Lock keepers face uncertainties with cuts at the Environment Agency

[CJL]

From the AINA site: http://www.aina.org.uk/port-of-london-authority.aspx

Sounds like a completely different financing regime to the one the EA operate under.

Well you've gotta start somewhere!



CJL

 

[Flynnbarr]

You really should report it not moan about it!

CJL

Not moaning,just informing b1.
I find it amusing/sad can't decide,considering how pro active the EA say they are.
As I said I've tried,got nowhere,given up

 

[oldgit]

Privatise ?

How about putting the entire thing in private hands.
This would entirely answer the bloated public organisation allegations and allow the UK taxpayer to bail out entirely.
Need a name of course...Virgin Navigation or Windsor and Henley Waterways PLC.
It has been done with gas , electric, gas ,trains, electronic communications and other stuff the Thames would be simple.
Just flog it all off to the great British public.
Franchise each of the locks, Bray ferrinstance could be run by MDL.
Berth holders get free passage,lesser mortals buy a Oyster type card with prepayment for fixed number of lock/journies and rich gits with big Brooms/TransOcean 36 would buy season ticket.
Teddington sponsored by Wonga.
Sonning by WeBuyAnyCar.


All done with Dartag modern 21st century up to date electronics.
Easy to catch back water evaders venturing onto river out of hours.
No Tag. No Lock card....No passage through locks in or out of lockie hours.
Whats not to like.
EA bashers get their favourite organisation culled ,new cutting edge private companies get a chance to sort old problem.

You will be asked to pay commercial rate for the provided facilities,got to think about the shareholders and the money to finance this will probably have a Rouble or Renminbi interest rate to cover. ?
There you are all sorted.

 

[Chris_d]

How about putting the entire thing in private hands.
This would entirely answer the bloated public organisation allegations and allow the UK taxpayer to bail out entirely.
Need a name of course...Virgin Navigation or Windsor and Henley Waterways PLC.
It has been done with gas , electric, gas ,trains, electronic communications and other stuff the Thames would be simple.
Just flog it all off to the great British public.
Franchise each of the locks, Bray ferrinstance could be run by MDL.
Berth holders get free passage,lesser mortals buy a Oyster type card with prepayment for fixed number of lock/journies and rich gits with big Brooms/TransOcean 36 would buy season ticket.
Teddington sponsored by Wonga.
Sonning by WeBuyAnyCar.


All done with Dartag modern 21st century up to date electronics.
Easy to catch back water evaders venturing onto river out of hours.
No Tag. No Lock card....No passage through locks in or out of lockie hours.
Whats not to like.
EA bashers get their favourite organisation culled ,new cutting edge private companies get a chance to sort old problem.

You will be asked to pay commercial rate for the provided facilities,got to think about the shareholders and the money to finance this will probably have a Rouble or Renminbi interest rate to cover. ?
There you are all sorted.

Its great idea but I doubt any commercial company would would want to shell out 5million a year for an income of 2million as it is at present I believe.

 

[boatone]

There is /was an alternative route - not exactly "private" hands but called the Canal & River Trust. Unfortunately that won't do 'cos no way to make sure those nasty canal people don't take all the income from Thames boaters and use it to maintain their ditches - and. anyways. what do they know about managing actual RIVERS and making big locks with leccy work properly - no, that just will not do.
However, for those that have not been listening, the fact is that the C&RT (that which was British Waterways) now enjoys guaranteed government funding for many years ahead without any arbitrary reductions whenever it suits the chancellor, whilst we mere toys of the EA can be asked to pay more and be supported with less year on year. Go figure.

 

[Richard Shead]

How about putting the entire thing in private hands.
This would entirely answer the bloated public organisation allegations and allow the UK taxpayer to bail out entirely.
Need a name of course...Virgin Navigation or Windsor and Henley Waterways PLC.
It has been done with gas , electric, gas ,trains, electronic communications and other stuff the Thames would be simple.
Just flog it all off to the great British public.
Franchise each of the locks, Bray ferrinstance could be run by MDL.
Berth holders get free passage,lesser mortals buy a Oyster type card with prepayment for fixed number of lock/journies and rich gits with big Brooms/TransOcean 36 would buy season ticket.
Teddington sponsored by Wonga.
Sonning by WeBuyAnyCar.


All done with Dartag modern 21st century up to date electronics.
Easy to catch back water evaders venturing onto river out of hours.
No Tag. No Lock card....No passage through locks in or out of lockie hours.
Whats not to like.
EA bashers get their favourite organisation culled ,new cutting edge private companies get a chance to sort old problem.

You will be asked to pay commercial rate for the provided facilities,got to think about the shareholders and the money to finance this will probably have a Rouble or Renminbi interest rate to cover. ?
There you are all sorted.

Erm excuse me are you suggesting us good folk of Teddington need the help of Wonga? complete mismatch... It needs to be an Estate Agent...

 

[oldgit]

Erm excuse me are you suggesting us good folk of Teddington need the help of Wonga? complete mismatch... It needs to be an Estate Agent...

Gascoigne Pees .Lock services to the good boaters of TW11
All des res inc mod cons and with added water features.
Only a small mortgage required to use our services.

 

[Ramage]

Gascoigne Pees .Lock services to the good boaters of TW11
All des res inc mod cons and with added water features.
Only a massive mortgage required to use our services.

There fixed that for you Fred!

 

[oldgit]

There fixed that for you Fred!

While you are waiting in lock you can have a cup of coffee and peruse their stock of houses.....sorry dwellings.
No doubt have a budget section for your servants with stuff under £1.5M

 

[Richard Shead]

While you are waiting in lock you can have a cup of coffee and peruse their stock of houses.....sorry dwellings.
No doubt have a budget section for your servants with stuff under £1.5M

Stock ? It's an open house for one day and sealed bids often way over the asking round here !

 

[apollo]

Is it posh then?
I thought it had a fish and chips shop

 

[Actionmat]

It does. And the ketchup's by royal appointment

 

[teddington_lock]

The fish and chip shop's on the wrong side of the tracks though

 

[Big John]

As I said before there is more time spent point scoring than coming up with constructive suggestions.

You may want to read what the GMB is really about http://www.insidetheenvironmentagency.co.uk/index.php?controller=post&action=view&id_post=62 you can understand why they are making a lot of noise about redundancies not really about the EA staff loosing their jobs but their loss of revenue and reduction of their empire if they loose 1700 members or is that too obvious?

You may also want to check out the whole site http://www.insidetheenvironmentagency.co.uk/ Given the facts are correct it is high time the EA is opened up for inspection.

 

[apollo]

As I said before there is more time spent point scoring than coming up with constructive suggestions.

You may want to read what the GMB is really about http://www.insidetheenvironmentagency.co.uk/index.php?controller=post&action=view&id_post=62 If this is true you can understand why they do not want to loose 1700 members [Highlight]or is that too obvious?[/Highlight]

Well talking down to us is not a good place to start is it?

There have been constructive suggestions including but certainly not limited to the below, why aren't these constructive?:-

At the real risk of being flamed I will kick the ball off ...this is not new stuff
1) Why can't we challenge the payment Water Companies make to the River every year so that at least some of it comes back to Navigation or I think as Boat One suggested take a small percentage of their profits.
2) Why couldn't we franchise the locks, weirs, camp sites, mooring fees to the Resident Lock Keepers, they could manage one lock either side of their lock easily
3) Increase license fees to the rowers including unpowered boats, charge the many regatta's for the work EA puts in at every event.
4) Outsource the collection of fees from unlicensed boats, there are many more unlicensed boats than we all think.

 

[oldgit]

As I said before there is more time spent point scoring than coming up with constructive suggestions.

You may want to read what the GMB is really about http://www.insidetheenvironmentagency.co.uk/index.php?controller=post&action=view&id_post=62 If this is true you can understand why they do not want to loose 1700 members or is that too obvious?

Inside every organisation there will be malcontents and barrack room lawyers,plus those who cannot understand why the organisation they work for is totally incapable of seeing what a genius they are and ignoring their amazing skills.
They could of course piss off and getta life but that would mean going out into the real world where once again they will be ignored as tossers.
Cruel world out here in the private sector.

 

[Actionmat]

As I said before there is more time spent point scoring than coming up with constructive suggestions.

I've read plenty of informative posts on here and a few arrogant ones.

 

[watson1959]

You may also want to check out the whole site http://www.insidetheenvironmentagency.co.uk/ Given the facts are correct it is high time the EA is opened up for inspection.

Interesting reading, especially as it comes with insight from a range of current and former employees, also at a very senior level.