Model Boat Mayhem
Mess Deck: General Section => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: malcolmfrary on November 26, 2009, 11:29:19 am
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I just got the email below
You may know about the media speculation that the Government intends to include the British Waterways’ property portfolio as a component of the £16bn asset sale.
The Government has made no announcements and is steadfastly refusing to be drawn on the subject.
We have been using this period of silence as a window of opportunity to lobby Ministers. We have orchestrated a political lobby in both the Commons and latterly the Lords to pressurise Government, and have briefed radio and national TV, using an array of reasons to support the argument that a sale would be in no-one’s interest.
We stand the best chance of preventing this sale if the Government can be persuaded not to do so, during this period of Ministerial silence. Whilst no announcements have been made, it is easier for Government to back away as it involves no public reversal of policy.
However, an e-petition has appeared on the 10 Downing Street website;
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/protectourcanals/
IWA supports the statements in the petition. The worst outcome now that this is in the public domain, would be if this petition receives scant support. That might give Ministers the impression that there are few waterways supporters who care very much about the issue. On the other hand, if it is well supported, the Government, this close to an election, is very sensitive to actions it might take which may lose votes, and would probably take notice.
I am therefore urging you to sign up to this petition - if you agree with it, and ask that you encourage everyone that you know, to also sign up.
We need more signatures than our membership, or even the total number of boaters in the UK – So please ask all of your colleagues, friends and family and e-mailable contacts to help us today! – and ask them to pass this message on as well - we need all of the UK to know about this and to respond on line .
The future of the waterways could depend on your actions today – Please act, and pass this message on.
I've followed the link and signed
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Thanks for posting the link Malcolm. As you can imagine I'd been alerted to the petition via canal-based mailing lists and have signed up. I'd encourage others to sign too. The bulk of people who enjoy canals and waterways aren't actually boaters so walkers, anglers etc will alll be affected if the maintenance, particularly of towpaths, is neglected even more than it is at present, so it isn't just an issue for boaters.
In the long term it may be better if BW did shed it's non-historically significant and non-essential property portfolio and saw an increase in grant to compensate for the loss of revenue, but this is not the time for it to be asset-stripped by the government. I can expand on this point if you like but basically many feel that BW has lost focus on it's primary purpose of maintaining the system because it's got involved in peripheral things like pubs and property development.
On a similar topic, BW are have applied to Aylesbury vale councfil for planning permission to knock down the work-related buildings at Marsworth in order to sell the land for housing (14 I believe). If you feel that this is not appropriate please follow this link to object
http://eplanning.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/tdc/DcApplication/application_detailview.aspx?caseno=KRTF6QCL0CX00
I gather that AVDC have been somewhat taken aback by the number of objections being registered!
Thanks
Guy