Steve Haywood wrote: > 2009/11/17 Bruce Napier > <[email protected]> > >> >> BW can't afford to lose the income from its property portfolio, it >> would only add to the PSBR (or whatever we're calling it this month) >> to have to increase its grant in aid to replace the lost revenue. >> > > There is a perfectly valid argument that the annual grant is better > for BW than the existing system. This is because there is never going > to be a situation where BW can be entirely self sufficient of > government grants. Even Robin Evan's discredited policies of recent > years only ever aimed at being 'largely' self sufficient of the > grant. Even if it allowed BW to retain the property portfolio, > ggovernment would still have complete control over BW's finances. If > BW's property income rose, it could and would simply trim its annual > budget accordingly. > > However, if there was a crisis in waterways maintenance the existence > of the property portfolio would allow the government to distance > itself from difficult decisions that would have to be taken. If there > was another serious breach somewhere, for instance, it would argue > that it not only finances BW adequately on an annual basis, but that > BW has resources of its own which it can use as it thinks fit. > > The advantage of the annual grant is that while it may marginally > limit BW's ability for forward planning (which may not be such a bad > thing, anyhow), it does make the government vulnerable to continuing > political pressure in a way that, as boaters, we have proved we can > exploit. On the other hand BW has proved itself intransigent to > pressure under it's existing structure, and it will certainly be no > more democratic under the National Trust-like charity model it is > mooting. > > I think we should all pause and think very carefully before jumping > on this bandwagon. > > Steve
I don't dissagree, but lets look back... "Bad old days" - BWB had no money, too many staff sitting about doing nothing. Repairs to Llangollen breaches, Blisworth and Harecastle, only repaired by govt bail outs. Blisworth and Harecastle took ages because only of use to boaters. "Good old days" - BWB started getting commercial and getting in money from other sources. This was not just from property, but from things such as "The backlog of saftey" and Heritage Lottery Money. Restoration renaissance. Canals at peak condition in say 2003? One could say that like almost all recent projects there was a lot of capital spend about, but nothing for maitenance. -- Neil Arlidge NB Earnest TNC http://www.tuesdaynightclub.co.uk/tour.html
