Cookham Lock public power not working

[DogsBody]

It's a Black Box
Nobody knows exactly how it works they've all retired or dropped off this mortal coil- and sensibly, not willing to have a go in case nothing works at all, subsequently.[/B]

Which is extremely bad management. No well run business / organisation should ever let itself be in a situation where only one person knows how something works. As I said the person(s) responsible should be looking for a new job.

 

[apollo]

Which is extremely bad management. No well run business / organisation should ever let itself be in a situation where only one person knows how something works. As I said the person(s) responsible should be looking for a new job.

or spent the two months in the winter when nobody would have cared

 

[DogsBody]

or spent the two months in the winter when nobody would have cared

Which would have been the ideal plan but it seems they spent all winter asking for quotes and had no time/budget left to actually get the job done.

 

[Pump-Out]

Which is extremely bad management. No well run business / organisation should ever let itself be in a situation where only one person knows how something works. As I said the person(s) responsible should be looking for a new job.

Well, if the comments on this thread are correct it seems that the contractor who designed and supplied the system have, unwittingly or intentionally, built in a single point of failure. They, therefore, are liable under the Goods & Services/Consumer Acts.

The solution is simple - said contractor provides manning at Cookham between 1700 and 2200 until the defect is corrected. Whether this is funding for an EA bod to work there, or supplying their own bod, is for them and the EA to sort.

Additionally any professional kept waiting should submit an invoice to the EA for overtime and loss of earnings. Working on Inland Waterways is subject to restrictive hours, like a lorry driver - so the operator would have to supply additional staff to compensate for the five hours sitting at Cookham Lock Layby. Costs to be submitted to EA for onward charge to guilty contractor.

 

[TrueBlue]

Well, if the comments on this thread are correct it seems that the contractor who designed and supplied the system have, unwittingly or intentionally, built in a single point of failure. They, therefore, are liable under the Goods & Services/Consumer Acts.

The solution is simple - said contractor provides manning at Cookham between 1700 and 2200 until the defect is corrected. Whether this is funding for an EA bod to work there, or supplying their own bod, is for them and the EA to sort.

Additionally any professional kept waiting should submit an invoice to the EA for overtime and loss of earnings. Working on Inland Waterways is subject to restrictive hours, like a lorry driver - so the operator would have to supply additional staff to compensate for the five hours sitting at Cookham Lock Layby. Costs to be submitted to EA for onward charge to guilty contractor.

Arrghh - The system is very old anyone connected with it is Dead, Gone to the cloud invisibule, is no more, pushing up the daisies and so on.
It may well be that it was installed in the days that Lockies wore their Number Ones.
It's old, very old, older than even ---- well----

So no-one to punish, pursue, sue - whatever.
So FFS (everybody) having a go at EA Thames Region who- as far as I can see - have discovered a situation not of their making and are desperately trying to make repairs within whatever constraints and limited budget that they can.
"due process" for a government department can / will/ may take forever - frustrating as it may be for minority 'customers'

They've tried to do what they can -
the lock is open during published hours - with a panic fall back if the lockie's having more than a pee.
Traffic is low at this time of the year -
There's ** all traffic on The River until June at least
Most folks don't cruise 'out of hours' or at lunch time
SO what's the fuss.

Really winds me up....

Folks (don't care but) I think there are some around who are trying to make the River better to use, but they're impeded by financial constraints. Not perfect, but there it is. It could be a lot worse.

99% of registered boats don't give a poo - it's only a few who make a fuss.

Just wait for the sun to come out and enjoy Our Wonderful River.

Pah!

 

[bumperdump]

Which is extremely bad management. No well run business / organisation should ever let itself be in a situation where only one person knows how something works. As I said the person(s) responsible should be looking for a new job.

its pink once open

 

[ianc1200]

"Really winds me up...."

Really winds me up EA take the money & don't provide the service.

 

[TMBA]

"Really winds me up...."

Really winds me up EA take the money & don't provide the service.

The EA have been making it quite clear for some time that, whilst they will continue to provide assisted passage with lock staff in attendance as funding permits, they have no statutory duty to do so.
Get used to it as it is quite clear that there is simply not enough money in the pot. Whilst we all agree that registration fees are a significant issue, the number of registered private powered boats has fallen from over 13000 in 1990 to barely 9000 today - i.e a reduction of some 30% which , in itself, is a huge drop in income. Add to that the present governments austerity drive which has reduced public purse funding by several million pounds in recent years and it is blindingly obvious what the problem is.

Why don't "they" do something about it just doesn't wash any more. If you haven't read it already please read the comments recently published on the TMBA website here:
http://www.tmba.org.uk/25-march-2016-between-a-rock-and-a-hard-place-a-sad-state-of-affairs/

 

[Pump-Out]

The EA have been making it quite clear for some time that.........
Get used to it as it is quite clear that there is simply not enough money in the pot.

Well, if the EA had not "forgotten" to charge for lifting and hard-standing fees at Caversham for three years, perhaps they would be a little better off.

Oh, I suppose they did not mention that at all the meetings you attend.....

 

[Ramage]

Oh, I suppose they did not mention that at all the meetings you attend.....

#Dontshootthemessenger

 

[apollo]

Don't sound like you are going to pursue it then Tone? Given up?
I still think they could organise volunteers for Friday and Saturdays during peak period which is from now pretty much.

 

[capnfishy]

All, note that hand winding doesn't work out of hours except late at night till about 6 am. The suggestion that they get extra volunteers is a great one - which of you will volunteer? Note also that any volunteer cannot be left to work alone so must have a paid member of EA staff with them.

 

[oldgit]

So thats it then................
Finally it is dawning,or possibly not , that Thames leisure boaters have for years been enjoying a level of service that simply could not justified by the income generated by boaters alone.
With many on the river doing their absolute level best to avoid paying even that small contribution towards the upkeep of the river and all who benefit from it.
This was fine all the while the financial tide was high but as the tide went out it became obvious that many previous sources of income,had either disappeared completely or declined gradually over many years.
The public piggy bank is empty, something has got to give and the £2.75 a day of the average boat license is not going to fund the existing set up.
Arguing about a single minor lock lock problem really is fiddling while Rome blazes merrily away in the background.
New sources of money have got to be found and an organisation allowed to do so needs to be in place ?

 

[boatone]

the £2.75 a day of the average boat license

Not sure where this figure comes from. The average registration icharge for non hire powered craft is about £330 pa = a little under £1 a day.

 

[ianc1200]

Isn't there a legal concept of "intra vires" (remembering the legal lectures at my college course in the 70's)? ie a public body taking money to provide a service, then not providing that service. Couldn't we interest the RYA - assuming the TMBA & ATYC could not fund this - with their legal knowledge and resources, to take the EA to court for being intra vires, or obstructing the right to navigation.

This Cookham lock issue may be trivia, but aren't the EA establishing the concept of closing the Thames as a navigation because they haven't the funds to keep it going? Eventually, it's the Government, not the EA which would be ultimately responsible, with the EA acting as it's agent.

 

[boatone]

All, note that hand winding doesn't work out of hours except late at night till about 6 am.

The stated availability of hand winding is 2200 to 0700.

The suggestion that they get extra volunteers is a great one - which of you will volunteer? Note also that any volunteer cannot be left to work alone so must have a paid member of EA staff with them.

This may be difficult to understand but is a real obstruction to the wider use of volunteers.

 

[boatone]

Well, if the EA had not "forgotten" to charge for lifting and hard-standing fees at Caversham for three years, perhaps they would be a little better off.
Oh, I suppose they did not mention that at all the meetings you attend.....

First I have heard of this but would certainly have raised it had I been aware. Can you provide reliable evidence ? Is this in recent times ?

 

[oldgit]

Not sure where this figure comes from. The average registration icharge for non hire powered craft is about £330 pa = a little under £1 a day.

Sorry, fag packet calculations, that a boat owner was paying around £1k PA for a river license was considerably over optimistic
I stand corrected.

 

[boatone]

Isn't there a legal concept of "intra vires" (remembering the legal lectures at my college course in the 70's)? ie a public body taking money to provide a service, then not providing that service. Couldn't we interest the RYA - assuming the TMBA & ATYC could not fund this - with their legal knowledge and resources, to take the EA to court for being intra vires, or obstructing the right to navigation.

The EA are not charging us for any specific or implied service - what we pay is a Registration Fee to permit our boats be on and use the river. Yes, we have enjoyed certain service for many years while funding was not an issue but such services have never been an entitlement, and there's the rub. Now money has become a major issue it is not surprising that the EA are looking to see what statutory duties they are required to perform and, sadly, assisted passage through locks is not one of them.

As for the TMBA, ATYC or any other user organisation being able to fund legal advice please do not think that this has not occurred to me. Regrettably, the support we enjoy from boaters is pretty minimal - something the EA are not shy to use against us.

Wearing my TMBA hat I have done everything possible to build a representative organisation comprised solely of registered non tidal Thames motor boaters. I think it fair to say that I now punch well above my weight and can claim some successes in dealing with the EA.
Franky, I find the level of support I enjoy from those I seek to represent disappointing. When I was forced to introduce a small subscription - just £5 per year - to meet EA requirements for the TMBA to take a seat at the table - over 50% of those who had registered when membership was free declined to subscribe and I continue to struggle to build membership.

Whenever I post information here it seems to immediately become an opportunity for some to give the EA another kicking. If that continues to be the case then I will seriously consider not doing so in future.
This Forum is read by many, including some within the EA itself. Many comments on here do me no favours when I try to represent the interests of responsible boaters.

I now look forward to a flood of new membership applications - you will not be surprised to know that I am not holding my breath

 

[apollo]

I don't want "assisted" passage, just want the poxy lock to work!