Political Editor UK General Election 2010 - Lock-keepers Cottages Climbdown Welcomed by MPs

Political Editor
LiaiseOnline Limited
1 Clewer Hill Road
Windsor
Berkshire
SL4 4BU
Tel: 01753 852904
Email
View map

Lock-keepers Cottages Climbdown Welcomed by MPs

A lock-side show down last Thursday in front of waterways minister Phil Woolas MP between Environment Agency bosses, trade union officials, lock-keepers and their wives and the MPs for Reading West and Maidenhead eventually saw a climbdown by the EA over their plans to dispose of twenty-two of the fifty-seven lock houses along the Thames.

The following day (Friday, June 20th) the EA issued a statement announcing that the lock-house disposal programme had been suspended for six months to allow time for further negotiations.

The Environment Agency Thames Waterways Manager, Eileen McKeever said: -

‘Following a meeting with the Minister Phil Woolas and MP’s Martin Salter and Theresa May, we have agreed to put on hold any changes proposed by the lock house review until we have completed our full review of Waterways staff roles and responsibilities, and terms and conditions.

No action will be taken to sell or rent lock houses until these negotiations on the full review are completed. We anticipate that this will take 6 months but this guarantee will continue until all negotiations are completed or January 1, 2009, which ever is latest. We will then review the position on lock houses with lock keepers and their representatives and with the MPs group.’

Martin Salter MP said:

‘At long last and after much campaigning and political pressure there appears to have been a welcome outbreak of commonsense at the Environment Agency. I am delighted that these ill-thought out plans have been put on hold which now creates a welcome breathing space to enable sensible discussions to take place with the lock-keepers and river users on the way forward.

As far as the public and the majority of Thames Valley MPs are concerned the bottom line is that every Thames lock should have a resident lock-keeper on hand to deal with emergencies, to manage the weirs at times of flooding and to deter and prevent crime, vandalism and anti-social behaviour. As far as I’m concerned the EA’s lockhouse review is dead and buried and we start again in January with a blank piece of paper once the long overdue negotiations on lock-keepers terms and conditions have been concluded.’

Labour candidate for the Henley by-election, Richard McKenzie added:

‘The lock-keepers have had pretty shabby treatment from their bosses at the EA who have sought to prevent them from speaking out publicly on this issue. However, I have been impressed by the formidable campaigning zeal of the lock-keepers wives who have mobilised the support of thousands of people who care about the management of the River Thames.’

In this section:
	UK General Election 2010 forum for candidates
	Lawyers to see fees halved ... at least !
	Datchet Conservatives YOUR VILLAGE NEEDS YOU!
	Are Craig Murray and Andy Murray related?
	Put an Honest Man into Parliament
	Who to VOTE for in the European Elections
	Happy 83rd Birthday Marilyn Monroe
	Independents win 10% of seats in General Election
	Independent growth of 1000% in 2009 General Election
	Gorbals Mick shows he still has the balls
	Calling all Berkshire MPs
	Gordon Brown and Daniel Hannan MEP chat!
	Local MP makes most of social networking
	Time to shift power to local people
	John Redwood's Business Matters Breakfast
	Business rate relief for small businesses
	Plans to house criminal suspects near family homes
	Ministerial carbon footprint - How BIG?
	Increase in taxes for nice neighbourhoods
	Cameron's Christmas message to UK businesses
	John Redwood contributes to Queen’s Speech debate
	Local MP fighting to maintain GP dispensaries
	MP spends evening ‘Just Around the Corner’
	Government maxed out our nation's credit cards!
	John Redwood presses Government on borrowing figures
	Government's new tax and spending proposals
	Ed Miliband MP visiting reading this Wednesday
	John Redwood Official Opposition’s Opposition Day Debate
	Reading Youth Cabinet hosts local MP
	Local MP tries out new business options
	Bring Gurkha pensions fully into line with British counterparts
	Gurkha campaign boosted by High Court Judgement
	UK Government expects but fails to reward Gurkha loyalty
	Freedom Today September 2008
	Conservative Friends of Pakistan
	Erosion of civil liberties
	Proud Pubs Week 2008
	Tough Line on Knives
	Redwood welcomes the Pitt Review, but cautions against complacen
	Cost of living
	Salter demands more Government support for Carers
	Lock-keepers Cottages Climbdown Welcomed by MPs
	Reading East MP Launches New Legal Advice Service
	Lockhouse Review Fails to Stand Up To Scrutiny
	Lock Keepers Cottages
	Knife Crime Let Off
	MANIFEST READINGU 2008
	Green Party Conference 2008
	“Skip2bfit” challenge
	Debate on the Lisbon Treaty

Jon Davey is a Social Media Director based in Windsor, Berkshire UK.

These short videos aim to both educate those interested on how to boost their social media profile, both online and offline, while at the same time helping Jon's own profile by being indexed rapidly by the search engines and YouTube.

Social Media is made up of two words ... social & ... you've got it media ! This means that it is not just about online marketing, offline is key as well. Your goal should perhaps be to recognised online by your industry and locally offline.

Please review one or two of the videos below, score them on You Tube and add your comments ... it all helps ... they are in reverse order of popularity when last checked inorder to help the lesser clicked!!

Thank you and enjoy ...

Connect to journalists