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EA Flood Defence Team Plans for Substantial Dredging of River Loddon

Julian,

That is a real "vote me in" reply, it would have been good to see some words around "I will discuss this with my colleague John Redwood and educate him as to modern thoughts on flood management"

Good work though mate...........at least word is getting around.
 
Reply received from Charles Walker
Dear Mr Marshall,

Thank you for your email regarding flood protection.

Clearly, what we have to do is ensure that when managing rivers we look at the whole environment and this includes the preservation and enhancement of fish stocks. Whilst the dredging of rivers was popular in the last century, in many cases the legacy of these schemes is being redressed with investment being directed towards improving flows and restoring natural features of the water course. There is, of course, a great deal more to be done.

If I am returned to Parliament, I intend to join with my former colleague, Martin Salter, in making the case for our rivers. Furthermore, from my own family's experience, I know that poorly thought out flood defences alleviate the problem in one area only for it to relocate to another.

Thank you again for writing to me.

Yours sincerely,


Charles Walker
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Hmmmnn, they look very similar, I must say!! I wonder if Charles wrote them himself?? :rolleyes:
 
Ian Crook said:
Julian,
it would have been good to see some words around "I will discuss this with my colleague John Redwood and educate him as to modern thoughts on flood management"
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Not sure that most Tories these days consider Redwood to be an actual colleague...even other Tories think he is quite mad.
However it is good to get a sensible response that shows he (or at least his PA) actually is aware of the issue. Looks like he may really be an angler after all!
 
Charles Walker

I have fished with Charles Walker a number of times (on the Kennet and Test) and he is a serious angler. Started off on trout but totally converted in recent years by Martin Salter - who put him in a good barbel swim on the Wasing estate and he hasn't looked back. Also passionate about pike. I can't prove that he wrote that email, but it certainly sounds like his style.

As for John Redwood, I live in his constituency and won't have any difficulty in deciding who not to vote for....

Richard
 
The Chairman on Friday


La Therese, eh?

Frequent visitor to The Castle until we had to pension her off.

What heels! Ding dong.

Once something of an inspiration to our Lady Guides here in The Hamsters, though - on river and orf. Look out for our new range of Beecham Bank 'n' Boudoir Boots. Available from specialist stockists soon (or by mail under plain brown wrapping).


As ever,

B.B.
 
Graham Elliott said:
I have contacted my old pal Theresa May, to see if she can reign the idiot in


Graham
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I remember Theresa in her glamorous days on Merton council, can't imagine her with a rod in hand, at least not the fishing variety! But she certainly was strict, so just the person to give the Mekon a dressing down...although he may well enjoy it.
 
:eek:

What a thought..........in fact....I would rather not think about it.....:)
 
A not very encouraging response from Theresa
.............

Thank you for your email of 16th April 2010 regarding John Redwood’s comments on dredging the River Loddon.



I hold regular meetings with the Environment Agency regarding river management in the constituency and I have also made numerous visits to inspect local rivers and tributaries. I have always felt that Maidenhead is fortunate to have the River Thames and various tributaries running through the constituency – natural resources bringing enjoyment to local people but also bringing money and tourists into the area. Unfortunately, the bodies involved in policy relating to the rivers all too often take an uncoordinated approach to them.



Of course a key issue relating to the river is flooding. I have therefore consistently raised concerns with the Environment Agency about their lack of dredging of the main river and their approach to maintaining the Thames and the Loddon and streams running into the rivers.



However, I do appreciate that any dredging which may take place must take into account any effects on other river users, such as anglers. I will certainly bear all of your comments in mind should I be re-elected on May 6th.



Once again thank you for getting in touch.



Theresa May

Conservative Candidate for Maidenhead
 
The Chairman on Monday


I omitted to mention the other day that so great an influence was La Belle Therese on our Lady Guides here in The Hamsters that they now wear leopard-print camo uniforms, size-dependent on prevailing weather naturally.


As ever,

B.B.
 
Theresa recently sent out a questionnaire to people in her constituency asking for comments on a range of local issues. I did take the opportunity to highlight the potential ecological disaster that would result from dredging the Loddon. Hopefully she will knock on my door in the next couple of weeks and I can ask her to explain her support for destroying my local river habitat.

Steve
 
I sorta get the feeling that the EA will be toothless in avoiding the pending dredging that all councils, government and planners want to happen.....

Will be a test for the Angling Trust and ourselves, somehow I do not think we will win this one....not that we've won much before?

My local flood plain has just expanded, putting off gravel cleaning and redressing works....EA didnt want to upset the locals anymore by dumping a load of gravel in to the river?

Cheers
Jason
 
The Thames River Basin Management Plan should be your friend in all this. This has force of law in the EU and the objectives drawn up for the Loddon must be met or big fines can result. How does any proposal to dredge this river fit with that? I would assume that the present EA's opposition to further dredging is based on the plan and whatever successor body to the EA eventually emerges from the present shambles will still have to at least pay lip service to the plan.
The only reasons given in the present documentation for failure to meet objectives are that it could be "Disproportionate expensive". To then go and spend money on dredging which would have the effect of reducing the likely hood of reaching the target status for a river would seem irresponsible and perhaps illegal. Certainly it could be challenged if it gets the go ahead. Your Euro MP's may come in useful here.
These plans are our major weapons for the next 10 years in defending our rivers. UK governments seem in the past to have been quite happy to ignore legislation on the environment emanating from Europe, even after signing up to it. We need to make sure that this doesn't happen with this.
 
Admirable stuff - river management and biodiversity plans and the like - but any future Government of any colour will continue to ignore them: far more pressing, cost-cutting and damage limitation (and, when absolutely pressed, crowd-pleasing) stuff to attend to, as we all know but hate to admit to ourselves.
 
If you knew the run-ins I had had with some of the people involved with such apparently admirable hands-on, power-to-the river and - people projects in recent years - very VERY unpleasant, and merely because I said: "Okay, fellas, you'll have me onboard if you can promise me that some of your fishy number aren't just using a deserving and perfectly admirable conservation bandwagon as means of creating and ultimately controlling some new and very tasty, but mostly trout-orientated fishing."

They cut up VERY nasty all of a sudden, both privately and on the internet.
 
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Paul Boote said:
Admirable stuff - river management and biodiversity plans and the like - but any future Government of any colour will continue to ignore them: far more pressing, cost-cutting and damage limitation (and, when absolutely pressed, crowd-pleasing) stuff to attend to, as we all know but hate to admit to ourselves.
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All very true. However money does speak and the willingness of the government to actually spend money on something (such as dredging) that actually risks future fines seems unlikely. Whilst the government has ensured the standard get out clause on all environmental legislation, that of prohibitive cost, causing further damage in order to satisfy a few mainly middle class Tory voters is unlikely. A Labour government doesn't care because they aren't going to vote for them any way and neither does a Tory government because who else will they vote for?
I certainly hold no great hopes for the massive change in agricultural practises, the end to continued building of car parks every where and all the other stuff needed for the River Management plans to actually work. I do feel they can be pretty effective in discouraging some of the expensive flood relief proposals being spouted by some local MP's. Why spend money when you don't need to?
Much the same will apply and already is, to the huge number of proposals for micro generation on rivers, these can only happen if the government is willing to through cash at them...the cash has run out and therefore they aren't going to happen. A couple of token ones will be built, opened by a grinning minister going on about how Green it all is (and perhaps even turning up at the press conference on his bike) and then they will be quietly forgotten as they continue to burn all the oil and gas they can. After all that's what the voters want. Cheap bread, cheap mortgages and plenty of circuses
 
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Paul Boote said:
If you knew the run-ins I had had with some of the people involved with such apparently admirable hands-on, power-to-the river and - people projects in recent years - very VERY unpleasant, and merely because I said: "Okay, fellas, you'll have me onboard if you can promise me that some of your fishy number aren't just using a deserving and perfectly admirable conservation bandwagon as means of creating and ultimately controlling some new and very tasty, but mostly trout-orientated fishing."

They cut up VERY nasty all of a sudden, both privately and on the internet.
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Maybe you can explain what is so wrong with creating some tasty fishing, trout orientated or otherwise? Personally if I can get some of the cash that governments have taken from me over the years back to spend on fishing I am going to grab it with both greedy hands. I wouldn't hand over tax payers monies for such stuff I was in power, but then the likelihood of that is limited.
 
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