Quango cuts: 177 bodies to be scrapped under coalition plans
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/8021739/Quango-cuts-177-bodies-to-be-scrapped-nder-coalition-plans.html |
BW Chief Executive, Robin Evans Picture by Bob Naylor |
This story prompted the following statement from BW Chief Executive, Robin Evans:
You may have heard news reports this morning that British Waterways is one of the public bodies facing the axe as part of next month’s Government spending review. This is part of the inevitable speculation that happens before such reviews.
I know this is unsettling and so I want to share with you what I believe will happen - based on close discussion with ministers and officials.
The Westminster Government is very close to making a firm decision to go ahead with our proposal to move BW’s waterways into a charity. We expect an announcement about that in more detail next month. This would be a tremendous result for us as it adopts the strategy we have argued for during the last 18 months.
Creating a new charity, means that the legal organisation ‘British Waterways’ will have to be replaced, hence the misguided speculation from leaked documents about us ‘facing the axe’ etc.
Clearly there are still a great many areas to look at before a major move like this can take place:
· the new trust will need governance structures put into place
· the level of future Government funding through a contract will need to be agreed
· Defra is looking at the possible inclusion of EA navigations
· the Scottish Government will want to consider the inclusion of Scottish waterways.
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