EA decide to rent out lock houses

[oldgit]

"We the licence payers had monies extracted from us under false pretences."

Licensed pleasure craft users of the Thames are only paying a small proportion of the total costs of the running costs of the Thames and the vast majority coming from the public purse.
Now that particular cash cow has so cruelly been snatched away,by those uncaring enough not to consider a resident lock keeper at every lock vital to the national interest,the EA have got to get the money from somewhere and renting out the cottages would appear to be a sensible way forward.?

 

[boatone]

According to the latest figures I have to hand, the EA total budget for 2009-10 was approx £1.25 Billion of which only 5% was allocated to Fisheries, Recreation, Conservation and Navigation.
I believe the 'Thames Management' bit is about £20 million and 75% of this comes from government funding in one form or another.

I repeat my earlier question, which so far only one person has answered :

Would you be prepared to pay more for the level of services you would like to continue to receive?

 

[oldgit]

A bit topical

So how about building into the cost of the license an element of how much carbon the boat produces,to generate a bit more revenue.
This might encourage a few more nice economical steel boats rather than wash generating 1000hp Phantoms and Squadrons.
A new totally pointless chelsea tractor can attract a RFL of nearly £1000.00 pa.

 

[Brayman]

I repeat my earlier question, which so far only one person has answered :

Would you be prepared to pay more for the level of services you would like to continue to receive?

I think you should take that as a NO then Tony!

 

[Chris_d]

Would you be prepared to pay more for the level of services you would like to continue to receive?

Short answer no, but what do you call more? 1% yes, 5% maybe if services are maintained, >10% no.

 

[oldgit]

More importantly

am I the only one at work this morning,must time to put the kettle on and the weather girl has promised an nice sunny weekend ?

 

[Sulley]

I would be willing to pay a bit more, less than 10% perhaps, however I would need to see the extra money go directly to supporting The Thames not just into the general EA pot.

The possibility of this happening is extremely low.

Unfortunately like everything things change, so if the EA need to rent out the houses to make up the shortfall then it has to be.

I assume who ever rents them will know that they potentially can have boats going through the lock at all hours of the day and night????

Perhaps we can licence all the small dinghies, canoes etc that seem intent on pushing their way into the locks and look confused when the lock keeper tells them to move out of the way of boats otherwise they will get squashed!

 

[boatone]

I would be willing to pay a bit more, less than 10% perhaps, however I would need to see the extra money go directly to supporting The Thames not just into the general EA pot.

As I understand it all revenue from licence fees goes directly into the EA Thanes budget.

Perhaps we can licence all the small dinghies, canoes etc that seem intent on pushing their way into the locks and look confused when the lock keeper tells them to move out of the way of boats otherwise they will get squashed!

Any boat - rowing, dinghy, canoe etc should have a licence. The annual fee for a non powered craft is £30 although there are special agreements in place with British Rowing and the Canoe Union.

 

[Sulley]

Thanks for the clarification!

 

[teddington_lock]

Many people fought to retain Lock Keepers in the houses on a permenent basis two years ago. What has changed ?
If money needs to be generated let management down size the Waterways team. .

So are you saying get rid of the lock staff ?

 

[boatone]

The BBC News website has picked up on the 'lock houses for rent' issue this morning:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-15267761

 

[oldgit]

Seems to sum it all up in balanced and measured way.

 

[boatone]

A rather more measured story from MBM

 

[cereal tiller]

The BBC News website has picked up on the 'lock houses for rent' issue this morning:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-15267761

i see that BLAKES lock is now on the list

i previously understood that none of the GATEWAY locks would be without a resident lock keeper.

who will be checking licences on boats leaving the kennet and avon waterway?

it wont be policed by EA patrol launch staff,those boats are a rare sight these days.

 

[Chris_d]

i see that BLAKES lock is now on the list

i previously understood that none of the GATEWAY locks would be without a resident lock keeper.

I don't think Blakes lock has had a lock keeper for many years, Sonning and Caversham usually deal with the licenses for visiting K&A boats.

All this publicity is great but does it change anything, surely its better to have the houses in EA ownership and being lived in rather than left empty. If renting them does give the EA and extra £400K to spend a year on the river surely its a no brainer.

 

[boatone]

If renting them does give the EA and extra £400K to spend a year on the river surely its a no brainer.

"IF" being the operative word. A lot of figures are being bandied around in isolation and I, for one, must confess to a healthy degree of scepticism

 

[TrueBlue]

The problem is that the Thames region has a very limited pot of money to spend on the rivers (don't forget the Medway), so they must do what they can to maximise their resources and look for other sources.

I agree with B1 that some of the figures appear over-egged, but time will tell which properties are actually lettable and which not.

We see the River as a national asset, but those who use it for free or little charge see it as being used by the wealthy and accordingly take the view that the "wealthy boat owners" should bear that cost.

In truth the big boat owners don't venture out a lot - it's the rest of owners who make best use of the river and they're the ones who are squeezed at the moment.

People need to get back on the water, make better use of what's there and spend money....

 

[Gibel Tarik]

True Blue makes some very good points which ATYC and all the boaters on the Waterways Working group have been pressing for some time.

The Environment Agency should be raising as much money as it can from un-registered boats by effective enforcement at all locks and by patrols.

It should also be seeking commercial income by all means. They have advertised twice for a commercial manager and work in this area is at a standstill as it has no leader or strategy.

The river is increasingly being used by commercial organisers of swimming events who make no contribution to the cost of running the river. Commercial activities such as Henley Royal Regatta make only a token contribution to the costs incurred by the EA in helping to keep the events safe.

We wait to see whether the EA have walked back from their 10% per annum increase for boat registrations. We have explained to them that this will only increase evasion and is tackling only the soft targets - those boat owners who have given EA their name and address!

And now, despite users protests, the EA South East have gone ahead with plans to rent out lock-houses and will not recruit any staff to replace retiring resident lock-keepers.

Some further information which has already been promulgated by boating associations but may not have reached all boaters

'On 31 August a working group meeting of the EA Waterways Working Group met. This was called as a follow-up to the National Navigation Users Forum when EA proposed three years of 10% increases in registration charges. The meeting was attended by the EA Board Member for. Navigation - Ruth Hall - and the Head of Navigation Stuart Taylor. 5 other representatives from boating organisations attended. It was made clear to EA managers that there was no justification for such an inflationary increase and this seemed to be accepted.

The Thames User Group Navigation ( All non EA members of the Waterways Working group) had met the previous week and agreed that we should be driving EA management to ensure that all income due was being collected by effective enforcement, commercial income driven up, and operational efficiencies pursued more vigourously and in particular making greater use of volunteers. All of these statements were accepted by EA at the working group meeting.

On 14 September two boater representatives were invited to address the EA ( National) Board on a working trip up the Thames from Bell weir to Romney. They majored on the unacceptable plans to increase boat registration fees without pursuing funds from all of the other river users and that the EA board should consider making an allocation of the Grant In Aid funds to Thames navigation to make up for the reduced flood contribution. This seemed to find favour with the EA board and although we can expect an increase up to inflation proposals to increase by 10% per annum are probably no longer proposed. They also reminded the board that funding the Thames is really only a small issue as in it's entirety is less than 1.5% of EA spending!'

 

[boatone]

On 14 September two boater representatives were invited to address the EA ( National) Board on a working trip up the Thames from Bell weir to Romney. They majored on the unacceptable plans to increase boat registration fees without pursuing funds from all of the other river users and that the EA board should consider making an allocation of the Grant In Aid funds to Thames navigation to make up for the reduced flood contribution. This seemed to find favour with the EA board and although we can expect an increase up to inflation proposals to increase by 10% per annum are probably no longer proposed. They also reminded the board that funding the Thames is really only a small issue as in it's entirety is less than 1.5% of EA spending!'

Anyone know who these 'two boating representatives' were?

 

[Chris_d]

Anyone know who these 'two boating representatives' were?

Wasn't you then, I would guess it was ATYC and RTS.