Systeme D

26 April 2007

Translation From PR-Speak to English of Selected Parts of the Prime Minister's Response Regarding the Petition about BW Funding

Source: http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page11521.asp
With apologies to: John Gruber

Over the past ten years British Waterways has been enormously successful in the management of its waterways and the Government is committed to ensuring it is able to continue to do so.

Insofar as "committed" does not involve giving them any money.

In just the past seven years, British Waterways has facilitated the restoration of more than 200 miles of canals and waterways and reduced its maintenance backlog under this £180 million programme. This has only been possible because of substantial government investment by Government in England, Wales and Scotland of £524 million since 2000.

This has also "only" been possible because of volunteers and the Lottery, but the Olympics should sort the latter out.

British Waterways is a good example of where the Government's increased investment should be viewed against performance over the last 10 years and not just on the basis of a short term adjustment.

We are cutting budgets everywhere, so get used to it.

Over the past six years in England and Wales British Waterways has received £452 million, and its waterways in Scotland have received some £72 million from the Scottish Executive giving a total Government spend on £524 million.

At this point, let us pause to give thanks to our colleagues in Scotland without whom all these figures would look substantially worse.

This includes £42 million between 1999 and 2004 - which helped British Waterways clear its £90 million backlog of safety arrears. It did this eight months ahead of target.

So we don't expect BW to mind that our funding cuts will keep the maintenance arrears there for another ten years.

British Waterways agrees that in the long term, it needs to become more self-sufficient, so that it can reduce its reliance on money from central Government.

British Waterways agrees that standing on a City street corner soliciting donations is probably a more attractive future than slowly starving in a crack-house in Brixton.

In light of this, the restructuring of British Waterways was already in progress before the budget realignments were announced.

We can safely say this because British Waterways is always restructuring something or other.

It is for the Board of British Waterways to decide how best to apportion its reduced budget in relation to its activities

Fuck you, BW.

and I very much welcome the way it is taking positive action to actively manage its own funding situation and put itself on a firm footing to ensure the sustainability of its canals for the future.

After all, we're not quite sure what the fuck else it could do.

Over the course of last summer and autumn, Ministers reviewed Defra's budgets. The Chief Executives and Chairman of British Waterways, along with others in the Defra family of sponsored bodies, were invited to contribute to this process.

We gave their contribution about the same shrift as we've given this petition.

British Waterways' grant for 2007/08 remains at just over £55m. It has also received £2.048m for the repayment of the principal on a National Loans Fund loan, bringing its total budget for 2007/08 to £57.545m.

We have seen how the banks get good PR from refunding exorbitant charges on overdrafts and we figure we might as well try the same trick.

I am pleased that we have been able to safeguard this level of funding, given spending constraints. British Waterways needs greater certainty of funding if it is to be able to plan sensibly and run its business. This is why we notified it of its funding for 2007/08 before Christmas in order to help it manage the consequences and any risks associated with this level of funding.

When we say "before Christmas", we mean it in the traditional Governmental meaning of 4.45pm on December 24th.

It is now the Government's intention to provide British Waterways with greater security of funding, through a three-year funding agreement, from 2008/09.

About £0, £0, £0 should cover it.

Comments

Where I can find good quality films?
Can anyone help me?

Posted by AttiltMat on 10.11.07 16:07

Add a comment

Your name:

E-mail address: 

Comment:

your comment. (E-mail addresses will not be visible, but a server-based mail link will be provided. To guard against spam, no comments which include 'http' or 'www' will be published.)