In November 2007 the EA unveiled plans that proposed a significant and far reaching restructuring programme and contained within this review were plans to reduce the number of permanent lock staff by 16, and to appoint additional seasonal staff. In April 2008 it was formally announced that 22 properties, (3 of which are currently let to third parties), were to be either sold, rented out to third parties or rented out as holiday lets.
After these proposals were announced, Save Our Service was launched by the lock-keepers wives to raise public awareness with regard to these plans, and to fight to have them reviewed and retracted. Together with cross party MP's, river users and associations, the general public and many many more, and after meeting the then Waterways Minister, Phil Woolas, the EA agreed to put the original plans on hold and re-evaluate that decision. Following that agreement the press release below was issued.
EA Press Release December 4th 2008
Environment Agency announces new proposals for lock houses
The Environment Agency has announced its proposals for lock houses – which would see a resident lock and weir keeper at each of its 45 lock sites along the River Thames.
Five houses which are not on the river or adjacent to lock sites will be sold when they become available. Howard Davidson, regional director of the Environment Agency, said: “We have listened carefully to staff, MPs, river users and those who live in the flood plain, who all raised objections to our original proposals announced earlier this year.
“We have carried out a full review into this, and issues such as flood risk and our response to incidents outside normal working hours have been key to our considerations.
“As a result, we have reached the conclusion that keeping a resident lock and weir keeper at each of our 45 sites along the Thames is the sensible way forward to enhance how we manage the river as safely and efficiently as possible.”
The proposal is now being discussed with staff and union representatives, and further work on updating staff terms and conditions is also ongoing.
“We are confident that this proposal will address the concerns raised previously, while ensuring that we are able to use the assets we no longer need to raise money which we can reinvest in managing the river.”
In the last three years we have invested over £15 million improving the Thames as a waterway. We will continue to support this level of investment and will work with our partners to develop the river by providing:
• More and better facilities such as 24 hour moorings, toilets, showers. • Better access to the river with more and better slipways. • More staff on the river to help customers when they most need it.
The Environment Agency has guaranteed that no lock and weir staff will be made homeless or redundant as a result of any decision on lock houses, and this commitment remains. We intend to move staff in the five houses which are off site – and which are due to be sold – into houses at or adjacent to a lock site in due course.
We are repeating our commitment that no lock and weir keepers will be made redundant or homeless as a result of this proposal.
The EA announcement regarding the sale/rent of the lock houses is fantastic, and very welcome news. Since April, we have tirelessly campaigned in order to raise public awareness over the threat and loss of 16 permament lock-keepers positions and the subsequent sale or rent of the lock-keepers homes.
We will continue our campaign to save the remaining five homes still ear-marked for sale. Although away from the riverside, we believe that retaining the relief houses is vital. The position of these houses allows the relief to access the lock and weir sites in an emergency with the minimum delay, at anytime the resident keeper is unavailable. As yet, these families have been given no clear indication of where they will be expected to move to, and so still find themselves in a very stressful situation. They do not know if the houses will be sold once they have left on their own accord, or whether they will be forced to move to alternative EA accommodation in order to free-up the homes, or what time-scale the EA have in mind for vacating the houses.
However, as the EA press release states, this is only a proposal and we hope that together with negotiations between the EA and lock-keepers unions, these five homes may be retained.
We would like to thank everyone who has supported the campaign, signed the petition, sponsored our service, displayed a poster and urged the EA to review the original decision. Without the overwhelming public opinion and support the lock-staff have received, the River Thames, would have become a far less safe place to be.
