Licence Fees

[canaldrifter]

WATERSCAPE: Changes to boat licence fees

These were outlined in December’s Boaters Update and feedback was received from about 50 customers and user group representatives. Detailed comments and suggestions within the feedback are still being reviewed, but the main decisions have been confirmed relating to three and six month licence fees and changes to prompt and late payment arrangements.

 

 

To mitigate the impact of the large increase in three and six month fees, BW will look at making the direct debit instalment options more attractive by enabling people to spread the cost evenly over 12 months.

 

So, once again, BW have just gone ahead and done what they were going to do anyway before 'feedback'. Thus demonstrating yet again that they regard the consultation process as a waste of time, and are only showing lip service to it because they have to.

 

Tone

[MikeV]

If there are ~35,000 licence holders and only 50 responded I would say the other 34,950 are either OK with it or apathetic - probably the latter. While some responses are from user groups they can never genuinely represent their members. In reality it is only a consensus of the personal opinions of the group that draft the response in the name of the user group.

 

If a 1,000+ individuals responded and were generally against the proposals then I'd expect BW to take notice.

[Laurie Booth]

If there are ~35,000 licence holders and only 50 responded I would say the other 34,950 are either OK with it or apathetic - probably the latter. While some responses are from user groups they can never genuinely represent their members. In reality it is only a consensus of the personal opinions of the group that draft the response in the name of the user group.

 

If a 1,000+ individuals responded and were generally against the proposals then I'd expect BW to take notice.

We would all expect BW to take notice but they wouldn't.

[cotswoldsman]

If there are ~35,000 licence holders and only 50 responded I would say the other 34,950 are either OK with it or apathetic - probably the latter. While some responses are from user groups they can never genuinely represent their members. In reality it is only a consensus of the personal opinions of the group that draft the response in the name of the user group.

 

If a 1,000+ individuals responded and were generally against the proposals then I'd expect BW to take notice.

 

I don't think 35,000 licence holders are for just 3 and 6 months!!!!! I agree it is pointless asking for feedback and consultation and then just going ahead anyway seems like no consultation!!. I guess by doing this as time goes by the responses and feedback will be even less meaning that BW will have more reason to do as they wish as people will not bother to respond.

[canaldrifter]

While some responses are from user groups they can never genuinely represent their members.

 

 

What on earth are you suggesting?

 

Tone

[sueb]

What on earth are you suggesting?

 

Tone

Haven't you discovered that discussing real boating issues doesn't work on this forum? The discussions on petty things are much more popular.

Sue

[RLWP]

Haven't you discovered that discussing real boating issues doesn't work on this forum? The discussions on petty things are much more popular.

Sue

 

To give a point of view from the apparently apathetic, I'm afraid that as I've only ever bought a 12 month license, I don't really know what this thread is about, let alone have an opinion that I'm prepared to defend robustly.

 

Richard

[deletedaccount]

I've no idea why they weren't in 12 month instalments in the first place tbh

[jelunga]

If there are ~35,000 licence holders and only 50 responded I would say the other 34,950 are either OK with it or apathetic - probably the latter. While some responses are from user groups they can never genuinely represent their members. In reality it is only a consensus of the personal opinions of the group that draft the response in the name of the user group.

 

If a 1,000+ individuals responded and were generally against the proposals then I'd expect BW to take notice.

 

It would have been only 49 if I had not responded then. I would have thought that all on here would have submitted their views, but obviously apathy is rife. My response objected to both the 3 & 6 month fee increases and the unfair changes to the early payment discounts. It has become obvious to me that ALL BW consultations are purely so that they can say they have consulted. The trouble is there is no requirement for them to take any notice of the results. Purely window dressing.

 

I really wish people had a right to vote on policies of these Quangos that control so much of our life without direct accountability to the public. You can say that the accountability is through General elections, but nobody ever lost their seat because of the behaviour of unaccountable Government "arms length" organisations such as BW, DVLA, EA, Safety Camera Partnerships etc.

[Idunhoe]

It would have been only 49 if I had not responded then. I would have thought that all on here would have submitted their views, but obviously apathy is rife. My response objected to both the 3 & 6 month fee increases and the unfair changes to the early payment discounts. It has become obvious to me that ALL BW consultations are purely so that they can say they have consulted. The trouble is there is no requirement for them to take any notice of the results. Purely window dressing.

 

I really wish people had a right to vote on policies of these Quangos that control so much of our life without direct accountability to the public. You can say that the accountability is through General elections, but nobody ever lost their seat because of the behaviour of unaccountable Government "arms length" organisations such as BW, DVLA, EA, Safety Camera Partnerships etc.

My response raised objections along exactly the same lines. But what really upsets me is that the level of respose to the consultation does not even equal one from each boating organisation/boating club. Sad fact is that when only point one six percent of boat owners/users bother to respond then BW can quite rightly say that they consulted interested parties and the level of interest/objection was so insignificant as not to be worth considering. With such a level of apathy within the boating community then it could be argued that we get what we deserve.

Edited February 11, 2011 by Idunhoe

[deletedaccount]

Perhaps people have stop bothering because they know it's a sham?

[bottle]

I, like many others no doubt, missed this consultation, I may be apathetic, may be I should of asked BW if they were going to carry out any consultations.

 

Hay Ho, whatever will be, will be.

[Grace and Favour]

I, like Bottle, missed this consultation . . . .

 

Maybe because I have not purchased either 3 or 6 month licences I have been excluded from participating

 

or maybe because I missed volunteering to participate

 

Should I have been consulted on whether the invitations to participate should have been better advertised?

 

(or were there only 50 peeps invited in the first place??)

[canaldrifter]

It has become obvious to me that ALL BW consultations are purely so that they can say they have consulted. The trouble is there is no requirement for them to take any notice of the results. Purely window dressing.

 

 

Probably the very reason folks don't bother to put their views in the first place.

 

I certainly stopped going to BW User Group meetings when I realised that I was spending my time and my money on my travelling expenses to go and make my point, that was subsequently ignored, every time, along with everyone else's.

 

A lot of user group meeting time is often taken up with a 'presentation' from BW, which, to my mind was simply a ruse to use up as much time as possible so that the rest of us didn't have the chance to make our views heard.

 

Maybe under the 'Trust', this will change. Maybe we should make sure it does!

 

I must state that the Thames EA, and smaller groups like the Wey NT, do listen and have even taken notice and action as a result. Stopping the selling off of lock cottages on the Thames was one very good example where user group protest had a result.

 

Tone