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DEFRA reneges on Autumn future funding decision


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41 minutes ago, Allan(nb Albert) said:

They satisfied my complaint by removing the falsified annual report from the Charity Commission website and replacing with the board approved report as already filed at Companies House in accordance with Company Law.

 

A request to find out what action the Commissioner took in respect of my original complaint was refused under the Freedom of Information Act

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for explaining that. So in fact your complaint was about what the Charity Commission did not CRT and the former rectified it by replacing it with a correct report which CRT must have supplied to Companies House. That is not in itself evidence that they breached clause 11.1.5 of the Grant Agreement. We can only speculate whether DEFRA thought there had been a Material Breach of 11.1.2 but as they don't appear to have taken any action it seems they didn't.

26 minutes ago, Allan(nb Albert) said:

Mr Parry is sounding increasingly anxious and I can understand why.

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26 minutes ago, Orwellian said:

Thanks for explaining that. So in fact your complaint was about what the Charity Commission did not CRT and the former rectified it by replacing it with a correct report which CRT must have supplied to Companies House. That is not in itself evidence that they breached clause 11.1.5 of the Grant Agreement. We can only speculate whether DEFRA thought there had been a Material Breach of 11.1.2 but as they don't appear to have taken any action it seems they didn't.

Mr Parry is sounding increasingly anxious and I can understand why.

Sorry, I thought I had made it clear that I made two complaints. Obviously not.

I made a complaint to CRT and then the Charity Commision, that CRT had falsified an Annual Report and that its actions might cause Defra to withhold, cease or claw back current grant. Also that its actions might bring it into disrepute and place post 2027 grant at risk.

 

I made a second, sucessful, complaint as it appeared that the Charity Commission was trying to hide behind the FOI Act to avoid explaining why it was allowing a falsified report to remain on its website.

 

 

 

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6 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

The problem is that C&RT are in breach of the agreement by falsifying the KPI results - my reading is that if DEFRA were forced to make an announcemnet NOW it must be 'NO MORE GRANT', but DEFRA appreciate the need for the Grant not only to be continued but extended past 2027 and are doing C&RT a 'favour' and giving them the opportunity to put their house in order so DEFRA can make the "grant extended" announcement.

Certainly, DEFRA have a hold over CRT regarding the falsification of the 2019/20 Annual Report. That can be seen from minutes of grant review meetings where it suggests efficiencies and how CRT can raise additional income.

 

 

 

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9 hours ago, Allan(nb Albert) said:

Sorry, I thought I had made it clear that I made two complaints. Obviously not.

I made a complaint to CRT and then the Charity Commision, that CRT had falsified an Annual Report and that its actions might cause Defra to withhold, cease or claw back current grant. Also that its actions might bring it into disrepute and place post 2027 grant at risk.

 

I made a second, sucessful, complaint as it appeared that the Charity Commission was trying to hide behind the FOI Act to avoid explaining why it was allowing a falsified report to remain on its website.

 

 

 

No you didn't but thanks for clarifying that. Your words suggest your complaint to CRT was unsuccessful. Did they not respond or did they reject your complaint?

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11 hours ago, Allan(nb Albert) said:

The day I use YouTube as a source of reliable information I'll shoot myself.

The facts are quite simple and all the grumbling about erroneous reports, submissions etc are irrelevant (hardly anybody, probably nobody,  ever, submits genuinely accurate accounts to anyone. If they did there'd be no need for accountants, and I should know!). Basic maintenance has to be done on the canal system or towns will flood and people drown. So there has to be a grant. It doesn't have to maintain navigation, whatever arcane law someone quotes, because there is such a thing as reality. I'm afraid when hundreds of thousands of people can't afford to heat their homes or eat, even governments start to think they have more important things to think about than whether a few well off boaters can go on holiday, and even fewer liveaboards can change the tree they sit under.

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16 minutes ago, Orwellian said:

No you didn't but thanks for clarifying that. Your words suggest your complaint to CRT was unsuccessful. Did they not respond or did they reject your complaint?

I followed the Charity Commission guidance for "raising a concern" which requires that the matter be taken up with the charity first -

https://forms.charitycommission.gov.uk/raising-concerns/

 

CRT failed to respond within the time limit set by its own complaints procedure.

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30 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

So there has to be a grant. It doesn't have to maintain navigation, whatever arcane law someone quotes, because there is such a thing as reality.

 

The law, 'as written' allows BW / C&RT to 'close down', sell off, give away, totally ignore some canals (that were not classified as Commercial or Cruising canals in 1967) if they do not have the money or will to maintain them.

This includes many of the small peripheral parts of the sytem and some of the restored canals.

 

There is a list available of all the canals that must be maintained - any others can be 'abandoned' within the law.

 

 

 

Screenshot (1668).png

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

The law, 'as written' allows BW / C&RT to 'close down', sell off, give away, totally ignore some canals (that were not classified as Commercial or Cruising canals in 1967) if they do not have the money or will to maintain them.

This includes many of the small peripheral parts of the sytem and some of the restored canals.

 

There is a list available of all the canals that must be maintained - any others can be 'abandoned' within the law.

 

 

 

Screenshot (1668).png

It should be noted that CRT were given Statutory Proposer powers in 2012. These could be used, for example, to ask the Secretary of State to reclasify the Grand Union as a non navigable waterway when the Afinity Water scheme to move water from Minworth to Leighton Buzzard makes navigation difficult.

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1 hour ago, Allan(nb Albert) said:

I followed the Charity Commission guidance for "raising a concern" which requires that the matter be taken up with the charity first -

https://forms.charitycommission.gov.uk/raising-concerns/

 

CRT failed to respond within the time limit set by its own complaints procedure.

So in the absence of any information from DEFRA it is merely speculation as to whether it considers that a) there has been any breach of the terms of the Grant agreement and b) this is the reason for the delay in a decision on renewing the Grant in 2027.

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And, now ITV news push the same story, and claim an EXCLUSIVE..............

 

 

ITV News Central has learnt the Government hasn't committed to the future funding of the body that maintains England's waterways.

A crucial decision over a grant given to the Canal & River Trust (CRT) has been postponed leaving boat owners fearful about the future upkeep of the network.

It comes as 1.75 million people in the West Midlands live within one kilometre of the canal network.

 

'Like letting the Tower of London fall down' - Government fails to commit to funding canals upkeep | ITV News Central

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1 minute ago, Orwellian said:

So in the absence of any information from DEFRA it is merely speculation as to whether it considers that a) there has been any breach of the terms of the Grant agreement and b) this is the reason for the delay in a decision on renewing the Grant in 2027.

If you look back you will find I have responded on your point a).

 

Regarding point b) I suspect the prime reason for delay is the Treasury being unwilling to make a further long term financial committment. 

 

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53 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

And, now ITV news push the same story, and claim an EXCLUSIVE..............

 

 

ITV News Central has learnt the Government hasn't committed to the future funding of the body that maintains England's waterways.

A crucial decision over a grant given to the Canal & River Trust (CRT) has been postponed leaving boat owners fearful about the future upkeep of the network.

It comes as 1.75 million people in the West Midlands live within one kilometre of the canal network.

 

'Like letting the Tower of London fall down' - Government fails to commit to funding canals upkeep | ITV News Central

Not bothered about someone claiming my EXCLUSIVE but very concerned that I did not spot any ravens on the Napton flight yesterday.

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