.

1.1.5 The photographs below illustrate some of the works underway during the period:

Old Barge waterway wall repairs – London

2

Nantwich aqueduct repairs

River Don dredging - Yorkshire 1.2 Significant Unplanned arising projects

1.2.1 As outlined in the previous report the significant emergency works on the Montgomery,

Lancaster and Leeds/Liverpool canals have all been completed. 1.2.2 The most significant emergency project that has occurred during the period was the result of

vandalism on the Kennet & Avon canal where gate paddles were opened causing flooding of parts of the Caen Hill flight damaging areas of towpath and embankment. A review is underway to ensure that emergency response operated effectively and whether water level alarms are adequate. The photograph below shows some of the damage caused which is estimated to need around £250k for repairs which are underway:

3

Kennet & Avon canal damage

1.2 Planned General Works – Defect repairs and customer service improvement

1.2.1 The delivery of the winter works lock gate programme has commenced which will involve

over 170 stoppage sites for gate replacements and repairs, general lock defect repairs, bridge maintenance and repair, canal relining, culvert and embankment repairs. A selection of work sites will be used for public Open Days to showcase our work and the first took place at Newark Town lock on the weekend of 7/8 November with over 2000 visitors.

1.2.2 As usual during the period a wide variety of planned and arising tasks are included in the

smaller works area and the photographs below give an illustration of the types of works undertaken by the Direct Services teams during this period:

Bank repairs – Staffs & Worcs canal

4

Culvert headwall repairs – Mon& Brec canal – before/after

Lock coping stone repairs – Worcester & Birmingham canal

Car retrieval – River Severn

5

Lock operation improvements – Rochdale canal – before/after

Road bridge repairs – Aylesbury Arm – before/after

Aqueduct leak repairs – Leeds/Liverpool canal – before/after

2.0 CUSTOMER SERVICE 2.1 Customer Operations Contract Performance - The main customer facing contracts for

vegetation, waste and facilities maintenance continue to perform well.

2.2 The grass cutting programme performed very well during the main cutting season and a detailed review will take place over the winter to identify opportunities for further

6

efficiency while maintaining appropriate quality outputs. The winter tree and hedge maintenance programme has commenced with around £900k of works to higher risk trees programmed.

2.3 The programme to increase recycling facilities for boater waste (dry mixed and glass) is

progressing well and by end November over 100 sites will be in operation.

3.0 VOLUNTEERING and COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

3.1 The period has seen the continuing contribution of good quality volunteer outputs covering

a wide range of activities including small scale maintenance and repair and general environmental clean-up across all waterways. Some examples are shown below:

Feeder clearance – West Midlands

Leamington area clean up

3.2 An Appendix is attached giving more detail on some of the key volunteering and

Community Engagement highlights.

4.0 EFFICIENCY


4.2 The Direct Services teams continue to find more efficient ways of working and we now estimate that around £300k of efficiency saving for the full year will be achieved mainly from a determined effort to use materials in stock.

7

5.0 WATER, ENVIRONMENT, HERITAGE & WIDER ISSUES.

5.1 The long term Water Resources Strategy has been published following detailed consultation.

5.2 HS2 – good progress has been made on protecting various waterway locations from the

impact of HS2 (our own and restoration groups) and we continue to have an excellent working relationship with the HS2 project team. Commercially confidential material removed



1

Engagement Report

1. Volunteering

1.1 With 234,000 hours recorded to the end of September the number of volunteer hours is slightly behind plan (whole year target 475,000). Volunteer Satisfaction is 87% (those willing to recommend their experience).

1.2 Community Adoptions are well on the way to achieving this year’s target of 125, with 120 adoptions in place at the end of September.

1.4 Volunteering Journey Research

A specialist consultant has been appointed to facilitate the initial research needed to understand the ‘health’ of our Volunteer Journey – an initiative aiming to identify the key areas for us to improve the volunteer experience and actions over the next five years.

2. Education & Interpretation

2.1 Appointments to three new education (STEM Coordinator, Education Services Manager & Education Coordinator North East/East Midlands) and two youth engagement roles (North/South) have been made.

2.2 Number of children involved in activities to end September 23,283. Target for this year is 50,000.

3. Youth Engagement 3.1 The Scouts Association ‘A Million Hands’ initiative was launched on 8th October in London and promoted at both the Conservative and Labour Party conferences, with attendance by Trust staff at each. The Trust has committed to support the Scouts, through ‘pocket adoptions’, to enable them to make a difference to their local communities and important social causes they choose themselves.

3.2 Safeguarding Steering Group

The Safeguarding Steering Group met recently and discussed the Fundraising - People in Vulnerable Circumstances policy, reviewed recent safeguarding related incidents and reviewed progress on training development.

3.3 Youth Safeguarding Training

A learning programme to increase the confidence and capability of Trust staff to engage young people safely and effectively is being developed by a specialist web design company and the National Council Voluntary Youth Services on the Trust’s behalf.

3.4 Youth Engagement Advisory Group

New members have been appointed to the Youth Engagement Advisory Group;

2

Liam Burns – Head of Policy and Public Affairs, The Scout Association Jamie Agombar – Head of Sustainability, National Union of Students (NUS) Fiona Ellison - Voluntary and Public Sector Campaign Manager, Step Up To

Serve

3.5 The Desmond Family Coast to Coast Canoe Trail - Leeds Liverpool Canal

This five year Commercially confidential material removed youth engagement project is progressing well and is on target to achieve ambitious targets by the end its first year (end Dec 2015). A second hub location was launched in October at Burscough and a number of activities delivered as part of ‘Water Week’ was well attended over the half term break. Further youth engagement activities are planned with Catch 22, National Citizens Service, Princes Trust and Edge Hill University amongst others. Activities have included canoe taster sessions, bat walks, angling sessions and an exciting build a canoe project with a local youth group. Capital works are also underway installing signage and a new pontoon for canoe use at the Liverpool end. BBC Inside Out have confirmed that they intend to film a ½ hour piece on the trail in November. The project will have engaged 1800 local people in its first year and recruited over 300 active young volunteers/participants.

4.0 Fishing

4.1 Website Fishing Pages

We continue to improve the angling and fisheries information available on the website.

Fish species section has undergone a major revamp with around 40 different species now featured

Five fisheries & angling team blogs have now been published. An angling heritage blog was launched in October.

4.2 CRT/Angling Trust Canal Pairs Championships

Qualifying heats were held on the Staffs & Worcester (94 competitors), Beeston (36 competitors) and Leeds Liverpool (84 competitors) and the final was held on 24th October on the Birmingham & Fazeley attracting good angling press coverage. A junior championship match was also held running alongside the pairs championship. 23 youngsters took part.

4.3 Other Angling Development Initiatives

Central Shires family fishing fun day at Burton on Trent was held in September. The Trust supported and guided stakeholders to deliver this family focussed event involving over 70 people taking part and twenty pairs in the little family match encouraging families to enjoy fishing together. Schools week in Coventry was a great success introducing over 150 children in a very urban area to fish, fishing and water safety messages.

5. Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

5.1 Learning Exchange Visit to National Trust HQ

Senior staff at the Trust will visit the National Trust during November to view their new CRM system and discuss their approach to supporter relationships. The visit is part of a wider exercise to understand our long term CRM aspirations and equip the Trust with appropriate systems.

INFORMATION REPORT


APPENDIX 4: CUSTOMER SERVICES Report by Executive Head of Customer Services November 2015

1.0 Boating

General Colleagues from the boating team joined volunteers from the IWA for the autumn clean up on the Grand Union canal around Milton Keynes which created some positive PR coverage from the waterway press. Mike Grimes, Head of Boating, is keen to expand this type of activity across his team as the new boating organisation develops.

The newly formed boating management team are now developing the boating business plan. This will focus on key areas of boater engagement and visibility, continuous improvement and projects for the coming year. Progress and visibility will be managed through a robust meeting and project governance structure, regular scorecard dash boards and risk registers. The first meetings commenced last week and was welcomed by both the direct boating management team and key internal stakeholders.

A review of the NAG (licensing and moorings) forum has been completed to ensure we receive best value and advice from the NAG membership. This includes the way forums are managed, how we collect and get feedback, the agenda, membership and frequency of meetings. Learning and best practice has been taken from both the NAG membership itself as well as other areas of the business. During the latest NAG meeting (22nd October) feedback and discussion was sought around boater engagement, the next boater survey questionnaire along with feedback on the NAG meeting itself.

Winter Moorings The winter mooring programme went live on 1st November with 290 permits have being sold, with 84 sites across the network being used. Commercially confidential material removed The waterway managers’ support in mobilising activity on the ground at short notice was a significant contributor to the successful launch.

2.0 Enforcement

Boats without a Home Mooring (Continuous Cruisers) Monitoring Around 22% of boaters who have a continuous cruiser licence, some 477 boaters since May, have been offered a restricted licence with another 7% found to have held a home mooring.

Those that received a 6 month licence in May are now coming up for review, Commercially confidential material removed


3.0 Moorings

Visitor Moorings – Winter Stay Times Most short-stay visitor moorings have relaxed to 14 days from 1st November to 31st March. Those remaining short stay (because they are popular all year or for other operational reasons) will be clearly signed to state that. The decision to relax most visitor mooring stay times has been broadly welcomed by boaters.

Visitor Mooring Reviews A number of VM reviews have been undertaken in line with the agreed Framework. These have been completed on the west end of the K&A, the Mon & Brec and G&S. A small number of changes/improvements to visitor moorings will be implemented over the coming months as a result.

4.0 Museums

4.1 HLF Projects Gloucester: Birmingham to the Sea Museum designers Nissen Richards have presented design proposals for the galleries and entrance. Information point in the Dock Office reception will be open at the start of November to facilitate museum Santa Cruises, and to inform people of our refurbishment plans.

Ellesmere Port, Window on the World Still waiting for permission to start. In the meantime progressing elements that can be done without additional budget. Slipway deconstruction of boats for disposal underway. ‘George’ is at Bob Cann’s boatyard in Devon. Archivist John Benson and a volunteer are making a full photographic record of the original ‘George’. We are looking into how elements of this can be retained and interpreted in the Collection. Consultants, Fenton Holloway, are looking at the most appropriate option for moving ‘Mossdale’.

5.0 Customer Service

5.1 MoneyPenny – Call Centre Customer Service Despite the usual seasonal downward trend, call volumes into Moneypenny remain substantially higher with this September seeing 5,000 more enquiries than last September and an overall, year to date, increase in enquiries of 50.5%. The increase in licensing call durations (between 50 and 100 seconds per call) continues to impact on resource but performance improvement measures have minimised the effect on service delivery. The release of winter moorings on 1st October went smoothly.

5.2 Ombudsman – Complaint Redress

The Waterways Ombudsman has recently made his final decision on a complaint concerning the winterisation of a boat seized by our enforcement team and stored out of the water at a third party’s shipyard. The complaint was upheld because it was felt that inadequate steps had been taken to ensure that the boat was sufficiently protected from the weather, despite concerns about this being clearly expressed by the customer. In his recommendations the Ombudsman awarded the complainant £11,500 to reflect the time and costs incurred by them whilst repairing the boat.

Since this case, which was raised in 2008, the Enforcement structure and process have been substantially improved.

5.3 Customer Service Projects

Customer Process Mapping Consultants Ember have been appointed, and have produced an interim report, which highlights opportunities to improve the customer ‘journey’ through use of workflow planning, clarity about roles and responsibilities, customer focused telephony plan, and by creating a single view of the customer.

Online Bookings The project to develop an online booking system for bookable waterway resources (such as Standedge Tunnel, Ribble Link) is progressing well with data from the Waterway Managers being collated. The booking system will utilise the existing Gamma EPOS platform being rolled out to the Museums and Attractions.

Customer Service Facilities SAP service data for all 11 waterways has now been completed. The new data is now with the waterways so they can commence their reviews of provision against customer need & the draft cruising standards of 2006. These reviews will lead to improvement plans for discussion during the 2017/18 business planning process.

Discussions with the asset management & boating team have led to a volunteer solution to ‘review’ and map our winding holes. Details for the web-based capture of the data are being finalised. IAN ROGERS HEAD OF CUSTOMER SERVICE

INFORMATION REPORT


APPENDIX 7: MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Report by the Interim Head of Marketing & Communications 11 November 2015

1.0 MEDIA

1.1 Communications

We secured 236 episodes of media coverage in September which mentioned the Trust by name and 319 in October. 84% of coverage was positive and more than six in ten articles was the result of proactive PR from the Trust.

The strongest stories in the period ranged from a promotion about spotting bats on the towpath, a call for boaters to return to Manchester and the continuation of our Share the Space campaign (see below).

Also during this period BBC Four broadcast its series Canals: The Making of a Nation, and Channel Four their third series of Great Canal Journeys with Timothy West and Prunella Scales – both of which were supported by the Trust.

1.2 Campaigns

The second phase of the Share the Space campaign – with temporary duck lanes painted along towpaths in hotspots around the country – received nearly 100 pieces of positive print and broadcast coverage, with the video being viewed more than 6,000 times. Facebook posts collectively reached 22,168 people with the hashtag #ShareTheSpace reaching over 350,000 people. The campaign was tweeted by @SantanderCycles (47,359 followers) and @mashable (5.91 million followers).

We will be holding 16 open days across the network this winter as part of our annual works programme. This year we will be having a particular focus on highlighting the impact of rubbish thrown in the waterways.

1.3 Corporate

The Trust’s Annual Public Meeting was held 23 September at Church House, Westminster, followed by a London reception at the same venue that evening.

The Living Waterways Awards dinner took place at Church House on the evening of 8 October. The revised format worked well, with Loyd Grossman as guest speaker, Simon Thurley as compere, and video shorts of each winner.


2.0 PUBLIC AFFAIRS

2.1 Our autumn reception in the House of Lords was held on 20 October. Minister Rory Stewart spoke warmly of the achievements of the Trust and actor Timothy West spoke about the need for ongoing support for the waterways from Parliament.

2.2 We will be inviting constituency MPs to visit our Open Days this winter to view the work that we are doing.






4.0 ARTS

4.1 Arts Council England’s executive board has fully endorsed a renewal of its Memorandum of Understanding with the Canal & River Trust. A new MoU will be drawn up and agreed before the end of the year.

4.2 We will shortly be announcing Jo Bell’s successor as Canal Laureate. Commercially confidential material removed

5.0 MARKETING, DIGITAL AND BRAND

5.1 We are developing new sign guidance with the Integrated Delivery Team for managing members of public during works

5.2 Our new website went live in October and we have already started on the ‘phase 2’ developments.

5.3 The new Donate section will be live by the end of November, with the full end-to-end donation process fully integrated into the site and ThankQ.

5.4 We are planning a live video Q&A with members of the boating team in December, during which customers will be able to pose their questions to our experts.


6.0 INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS

6.1 Kelly Radley left the Trust in October and we are recruiting a replacement. There have been 130 applicants and interviews will take place in early November

Ed Fox Interim Head of Marketing & Communications

meeting of the board of trustees - canal & river trust · -1 - meeting of the board of trustees...

Documents