Waterway charity transition trustees to meet Boaters' manifesto representatives

Canal & River Trust Transition Trustee  John Dodswell has told Peter Underwood that he, John Bridgeman and Jane Cotton will meet with representatives of the Boaters' Manifesto to discuss it on Tuesday 20 December 2011 to and he has provided brief biographies of the three.

John Bridgeman CBE

John is British Waterways’ vice chairman, chair of the Fair Trading Committee and the Wales Advisory Group and a pension trustee. He is a former director general of Fair Trading, member of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission and CEO of British Alcan Aluminium plc. He is also regulatory director of the British Horseracing Authority, chairman of the Audit and Standards Committee for Warwickshire County Council, complaints commissioner for the Direct Marketing Authority and a longstanding trustee of three Oxfordshire charities. Lives near Banbury and so knows the Oxford canal, among others, and keen on the Welsh canals.

Jane Cotton

Jane has been human resources director and a deputy chief executive of Oxfam, one of the UK’s largest and most successful charities, for the past 11 years. Prior to this she worked in Departments of Transport and Environment in both policy and human resources roles. In the 1990s Jane was resources director of the Charity Commission and human resources director of Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions. She brings particular expertise in organisational development and change management; also in volunteering, fundraising and charity governance. Lives near Princes Risborough, Bucks. Obviously, knows a lot about running charities and pay strategy; she will chair the Remuneration Committee of CRT.

John Dodwell

John is a chartered accountant who moved into corporate finance and corporate law. He is a former finance director or chair of several property companies (including setting up joint ventures), a former charity trustee (including dealing with investments) and has been a member since 1961 of The Inland Waterways Association, of which he was General Secretary 1970-73. He was chair of the Commercial Boat Operators Association. He will relinquish membership of the Inland Waterways Advisory Council and of the British Waterways Advisory Forum on becoming a trustee for the new waterways charity. Having sailed dinghies, fished and canoed on the Thames and elsewhere in his youth, he went onto hire cruisers over most of the network, enjoying the waterways’ built and natural environment. He now owns an historic narrow boat; it’s an old BCN tug which draws 3 ft over its 51 ft length.

You can sign the Boater's Manifesto petition by following the link at the top of the side panel.


Related stories: 

Exemption from Freedom of Information Act a benefit of charity status says BW Vice Chair
Waterways Minister pre-empts BW consultation and says Canal & River Trust will be subject to FoI Act 

Minister back-tracks on British Waterways FoI statement

Waterways Minister pre-empts BW consultation and says Canal & River Trust will be subject to FoI Act

Waterways Minister Richard Benyan: Picture by Bob Naylor©

The Waterways Minister, Richard Benyon has made it clear in a statement to Parliament that despite the protests of the eight Transition Trustees that the Freedom of Information Act would place an unfair and discriminatory burden on the charity they will, nonetheless, be bound by the legislation.

Eleven days before the closing date of the consultation Chippenham MP Duncan Hames asked Waterways Minister, Richard Benyon what plans he had to ensure the new Trust's decision-making is transparent and accountable and would he consider applying to it the Freedom of Information Act?



Richard Benyon responded, saying: "I am grateful for the opportunity to point out that all the provisions that currently exist for British Waterways in that regard will follow through to the new charity. If the new charity is to have the credibility that it must have, it is important that we assure all those who really mind about this matter that we are protecting those rights.”

BW Vice Chairman John Bridgeman
Picture by Bob Naylor©

But a few days after the Minister's announcement in Parliament, the Vice Chairman of British Waterways, John Bridgeman, who is one of Transition Trustees for the new charity,  said: "The new charity will not be 'precious' about information. We will disclose as much as we possibly and reasonably can, but that does not mean we should be bound by the Freedom of Information Act... it is a heavy cumbersome tool intended for the public sector — and we are coming out of the public sector. This new charity has a hell of a challenge anyway keeping the waterways open — we don't think it is fair to bind us to the cumbersome bureaucracy of the FOI Act."


Also read: Exemption from Freedom of Information Act a benefit of charity status says BW Vice Chair

Exemption from Freedom of Information Act a benefit of charity status says BW Vice Chair

by Bob Naylor

Canal and Rivers Trust transition trustee and current Vice Chairman of British Waterways, John Bridgemen, says that since no other charity is bound by the Freedom of Information Act he doesn't see why the new Canal and River Trust should be either.

BW Vice Chairman, John Bridgeman
Picture by BobNaylor©

Speaking at the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust AGM on Saturday he said, "The Freedom of Information Act is intended to apply to government departments and this is going to be a charitable Trust which is not a government department."

He explained that at the moment if someone wants to see his BW expense accounts for the last five years they can ask for it and BW is obliged to give the information, which means 'going to all it sorts of archives'.

He said, "Last year BW had two requests from people who wanted to know about our directors' expense accounts - going back over 7 years. It is costing an absolute fortune, but the law tells us we have to do it. But I am sorry — no other charity is exposed to that and I don't see why we should be".

He said that the new charity will not be 'precious' about information. "We will disclose as much as we possibly and reasonably can," he said, "but that does not mean we should be bound by the Freedom of Information Act... it is a heavy cumbersome tool intended for the public sector — and we are coming out of the public sector. This new charity has a  hell of a challenge anyway keeping the waterways open — we don't think it is fair to bind us to the cumbersome bureaucracy of the FOI Act. 

He said that one big advantage of being in the public sector is that BW can go to government for contingency funds if there is a major breach such as the one on the Mon & Brec Canal. 

"But," he said, "if we want all the benefits of going for charitable status — the tax breaks, management freedom, exemption from the freedom of information act and to raise debt on property — then government is telling us we can have them, but we can't turn to government to bail us out in future — that is the big downside."

BW Vice Chairman, John Bridgeman
Picture by BobNaylor©

Upbeat on BW finance

He was upbeat when he spoke about BW finances saying that 20 years ago BW was only 5% self-sufficient with everything else having to come from government hand-outs. "The new charity will be starting off 65% self sufficient," he said. "We have managed our property portfilio, the boating business —  our new marina developments and our online moorings that we now sell at an economic price - not to everyone's delight — and our boat licences. We are making £35 million from our property business, and £25 million from our boating business.


New funding streams

He explained that BW is seeking new funding from such things as 'low-head' hydro electric schemes saying: "BW hasn't got started on this yet  — but we have planning permission for five, the equipment is ordered and we will be installing them in the course of next year."

He was enthusiastic about selling access to water for cooling — and for heating using heat pumps — saying that this is probably the fastest growing part of the business — and more income coming from using the towpath for optical fibre, which is a great success with 1000 miles already done and the potential for another 1000 miles in the future. 

BW Vice Chairman, John Bridgeman
Picture by BobNaylor©

Pub Business failure

Of the failed pub venture he said: "The pub partnership that we had with Scottish and Newcastle was a great idea that depended on both partners being prepared to put money into it. 

"We were up for it — Scottish and Newcastle were not — so we bought the decent pubs out of the partnership.

"I don't think that is a bad result at all," he said. "Of course you don't expect every pub in a chain to make money — pubs are having a pretty difficult time at the moment. We didn't get the food budget right, some of the locations are not very good, but we have not written any money off. BW has not lost anything on the venture — not a penny," he claimed.


Comments:
Kirsten Elliott said...
Mr Bridgeman may not be able to see why BW should not be free from FoI requests. Perhaps it would be better if BW management considered why people are making them. Added to which, as a professional researcher, I cannot see why it is costing BW so much money for information that ought to be at their fingertips. Another example of incompetence, perhaps? And there is another side to charitable status - BW will find that the Charity Commission will want to know plenty of figures.

October 18, 2011 10:59 AM