Update on GOBA ACTIONS to change the EA Registration Proposals
At last nights GOBA Committee meeting it was agreed that a short update on our efforts to change the outcome of EA Consultation was needed.
The outcome of the Consultation, if unchanged, will see the Great Ouse become the most expensive river for the majority of boaters that exists in the UK, with some of the lowest investment in facilities. Attached is a comparison spreadsheet our Chair has constructed to illustrate this point. At GOBA, committee members have been contacting members, MPs, Mayors, Elected Councillors, Secretary of State, James Bevan CEO of EA and exploring all possible channels to chase opposition to parts of the Consultation that create this unfair and exploitative situation. It has been stated that our campaign has been most vociferous and we hope it has not fallen on deaf ears. We have openly stated that we fully accept the 6/4/0% headline increases as being reasonable and fair. It is the manipulation of the new ‘framework’ and misrepresentations that surround both the Consultation process and the EA logic which causes the pricing on Great Ouse to explode. Several months ago GOBA contacted clubs and marinas, trying to highlight the potential cost impacts this change might mean. The EA say that they had 16% response from all GO boaters. They say they emailed every boater on the register [with an email address], yet we have only found a few members whom received these emails. They say they posted everyone also but no letters were received by any committee member or any other members asked. The Consultation closed in September and the proposals have gone to the Minister for approval. The EA say that they have listened to the stakeholders responses and that there are changes reflecting the inputs from boaters. The outcome will be know by end of business on 1st December via NNUF. GOBA will report these as soon as we know and understand them. We ask Clubs and Marinas to cascade this and subsequent information, down through their members and when we report on the final situation. It may be that a rear-guard action can be mounted if things do not significantly change. Additionally GOBA is seeking from the EA a Service Level Agreement to formalise and consolidate what we can expect for our fees. We have requested details on the Anglian Pass, breaking down its components to see if it has been successful in terms of EA income/expectations or just a bureaucratic white elephant and in light of the major furore over sewage and pollution, a copy of the pollution report for Anglian Waterways has been requested.
