EA Navigation Charges Consultation

That was my earlier point. Why send me an email asking my view as a member. Waste of your time and mine.
If it were up to you we would already be paying a grand a year.
 
apollo said:
That was my earlier point. Why send me an email asking my view as a member. Waste of your time and mine.
If it were up to you we would already be paying a grand a year.
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So why did you bother to respond? I circulated the consultation as requested by the EA. When all the responses are in all members will receive a copy of my response to the EA which will communicate the collected views of those who take the trouble to reply - including yours.
How dare you suggest that I would not accurately convey members views. Fortunately not all of them think as you do.
No further comment - this is not a TMBA forum.
 
Anything worth something to somebody.....you could be describing the EA old git.

Plant sold off
Land sold off for development
Front line staff cuts.....(has there been any culling of the layers of management B1 ?)
 
Flynnbarr said:
Front line staff cuts.....(has there been any culling of the layers of management B1 ?)
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Some but the problem is more with the teirs above EA Thames. There are now less than 100 directly employed staff within the Thames Navigation structure over half of which are lock and weir keepers, both resident and permanent reliefs. There are also a number of summer reliefs employed just for the season. Bear in mind that at least 1 in 4 will be absent at any time - leave, holidays and sickness, training etc.
 
I tend to agree with Apollo. From our experience last week at Caversham all EA Thames navigation management is a waste of money. Sack the lot and employ 5 more engineers. Let them work out what needs maintaining. Also am struggling to work out how to reply to the consultation as I'm sure the policy has already been decided with the only possible response is sack the people who have wasted money on a sham consultation first.
 
Boatone, you asked for views, so here goes...
Having been on the Thames a number of years - around ten - and having lived close to the Thames for longer than I can remember, I appreciate there is a funding issue as there is everywhere we look. Over thee years dredging of the Thames has all but ceased, something with which I totally disagree both from the perspective of boaters (having due depth) and residents. I can remember the days when the River was dredged and the dredgings piled along the bank! Residents, who, (and I know some will disagree on technical and environmental grounds) are subject to flooding. (Logic says to me if the water channels are deeper there is more volume for the water and reduced likelihood of over-flow and flooding. Over same period, lockies have been put under pressure, reduced in number and lock houses sold or rented out. Bank maintenance, and I include overhanging trees and bushes have also been reduced. On the positive, I accept, there has been capital works at the locks. However, on balance, whilst acknowledging there have been little increases in licence, I do not feel I am getting value now compared to (say) six years ago? Sadly I don't believe the current structure is, or is even capable of maintaining the Thames. It is not all about extracting licence fees, or determining who should and who should not pay, but what about looking at other funding sources for projects and works? Is that done? I am not close enough to know, but has anyone looked at other funding options in serious detail? It seems to me it is not an extra £100k needed from extra licence fees, but a few extra £m needed to put the Thames back under management and to sort out issues of past neglect. Boatone, you and others may disagree with me, but you asked for views and thoughts.
 
Brightside said:
Boatone, you asked for views, so here goes....
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Actually, I don't think I did ask for views. I notified the forum that there was an EA consultation taking place that boaters could respond to, but that was all.

Frankly, It may not surprise some to know that I absolutely do not want peoples views about the current state of the river. I am only too well aware , not least because I am out on the river and experience the current position for myself.
I am , however, becoming rather tired of those that seem to think I am not doing enough and pressuring the EA.

If you are going to achieve any change you need a) Power and b) Authority - I have neither. In case you haven't noticed, Government austerity has been crippling many other areas of public services and the Thames is no different.
Im sure the Harbourmaster would love to be able to demand another £5 million for next years budget but the only way the river is going to get any more cash is from those that make use of it.

Oh, yes, and some little annoyance called Brexit seems to be weighing more heavily on government time than a few boaters. The whole bl**dy country is in a mess, not just the Thames.
 
Having read the threads it seems to me that the vociferous on here (you know who you are) would be better off directing their ire at the waterways manager, Barry Russell (MBE) his boss, area director Julia Simpson, the CEO or chairman rather than having a pop at B1. You can email them directly rather than go through the NCCC, all EA staff email addresses are the same - firstname.secondname@environment-agency.gov.uk

You will have to wait up to 20 days for a response and will get fobbed off but perseverance has its own rewards.

I've said this before but it is worth repeating that the waterways managers, team leaders and tech officers should get out of the office with the patrol boat crews and go check all boats on the river and book those unregistered rather than spend their time ticking H&S boxes in their intranet. This was done last in 2012/13 when hundreds were booked and 90% of offenders bought a licence within a month due to the threat of legal action. Only a handful wound up in court and all were convicted. I will be reminding Russell of this when I write to him, copy the CEO.
 
Old Crusty said:
Having read the threads it seems to me that the vociferous on here (you know who you are) would be better off directing their ire at the waterways manager, Barry Russell (MBE) his boss, area director Julia Simpson, the CEO or chairman rather than having a pop at B1. You can email them directly rather than go through the NCCC, all EA staff email addresses are the same - firstname.secondname@environment-agency.gov.ukYou will have to wait up to 20 days for a response and will get fobbed off but perseverance has its own rewards.I've said this before but it is worth repeating that the waterways managers, team leaders and tech officers should get out of the office with the patrol boat crews and go check all boats on the river and book those unregistered rather than spend their time ticking H&S boxes in their intranet. This was done last in 2012/13 when hundreds were booked and 90% of offenders bought a licence within a month due to the threat of legal action. Only a handful wound up in court and all were convicted. I will be reminding Russell of this when I write to him, copy the CEO.
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+1
Un fortunately, most as always, shout loudly at the wrong person(s) rather than directing their complaints to the EA managers and higher.
And don't reply saying it is a waste of time. If we all took the easy route and did nothing, nothing would ever be achieved.
 
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Oh dear, my River licence is going up by 5% or so.

Nothing to see here now, run along...wait for Brexit then you'll really see what fiscal unfairness is.
 
I couldn't give a monkeys about the increase but I car about the way the money is spent and the growing management rather than staff to tackle the maintenance.
 
Big John said:
We are not out yet. It may change, I hope.
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Odd how many people do not understand the legal process around Article 50 - we are leaving, the only unknown is the nature and terms of any deal. If any deal includes a transition period that will simply delay the final and full departure. To avoid any further doubt: there is no provision for cancelling an Article 50 departure.
Without wishing to turn this into a political debate, it really is time everyone started to pull together to ensure we take full advantage of our forthcoming abilities to strike trade deals, manage our own borders, control who enters and who can stay, and return to rule from Westminster...
 
Old Crusty said:
Having read the threads it seems to me that the vociferous on here (you know who you are) would be better off directing their ire at the waterways manager, Barry Russell (MBE) his boss, area director Julia Simpson, the CEO or chairman rather than having a pop at B1. You can email them directly rather than go through the NCCC, all EA staff email addresses are the same - firstname.secondname@environment-agency.gov.uk

You will have to wait up to 20 days for a response and will get fobbed off but perseverance has its own rewards.

I've said this before but it is worth repeating that the waterways managers, team leaders and tech officers should get out of the office with the patrol boat crews and go check all boats on the river and book those unregistered rather than spend their time ticking H&S boxes in their intranet. This was done last in 2012/13 when hundreds were booked and 90% of offenders bought a licence within a month due to the threat of legal action. Only a handful wound up in court and all were convicted. I will be reminding Russell of this when I write to him, copy the CEO.
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I couldn't agree more.

Barry Russel also has a twitter account so you can make short sharp comments to him publicly if you wish.

Personally I think Tony does a great job acting as our voice, as with all such things a certain amount of diplomacy is required to perform that role.
 
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