Lock improvements ??

[theguvnor]

Having just been to Marlow lock (on foot) to see the improvements made during the closure in Nov / Dec I was a bit unimpressed with the work until, whilst sharing a coffee with the Lock Keeper, I was told that the EA haven`t started the work, nor will they till next winter !!

It would have been nice to have been notified as my season was shortened, as were many others, because "we couldn`t get through Marlow for 2 months"

The increase in the licence fee to do the much fanfared lock improvements seems a bit of a sham

The EA can afford to send me nice shiney news propaganda but not, it seems, to notify its customers of changes in their rather rickety forward planning

Can MBY prod the Agency on our behalf for an explaination / apology in next months issue please

 

[Ramage]

I wonder if this is the case at any of the other locks....perhaps it is due to the wrong sort of rain or some such.

 

[apollo]

No, its due to lack of cash from DEFRA!

 

[theguvnor]

But not from licence payers

 

[TrueBlue]

EA have a mailing list to which you can subscribe - ring Reading 'cos I can't immediately fond the link, and this keeps you up to date - well 'ish.

There have bee six issues of the bulletin this winter, so you can see they've been in a state of flux (like the river).

Marinas and lock-keepers have copious copies of these; which ain't a whole lot of use in the off season; but they did try...

Marlow was an early casualty of the cuts caused by the bar-tenders at DEFRA fouling-up the farm payments scheme. I think it's the first time for ages that EA have had to cut back their programme by such a large amount.


Bring back direct grants and split up EA just like that Scottish (no the other one) is proposing to do to the Home Office.

The EA is dead, long live the Thames Conservancy.