Report on 'Waterways For Everyone' consultation issued.

I would commend to readers DEFRA's report on its consultation which  from earlier in the year on 'Waterways for Everyone'. Full details from the DEFRA web page. A fair bit to read but I think worth the effort.

Feathering the nest?

BW Directors have had a good year even if the rest of the business has suffered. According to the Annual Accounts, last year the value of their pension funds increased by £1.8 million pounds. (Annual Accounts page 47).

Robins Evans pension fund increased by in excess of 33% in the year and spin master general, Simon Salem's pension pot increased by 43%, which the annual report claims will provide them with pensions of £78 000 and £63 000 a year respectively.

Now I don't how that increase I was achieved and maybe the directors had a result on their Lottery Syndicate? However it is curious that at a time when everyone else's pensions are reducing in value that the BW Directors pension funds did so well.

As predicted their property portfolio sucked money out of BW instead of providing net income. Page 50 of the annual reports suggests a net loss for the year of in excess of £12 million.

Can someone explain?

Spending our money on Spin

This week BW have been heralding how they have 'invested' half a million pound in new pontoons in Liverpool. Good news for boaters?

Of course as Victor on Narrowboat World has so accurately pointed out, getting to take your boat there to take advantage of the new moorings may prove a problem!

Robin Evans Pay

Thanks to the publication last week of the salary bands of the top earners in quangos etc, Robin Evans' salary is again in the public domain. Robin comes joint 14th place from the top of the 332 person list, (in the £230 000 - £235 000 salary range.)

I also saw Christoper Hope's comment on his telegraph blog pointing out that this is more than the heads of M15 and M16. He wonders what Robin (and others) do that is of so much more value than the security of the nation. Good question! Well I don't think it's that the heads of the Security Services are under-paid... See 23 April

The BW Board was due to meet on 17th June to approve the latest set of Annual Accounts*, which many of us await with interest, to see just how much money BW has lost this year and how much of their our commercial portfolio they have sold off to keep themselves afloat and maintain Mr Evans and his cronies at the salary levels they are used to!

Stop press! - the 2009/10 Annual Report and Accounts are now up on their website here.