BW Chairman responds to Canal Trust President's criticism of its financial record

The forthright views of the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust President, David Bruce, expressed at a meeting in Devizes last Monday when he said: "British Waterway couldn't even organise a piss-up in a brewery",  struck a chord with canal supporters at the meeting — but not with British Waterways.

BW Chairman, Tony Hales

BW Chairman, Tony Hales has responded to KAcanalTIMES with the following letter which we reproduce here in full:

Dear KAcanalTIMES,

I was saddened by your report of a speech by David Bruce last week.  It left no doubt as to his strength of feeling, but many questions as to his intentions and motivation.

David and I have known each other on and off for a long time. I know he is passionate for the K&A, and the waterways, but so am I, and so are my fellow trustees and colleagues. The difference between us is that we are the ones responsible for the network and having to make all the difficult decisions. We see the sterling work that people in BW achieve day in and day out to keep our extraordinary 2,000-mile network available for everyone to use and we also see they work best where they have the enthusiasm and support of local people. I cannot for the life of me understand why someone in David’s position thinks that rubbishing all and sundry and being so incredibly negative is going to help the K&A or its relationship with the new charity.

I am not going to get into a public slanging match or claim that everything that BW has done has been right. No organisation, where many people make dozens of decisions every day can claim this. However overall BW has: expanded the network; consistently improved the quality of some extraordinary assets; grown its commercial income in both absolute and proportionate terms; and driven down its cost base. We have also championed an innovative solution in the creation of a charity, with a long term government contract that - subject to final terms being agreed - puts our waterways on a more consistent and sustainable basis, with governance more closely in the hands of local communities rather than one Westminster minister.

BW has not simply championed this move because it believes it to be right, but because it listened and responded to what users told us they want. Government is committed to the new charity, it has the support of the vast majority of people I meet on the waterways and it offers opportunities that will deliver a better network (including the K&A). So why not help shape it rather than shouting abuse from the side-lines? After all that is the whole idea of moving it from government control to a Council, trustees and waterway partnerships.

I am always keen to talk to anyone. I hope David will meet me again before completing the “robust response” he is reported to have promised to the latest Defra consultation.  He must of course express his own views but on the basis of as much understanding as possible and a workable vision for the future. I look forward to our discussion.

Tony Hales

Chairman British Waterways


Read: British Waterways couldn't even organise a piss-up in a brewery says canal trust president  

Comments:

Kirsten Elliott said...

Well, it's not offering a better K&A at the moment - canal closed at Caen Hill, the Widcombe flight leaking water at every pore, so that boats further up the canal are resting on the bottom. If the majority of people he meets on the towpath is in favour, he can't have met many people.

October 10, 2011 8:27 PM 

Allan Richards said...

Quite right for David Bruce to criticise BW's commercial performance.

Last year they should have made £33m net profit from joint ventures alone according to plan. For the fourth year in a row, BW recorded a loss on its joint ventures. Poring £9m of public money into its pub joint venture in a failed attempt to prevent it falling into administration is unforgivable. If that money had been spent on maintaining K&A instead......

It seems that Mr Hales wishes to meet me for the same reasons he wishes to meet David Bruce. Here is my response:
http://www.narrowboatworld.com/index.php/news-flash/3658-dear-mr-hales

October 11, 2011 9:37 AM 

Anonymous said...

Quote: "However overall BW has: expanded the network; consistently improved the quality of some extraordinary assets; grown its commercial income in both absolute and proportionate terms; and driven down its cost base."

Well, that all happened before TH & Robbing Evans got involved, ripped us all off & let the canal system fall into disrepair. And the beginning of the end started long before the credit crunch set in...

October 12, 2011 1:01 PM 

Reed warblers – a sound of the canal

The reed beds on the Kennet & Avon Canal that can make it interesting and sometimes challenging for boats to pass  — especially with the increasing number of wide-beam boats on the waterway — bring a bonus to bird lovers because they are a perfect habitat for reed warblers. 

Boats passing on the Long Pound on the K&A Canal near Allington:  Picture by Bob Naylor©

Reed warbler: Picture by John Harding/BTO©

You are more likely to hear than see the shy and secretive reed warbler but research by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) shows that they are alive and well and an increase of 48% has been recorded on British Waterways’ canals and rivers in England and Wales compared to a 4% reduction on UK waterways as a whole in the past decade.

BW say that the key reason for increase in the number reed warblers on the canals is the improved water quality and better conservation of the reed bed habitat.

Coir matting rolls pre-planted with water
plants ready to be used on bank repairs.
Picture by Bob Naylor©

BW ecologist, Leela O’Dea, said: “ Unlike common garden birds, which are much better at adapting to changes in their immediate environment, species such as reed warblers are totally dependent on their own unique habitats to ensure a thriving population.

“Better management of the waterways across England and Wales has seen the installation of soft banks and reeded fringes to replace hard edges that benefit reed warblers and other species such as water voles, sand martins and kingfishers."


They are a classic sound of the British Summer — now is your last chance to hear them before they migrate to Africa for the winter.

You can hear their distinctive sound at: RSPB Reed warbler

Jam today

A bumper harvest led a Pewsey canalside resident to offer his surplus apples free to passers-by and he left them at the roadside in a plastic storage box.

Terry Kemp's apple box: Picture by Bob Naylor©

However when Terry Kemp returned home he was disappointed to find that not only had all of the apples had gone… but so had the box.

Terry was a bit put out by this — but he was delighted to find that a short while later the box had been returned — and with it were two pots of jam — causing Terry to comment on Twitter: "I love where I live."

As well as donating free apples to the world Terry is a member of the community project that bought up the lease on the Barge Inn at Honestreet with money from the Village SOS Lottery Fund, he was until recently a Trustee of the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust and Chairman of the Local Partnership that had successfully bid for the £29 million Lottery Heritage Fund for the K&A Canal and he is also a former Waterway Manager of the Kennet & Avon Canal.

Paralympic trip for Bruce Trust boat

Trip to the Paralympics for Bruce Trust boat Diana: Picture by Bob Naylor©

A Bruce Trust hire boat specially designed and purpose built for use by disabled people will be at the Paralympics in London next year thanks to the offer of a free mooring for the duration of the games by British Waterways.

The Trust, based at Great Bedwyn on the Kennt & Avon Canal, are now busy making plans for the trip and they have already visited the site with BW staff to ensure that it  is suitable for wheelchair access.

They will take their 10 berth boat, Diana, to the games and they will moor on the Hertford Union  canal near to the Olympic Park from Wednesday 29 August until Sunday 9 September.

They will make the cruise in both directions with the help of their own band of volunteers, local Rotary Clubs and some of their customers — with a qualified skipper and an experienced crew aboard at all times. 

Bruce Trust administrator, Rebecca Bruce said: "This will give our customers a new adventure and a change of scene from their regular trip routes and while Diana is moored in London we will have customers to stay for a couple of nights each, either to see London or have accommodation close to the Games if they have managed to get tickets.

"And having the boat there will show just what facilities the Trust is able to offer people with disabilities and their families — and that an enjoyable boating holiday a real possibility." 

Finds out more about the Bruce Trust and its fleet of specially designed boats at: www.brucetrust.org.uk

Photographer Don McCullin at Tate Britain

Tate britain is currently staging an exhibition of the work of photographer Don McCullin who is recognised as one of the most important war photographers of the late twentieth century.

Throughout his career he has documented the devastation caused by events of international significance including conflicts in Vietnam, Lebanon, Cyprus and Biafra and his photographs have depicted war-torn regions with clarity and honesty.

This display, selected in collaboration with Don, takes a broader view of his photographic practice. 

In one of his first overseas assignments, to Berlin in 1961, he photographed a city troubled by the uneasy coexistence of military occupation and everyday life. 

His studies of homeless people in east London and the urban landscapes of northern England, made from the 1960s onwards, reveal the harsh reality of life for the poor in post-war Britain.

'Photography isn’t looking, it’s feeling. If you can’t feel what you’re looking at, then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures.'  Don McCullin

From the late 1980s he has been increasingly interested in rural landscapes, producing dramatic compositions from places as different in character as the countryside around his Somerset home and the former battlefields of the Somme. 

Tate Britain — The home of British art from 1500 to the present day

Millbank

London SW1P 4RG

020 7887 8888

visiting.britain@tate.org.uk

Entry is free except for major exibitions

Open every day 10.00–18.00
Last admission to exhibitions 17.15

Open until 22.00 on the first Friday of each month for Late at Tate Britain

Closed 24, 25, 26 December (open as normal on 1 January)

British Waterways couldn't even organise a piss-up in a brewery says canal trust president

K&A Canal Trust President, David Bruce
Picture by Bob Naylor©

By Bob Naylor

Brandishing a copy of the British Waterways Annual Report at a meeting in Devizes about the transfer of BW to a new waterways charity David Bruce, President of the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust, made a savage attack on what he sees as the financial mis-management of BW.

Referring to the annual report he spoke of the failure of the BW nationwide pub partnership last year saying, "It went into administration — they cannot even organise a piss-up in a brewery — this report says 'Our venture into pub partnerships had to be put into administration by the creditors'".

David who has run successful pub and brewery businesses and started a charity that makes it possible for people with disabilities to take a canal holiday then rounded on British Waterways Marinas which he said spent £5.8 million to generate £6.6 million: "Its not worth getting out of bed for." he said, "Why are they fiddling about with marinas -  trying to break even? These are the guys that are going to be running our charity next year." 

Pension Fund deficit

He pointed out that in the financial year ending March 2011 there was a pension deficit of £59 million, which he said will be transferred to the new charity. "While Defra were concerned about who's going to use the towpath - and access to it - not one word has ever been mentioned in any consultation document about what's going to happen to the £59m pension deficit."

Emperor's new clothes

Likening the unquestioning acceptance of the plan to create a new waterways charity to the children's story of "The Emperor's New Clothes", he again read from the annual report saying, "On page 33 it says that the whole group has a net cash flow deficit of £6.6m - and the deficit on the operational activities before tax is £10.1m. That doesn't come out when you get open letters from the Waterways Minister. He just says, 'This is a super idea - I do hope you will co-operate in making sure it happens'.  

Directors

There were nine directors last year whose salaries cost £1.4 million  — paid by the British taxpayer, "These are the guys that are going to be switched into the National Waterways Charity —  they also get taxable benefits such as company limousines that add £77,000 on top of that 1.4 million." 

"I've never met the CEO", he continued, "He may be a lovely bloke — but last year he trousered £234,000. How is the new charity going to pay for that next year? He is the chief executive of what will become a charity. Even if the charity cannot afford it and decides to make him redundant imagine what his pay off is going to be.  And he referred to a BW executive director who left last year saying: "I don't know if he was sacked or just decided to leave, but he got paid £188,000 in lieu of notice and he walked away with a total of £342,000 of our hard earned taxes.  None of this has ever been touched upon in the Defra consultation documents".

Directors pension pot

"These executive directors - and there are only eight of them now, because, remember, the other bloke cleared off with over a third of a million quid last year — well the accrued pension value of those eight people is £6 million. So in the year when, to quote from this report, the 'group deficit for BW was £29 million' they still managed to keep £6 million for the directors' pensions."

Flogging off the nation's assets

He expressed his concern that BW are selling off real estate and cutting off one of the revenue streams of the new charity. He said, "In the chairman's report it says that in the last three years £45 million worth of freehold assets have been sold by BW to 'retain liquidity'. In my language that's to stop the cash running out and had they not sold £45 million worth of assets they would probably have gone bust. But they weren't just assets — these were 'income generating assets' - they generated rent and that rent went into looking after the canals.

"And they are awfully pleased with themselves at the moment because they say that they have managed to make a profit of £11 million — but they only managed that by flogging off the nation's assets."

Directors' bonus payments

As to the 'performance' bonuses the directors awarded themselves after the AGM — he encouraged people to sign the e-Petition calling for  the Government to put a stop on the £15,000 lump sum bonus for Chief Executive, Robin Evans and the £12,500 for the other Directors. 

The petition is at: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/14617

Maintenance budget cuts

All the country’s canals and, from David’s perspective, particularly the K&A, need appropriate and adequate maintenance if they are to remain open to traffic and continue to be an asset for the communities through which they flow. And herefered to the experiences of hirers of his Bruce Trust boats  —  explaining that recently BW bankside staff have had to help to push the boats free when they have become stuck.

Lack of maintenance and dredging in particular is having effects on businesses and other users of the canal. The K&A Canal Trust tried to get some new trip boat licences and was told 'no you can't because the canal is too turbid'. David's response to this was clear:, "The reason it is too turbid is because the canal hasn't been dredged and boats just stir up the mud - if the mud gets stirred up you get turbid water. And every now and then that turbid water goes down into a nice clean river like the Kennet and that upsets the fishermen so you then get the Environment Agency and Natural England involved. But if BW had not reduced its water maintenance budget by £9.5 million we probably wouldn't be having those problems."

All Party Waterways Group

The non-political group of MPs and Peers who make up the All-party Parliamentary Waterways Group have been discussing the proposed move to a charity. David reported that they issued a report as recently as last June saying that the new waterways charity must not be BW by another name. "But", he added, "I think this new charity is going to be exactly that even though the APWG has said it must not be. How do you avoid that when three of the new Trustees are BW directors including the chairman and the vice-chairman?"

David concluded by saying  that the K&A Canal Trust would be making a robust reponse to the latest Supplementary Consultation document and he expressed his disgust that Defra had reduced the 12 week consultation period to six weeks: "For no other reason than to meet their own deadline of creating the charity on April Fool's Day 2012."

The Annual Report & Accounts is available to read online.

Read Celebrating Our Canals & Rivers 1948–2011, British Waterways' Transition to Charitable Status.

You can read the full consultation response at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/consult/files/110912-waterways-summary-responses.pdf.

You can read the supplementary consultation at: 

http://www.defra.gov.uk/consult/2011/09/12/waterways-1109/

Fact File

David Bruce has been in the international brewing and leisure industry for more than 40 years and he was the founder of the Firkin Brewery pub chain.

He set up the Bruce Trust in 1988 with his wife Louise and the Trust operates four wide beam boats specially built to make it possible for people with disabilities and their families to take canal boat holidays. They operate their boats from Great Bedwyn and Lower Foxhangers on the Kennet & Avon Canal.

David is currently Executive Chairman of Country Food and Dining which has five farm shops — mostly in the south of England.


Comments:

Simon R said...

BW Directors' pay- off if they are made redundant is at least a year's salary. (Annual Report 2010/11 page 50) http://www.britishwaterways.co.uk/media/documents/BW_Annual_Report_and_Accounts_2011.pdf

September 29, 2011 10:42 AM

Kirsten Elliott said...

While a lot of what he says is true, I can't help thinking this is a case of the pot calling the kettle black, given the parlous state of the K&ACT's finances. Is anyone interested in forming a new K&A pressure group? I even have the name - KAPITAS. It stands for Kennet and Avon Pain in the Arse Society - the aim being to be a perfect nuisance to the powers-that-be till they appreciate what an important asset they have here.

October 2, 2011 3:09 PM 

The 14ft grp cruiser being sold on eBay by Mikron Theatre to raise funds to continue touring their shows has less than 2 days to run and the bidding stands at £250.

Go the auction at: Mikron Cruiser  and you can follow a link to the outboard motors they have for sale from there.

Sydney Wharf, Bath — work begins

Sydney Wharf, Bath: Picture by Bob Naylor©

Work begins today on Sydney Wharf in Bath on the Kennet & Avon Canal and will continue until Friday 28th October. 


The navigation width will be reduced and the winding hole will be out of use.

Petition calls for stop on BW directors' bonus payments

A petition asking government to intervene to prevent payment of bonuses to British Waterways Directors — and the money spent on maintenance of the waterways instead — is now online.


The petition says:
No bonuses for British Waterways directors

British Waterways employees were denied a pay rise last year due to 'lack of funds'. This year some staff were awarded a £200 PA rise and were told that there was no more money to offer. 

• It was recently announced that as there would be a 9 Million Pound deficit at the end of this financial year yet the Directors of British Waterways will be paid lump sum bonuses of up to £15,000 this year. 
• The Chief Executive (Robin Evans) will get a £15,000 payment on top of his annual wage of £222,000. Other Directors will all receive a £12,500 lump sum payment. 
• The bonuses equate to one third of the whole pay pot for 0.5% of BW staff compared to two thirds of the pot being shared between 99.5% of the staff.
• The signatories of this petition believe that the government should intervene and stop these bonus payments and the money should be spent on waterway maintenance instead.

See the petition at: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/14617

Waterways Minister's vision of BW charity move

Richard Benyon Pic by Bob Naylor©

Waterways Minister Richard Benyon has released an open letter today on the British Waterways move to become a  waterways charity

22 September 2011

In March, I launched a consultation on moving British Waterways in England and Wales into a New Waterways Charity. We received over 350 responses – the majority supportive. Over the summer, we discussed the responses with the new charity’s transition trustees, who will bring the new charity into being. I have now announced our intention to proceed.

I am grateful to the organisations and individuals who submitted responses. They show the commitment and enthusiasm that people up and down the country have for the waterways – both as a national network and as a local amenity. As a result, we have made several improvements to our proposals:

• We will set the initial size of the Council at 35 members. The Council will grow over time. For example, as other waterways join the charity.

• From the very start, the Council will have directly-elected members. Private boaters, boating businesses and employees of the new charity will all elect their representatives to the Council. Over time, the proportion of directly elected members will increase to 50% of the total.

• Each of the Waterways Partnerships, working closely with the charity’s 11 management units, will develop a localism strategy, so that local communities, enthusiasts, donors and volunteers are all engaged. The Waterways Partnerships will have fair and broad representation from a range of interests.

• We will create an All Wales Partnership, so that the Welsh voice is heard distinctly in Wales. There will also be a Partnership to cover the waterways museums.

• The Chairs of the Waterways Partnerships will all have a seat on the Council, and will meet at least annually with the Board of Trustees. The Chairs will meet as a group as often as they wish.

• We have published an improved draft of the charity’s purposes at http://www.defra.gov.uk/consult/files/110912-waterways-summary-responses.pdf.

• We will make the transfer of the waterways subject to a Trust: the waterways will be held and operated for the public good in perpetuity on behalf of the nation. Free pedestrian access to the towpaths will be protected.

Some respondents were concerned about the funding of the charity; others made suggestions for maximising donations and making efficiencies. The Government will transfer to the new charity the property assets of British Waterways in England and Wales, as a ‘dowry’ (valued at about £380m). At a difficult time for the nation’s finances, this represents a great start for the charity. In addition, I have committed the Government to a long-term funding agreement. We shall be discussing the terms of this with the transitional trustees later in the autumn.

Once we have created the charitable company, we will transfer the functions through a Transfer Order, subject to parliamentary approval, and the assets through a Transfer Scheme. On 12 September, I published a supplementary consultation paper, which seeks views on this. The consultation is open until 24 October and can be found on our website at http://www.defra.gov.uk/consult/2011/09/12/waterways-1109/. I hope that many of those who gave us their views the first time round will also respond to this consultation. We will issue a response later in the year.

When I launched the first consultation in March, I mentioned my great pride in the Kennet and Avon Canal in West Berkshire – and my passionate commitment to a prosperous future for the inland waterways in the charitable sector. The progress made in the past four months has taken us much closer towards achieving that vision. Over the next few months, we will be looking for members of the Council and the Waterways Partnerships. The charity will then start to take shape. It is an exciting time for the waterways and their many supporters.

Richard Beynon.

Police appeal for help to find missing in Bath man

Marcus Baker has not been seen by his family or friends since August 15, 2011. His family are concerned for his welfare because he needs medication and and they don't know if he has any. 

Marcus is 6'3" tall, with a thin build and short light brown hair. He has a small scar below his left eye and a broken front tooth.

Anyone who knows where Marcus is or has seen him since he went missing should contact Bath Police Station on 101.

KAcanalTIMES  

Up to the minute news on Twitter

Mikron Theatre sell donated boat to raise cash

Mikron Theatre's Ruby funding appeal has been given a boost with the donation of a cabin cruiser and four outboard motors which they are selling on eBay.

They had two successful trips to do shows on the Kennet & Avon Canal earlier this year but the company desperately needs funds if they are to tour again next year.  

For the first time since Mikron was formed 39 years ago they have no secure formal funding and they are appealing for help to make their 40th year of touring a reality.

The 14ft FRP cruiser that they are selling on eBay is at: Mikron Cruiser  and you can follow a link to the outboard motors from there.

Find out more about Mikron Theatre and their Ruby appeal at: Mikron Website

Wiltshire and Bristol Ships in the 15th Century — Devizes lunchtime talk

Tim Bowly of University of the West of England will give an illustrated talk at the Wiltshire Heritage Museum in Devizes next month about the maritime activities of Wiltshire and Bristol shipping in the fifteenth century which will include examples of Wiltshire involvement. 

Tim will look at some of the Bristol ships identified in documents, the various types of medieval ships, the merchandise that they carried, the ports that they used, navigation, pilgrimages by sea, ships of war, piracy, and finally exploration.

He will introduce some people engaged in fifteenth-century Bristol life: William Cannyngs, William Worcester, Robert Sturmey, John Cabot, of course, and from Wiltshire, John, Lord Stourton, who was a major land-owner in Wiltshire.

It is on Wednesday 12 October 2011 at the Wiltshire Heritage Museum in Long Street, Devizes.


The start time is 1.10pm and it will last about 45 minutes.


The cost is £2.50 and there is no need to book — just turn up on the day... bring your lunch and tea/coffee will be provided.   

For more information go to: Lunchtime talks

Devizes canalside development protesters facebook page

Saving Devizes 

... campaigners fighting the huge canalside housing development plans in Devizes now have a facebook page ➤➤
http://www.facebook.com/SavingDevizes

Car in the cut at Newbury

An Audi car that has been in the Kennet & Avon Canal near to Bull's Swing Bridge in Newbury since early on Wednesday morning last week is being removed today.  A crane and BW staff are on site today to clear the canal.

Pictures by Allan Mercardo©

KAcanalTIMES 

Car craned out of the K&A Canal at Bulls Swingbridge in Newbury this week— Film from Newbury Weekly News...newburytoday.co.uk/News/FlashNews…