There have been a series of incidents in the Tovil area of the River. These include stone throwing and in one case the crew and passengers of one boat, which included a small baby, were urinated on from Tovil Footbridge.

The youths who are committing these crimes hang around the area in significant numbers and often hide in the undergrowth on the riverbank so it is essential for all river users to be very vigilant when passing through that area.

Any crimes should be reported to Maidstone Police immediately on 01622 690055 noting as much relevant information as you possibly can.

*

At the committee meeting held Tuesday 13th July we were made aware that the Government intends to change the way our Rivers and Navigations, including the Medway, are funded.

Latest Government Initiative – ‘Mutualisation’
June 21 2010 ...  The Waterways Minister Richard Benyon MP made the following written statement.  

‘I am pleased to be appointed as Waterways Minister as I am familiar with the public benefits the waterways provide and I am making this statement to set out how I intend to take forward inland waterways policy for England and Wales.  The Government considers civil society has a very valuable role to play in delivering public services as part of our commitment to creating a Big Society.  We will therefore be continuing to look in detail at whether a third sector model would be appropriate for British Waterways, including the possible inclusion of the Environment Agency’s navigations as the other navigation authority grant aided by Government.  My department will be engaging a wide range of stakeholders in this work (and liaising with the Scottish Government). However I must make clear that, given the Government’s overriding objective of reducing the financial deficit, no decisions on such a change will be taken until after the forthcoming Spending Review. In the light of this I have also decided not to proceed now with a new Government waterways strategy and I will review the situation following the Spending Review.’

What is all this in laymen terms:
The Government wants to hand control of the River Medway (and all other waterways) over to a new body which is to be self funding. The Environment Agency may, or may not, be part of the new body but the new organisation will have to be run along the same lines as the National Trust, more as a charity than government funded. This is a very new initiative from the Government and there are many questions to be asked regarding the continued management of our rivers, flood defenses and maintenance. The fact is that the management of the River Medway IS going to change and soon. With the current financial situation it means that there will be little expenditure on waterways over the coming years. The M.R.U.A will represent River Medway users in attempting to gain these answers and will continue to fight to keep our river in good order.
If important developments occur on this matter we will publish an immediate update to keep you informed. 

*

The MRUA committee have decided to publish a newsletter which will be posted out to members every quarter. This follows requests from members who wanted to be kept informed of matters concerning the Navigation but did not want to be restricted to using this website. The River Crier, which used to be our magazine, was discontinued 2 years ago for a number of reasons including lack of interest from most members and spiralling publication costs.

This Newsletter will be a slimmed down version which will focus on News and Events on our Navigation so please support it whenever you can by telling us what's happening in your area of the River.

*

May 2010

Further to the resignation of our treasurer in March the MRUA committee has restructured itself and Ray Chitty has taken over Membership and Treasurer in the absence of other volunteers. Des Long is to take over from Ray as Hon. Secretary.

Medway Motor Yacht Club, which for many years has been based on the tidal Medway is to close. Bob Jennings reports that not enough volunteers could be found to become officers of the club to enable it to function.

A new man is at the helm of the Medway Navigation for the Environment Agency, abeit temporarily.Amongst his other duties Mr. Chris. Wick will be taking on the job of Waterways manager previously held by John Morgan. Chris will head up the Navigation Team and also assess whether changes need to be made within the structure of the team.

March 2010

The long awaited Transport & Works Act has finally been passed by Parliament which means that the by-laws for the Medway Navigation can now be looked at again and any necessary amendments made. This will ultimately lead to the Boat Safety Scheme being implemented and probably compulsory Third party Insurance for certain craft.

*

The Annual General Meeting of the MRUA will be held on Friday 21st May 2010. Bev and Steve Henderson have very kindly allowed us the use of The Allington Belle for the evening.
A separate notice will be sent to all paid up members in due course. Please make sure you have sent back your renewal form to the Membership Secretary. If you have not received one for any reason please let us know by using the CONTACT buttons on the "About us" page.

Alternatively print out a form by following the directions on the "Support us" page.

*

It was announced at the Committee Meeting held 9th March 2010 that our new Treasurer was unable to continue in the post and so other arrangements are being made.

*
The MRUA committee meeting due to be held in January 2010 was cancelled due to bad weather. The snow was considered to be causing a real danger to drivers.

*

The committee have agreed that after the July 2009 meeting all committee meetings will be bi-monthly instead of monthly. Any business that needs urgent attention will be dealt with either by email, phone or if necessary calling a non scheduled meeting. This will relieve the burden on the existing committee and, it is hoped, will help in recruitment of new committee members

.*

The problem of speeding boats continues on the River Medway causing damage to banks, moored boats and wildlife habitat, but The Environment Agency is clamping down at last..Their staff will be out on the river with speed guns this summer to stop and possibly prosecute the small minority of people who don't keep to the 5 knot limit. To report a speeding boat please get as much information as possible, such as size and colour of the boat plus identifying name or number and phone it through to EA staff at Allington Lock. Tel. 01622 752864.

*

Further to The MRUA's quest to find new casual or temporary moorings for our boating members, we are pleased to announce that our consultations with The Environment Agency have resulted in them creating Moorings at Stoneham Old Lock, Sluice Weir and Oak Wier Locks. Also at East Lock and Cannon Bridge. Photo's and further details of other improvements are available by clicking the link below.

http://www.allingtonlock.co.uk/boaters2009.php

We hope this will be an ongoing project and are still looking for suitable sites along the River. If you can help please let us know via the link on our Home Page.

*

The Medway Valley Countryside Partnership (MVCP) has produced some guides for walks through the Medway valley which will interest all ages, from Dad and Mum right down to their little darlings. They can be easily downloaded from the MVCP website www.medwayvalley.org which is on our Links Page.

*

Mooring on the Medway

It's well known to most boaters on the River Medway that there is a lack of casual or temporary moorings. The e MRUA is actively seeking new casual moorings for our members. Do you belong to a fishing club who may be interested in renting a little used piece of riverbank to the MRUA? We are keen to co-operate with clubs and landowners who may wish to boost their income.

If you have any ideas or know landowners who may be interested in renting to us, please contact us by using the contact link on the home page.

*

 Page Contents

Committee Meeting Minutes. June 2009 July 2009 September 2009 November 2009 March 2010 May 2010 There were no MRUA committee meeting in May 2009 or January 2010. Minutes over one year old are on the Archive page. ************************** Serious incidents in Tovil. ************************** Government "Mutualisation" proposal. ************************** Newsletter to be Reinstated. ************************** Committee Changes ************************** Transport and Works Act. ************************** 2010 AGM ************************** Committee meeting changes. ************************** Speeding boats. ************************** New Moorings ************************** MRUA AGM ************************** New Moorings Wanted ************************** Medway Memories Of An Old Boatman. ***************************