Writing to them
IT WAS marvellous to hear that Alan Tilbury's MP, unprompted, will ask a parliamentary question regarding the waterways minister's plans for BW (Piling on the pressure, 19th June 2010), writes Allan Richards.
Even better that an MP with a constituency remote from the inland waterways is aware that 'the head of BW is paid an extraordinary amount of money'.Comparison
Compare Alan's experience with his MP, Laura Sandys, with my own experience. Using www.writetothem.com, I wrote to my MP Jeremy Wright on 11th December:
'I am a lifelong waterways enthusiast, and my family owns a narrowboat which we moor near Knowle on the Grand Union Canal. I am also a volunteer helmsman for the Warwickshire Association of Youth Clubs narrowboat Dreamcatcher which provides a canal experience for disadvantaged children.
I am writing to express my concern about the slow decline of inland waterways administered by British Waterways despite an investment of £800m over 10 years by the present government.
The current waterways minister, Huw Irranca-Davies appears to agree with the chief executive of British Waterways, Robin Evans, that the waterways are in a better state than they have been for decades despite under spending on maintenance by £30m per annum.
Can you ask the minister:
If he accepts the findings of the National Association of Boat Owners Waterways Condition Survey 2009 that 'inland waterways managed by British Waterways are in a parlous state'?
http://www.nabo.org.uk/current/survey.htm
What action is to be taken against those who have misled government concerning the condition of our waterways?
What action government intends to take to ensure that British Waterways spend the £125m a year needed to stop further deterioration, out of an income of £220m?
What action government intends to take to clear the backlog of maintenance that has built up due to under investment?'
Reason for writing
Upon confirmation from my MP that the question had been put to the minister I further wrote:
'My reason for writing to you is not to stop government, or any future government, selling off BW's property portfolio. Rather it is to highlight that British Waterways have been allowing the canals to fall into disrepair for the last six years, and government have been allowing them to do so.
On BW's figures we need to spend about £125m pa on the waterways to stop them deteriorating. For the last six years BW has only been spending about £95m. This means that BW have under-invested by about £180m over the period.
The reason for this is that six years ago BW announced that it could become largely independent of government grant by 2012. To enable them to do this they have been deliberately under funding the canals so that they could invest the money 'saved' in risky property joint ventures.
We are now in the situation whereby BW have convinced government that the canals are in better shape than they have been for decades despite the under funding. Labour is congratulating itself on spending £750—£800m over the last ten years and seems happy to believe the waterways are in great shape.
I believe everyone in Parliament needs to understand that the waterways are deteriorating and take that into account when deciding future funding options'.
However, despite being asked for my home address so that the minister could reply, nothing was heard.
Second time of asking
Writing again to my MP at the end of March I reminded him that I still had not received a response from the minister and suggested he read the narrowboatworld article 'Look Back in Anger', adding it gave lie to what the waterways minister and Labour MP's have been saying regarding the state of our waterways.
A rather lame reply from Jeremy Wright stated 'I regret that the failure to reply is not unique. I will chase the Minister'.
I never did received a reply.
Well done Laura
It seems that Alan Tilbury's MP, Laura Sandys is being proactive whilst mine just went through the motions. However, do not let my experience put you off. You do not know your MP until you ask them to do something for you!
Perhaps, the new waterways minister would care to respond via narrowboatworld to my questions and the Parliamentary question to be put by Alan's MP.
We need to know what this government plans for BW, not what BW's plans for itself!