A row has been simmering since the Spring about the problem of turbidity on the eastern K and A. Wiltshire Councillors have accused BW of violating the Heritage Lottery Fund contract after BW agreed with Natural England not to issue any more hire boat licences on the eastern end of the canal.
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Posts Tagged ‘British Waterways’
BW and Councils at odds over turbidity
Saturday, October 29th, 2011Legal wanderings down the bramble strewn pathways
Thursday, October 13th, 2011Christopher Stoner make much use of a case Moore vs British Waterways Board to define their view of ‘bona-fide for navigation’.
We notice that this case is now in the process of appeal;
And so should add an interesting twist or two.
BW AGM 13th October – book your place now!
Tuesday, October 4th, 2011The BW Annual General Meeting is on Thursday October 13th at The Bond Company, 180 -182 Fazeley Street, Digbeth, Birmingham B5 5SE at 10.30am to 3.30pm. BW is a public body and members of the public are entitled to go. You don’t have to be a representative of an organisation. This year’s meeting will be an opportunity to ask the Transition Trustees questions, for example how the new waterways charity proposes to safeguard the rights of liveaboard boaters and protect them from unlawful enforcement, summary eviction and homelessness.
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Stop the Bonus Payments to BW Directors
Friday, September 23rd, 2011A petition here;
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/14617
No bonuses for British Waterways directors
Responsible department: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
British Waterways employees were denied a pay rise last year due to ‘lack of funds’. This year some staff were awarded a £200 PA rise and were told that there was no more money to offer.
It was recently announced that as there would be a 9 Million Pound defecit at the end of this financial year
The Directors of British Waterways will be paid lump sum bonuses of up to £15,000 this year. The Chief Executive (Robin Evans) will get a £15,000 payment on top of his annual wage of £222,000. Other Directors will all receive a £12,500 lump sum payment.
The bonuses equate to one third of the whole pay pot for 0.5% of BW staff compared to two thirds of the pot being shared between 99.5% of the staff.
The signatories of this petition believe that the government should intervene and stop these bonus payments and the money should be spent on waterway maintenance instead.
DEFRA announce results of consultation on new waterways charity
Tuesday, September 13th, 2011DEFRA has published a brief analysis of the results of the consultation on moving the inland waterways to charity status, together with the Government’s response to the consultation replies. Considering the complexity of the consultation questions and the magnitude of the decisions to be made, both the summary of replies and the Government’s response are disappointingly lightweight and lacking in detail.
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Boaters submit evidence to Public Bodies Bill committee
Tuesday, September 13th, 2011
The Public Bodies Bill, which proposes to transfer BW to charity status, is being examined in detail by the Public Bill Committee in the House of Commons. A number of boaters and boating groups submitted written evidence to the Committee, including boaters on the K and A, Grand Union, London waterways and in the North West.
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Public Bodies Bill: Boaters group writes to 626 MPs but BW amendment goes through
Thursday, July 21st, 2011The National Bargee Travellers Association (NBTA) recently wrote to all 626 MPs urging them to vote against the British Waterways (BW) amendment to the Public Bodies Bill. The second reading of the Bill took place on 12 July in the House of Commons.
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Write to your MP NOW!!
Sunday, July 3rd, 2011Please write to your MP NOW!! and ask him or her to vote against the British Waterways amendment to the Public Bodies Bill (amendment 99A). The Bill will be debated in the House of Commons on 12th July. Please ask your family and friends to write to their MPs as well.
You can find out who your MP is from
http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/ or http://www.writetothem.com/
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Deadline June 30th to respond to BW charity consultation!
Sunday, June 12th, 2011The DEFRA consultation on moving BW to charity status ends on 30 June. Please respond giving your views on whether BW is fit to become a charity. The responses will be considered when the Ministerial Order for the Statutory Transfer of BW to a charity goes through Parliament. It’s extremely important that all the issues get onto the table in the DEFRA consultation as there won’t be another consultation.
K and A Pilot Partnership Board update
Monday, June 6th, 2011Andrew Harry, a liveaboard boater who is on the Kennet and Avon Pilot Waterway Partnership Board, sent this report following the second meeting that he attended.
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