We didn't want to prejudice or poison the process and for three years we've essentially kept "mum" about the actual details of the to-ing and fro-ing of things between us and the EA hoping to resolve things - it seems that approach was doomed...
Trouble is, the EA don't appear to want to modify the way they discharge their statutory duties - which in essence seems to be arbitrarily "our way or no way" regardless of their clear statutory duty - and to reinforce that approach with a haughtily delivered blizzard of distortions, misdirections, procedural deviations coupled to a persistent stubborn refusal to communicate what is actually going on - an appetite for threatening language is in there too.
We wrote to Dr Paul Leinster over a month ago (advising that we would publish the letter if no attempt was made to address our concerns)
and the subsequent
Dr. Leinster's reply (opens in Google viewer)
as you can see - simply ignores the issues we raised in our letter of complaint.
We've asked what's going on with the latest round of licence determinations (which are going to fail - that much is clear) and the EA have refused point blank to communicate with us and have stuck a £37,500 price tag on supplying information via Freedom of Information and demanded that the applicants at Avoncliff supply an extraordinary and unprecedented range of information to them - some of which can't be honestly supplied without access to a functional crystal ball and much of which is intrusive and irrelevant to the determination of a water licence.
Given what we know of previous EA intrigue and scheming - it's clear that the information demanded (non supply of which "could be detrimental to your application") is a bit like the besiegers demanding to know of the besieged "how many bullets do you have left?"
Our present pile of Environment Agency supplied Freedom of Information Responses
Great blog what is there PROBLEM pretty awkward looking at that response .
ReplyDeleteBeen directed to this web site from another,what a read. If that is truely the responce from the Director of the EA then it is a disgrace.He has failed to respond 100% and shows complete contempt to your complaint,buy ignoring the specific complaint it shows guilt,you ask how they can redetermine your licence in an unbiased way,he failed to answer????????
ReplyDeleteI believe it is unfair that you keep having a go at the Environment Agency.There are many Environment Agency officers doing their best to prevent flooding and protect the environment. The fact that a number of senior staff not connected to the real work of the Environment Agency have decided to break the law is not the fault of the average officer. All our reputations are being tarnished by a small number of rogue more senior officers. It would seem there is a case to answer where bias has been shown but please remeber the majority of us are honest.
ReplyDeletePOINT TAKEN. MOST ARE DOING A GOOD JOB. UNFORTUNATELY THERE ARE BAD APPLES IN THERE THAT HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY HAVE DONE TO OTHER FAMILY'S, AND THEY NEED TO BE MADE ACCOUNTABLE. THAT IS DR LIENSTERS JOB HE KNOWS WHAT IS GOING ON, BUT IS DOING NOTHING THAT WE CAN SEE BAR HELPING IN THE UNLAWFUL ACTIONS NEVER EVEN AN APOLOGY.
DeleteAnon@13:59
DeleteThere are multiple serious problems with the way The Environment Agency goes about it's business.
I'd agree that there are many skilled and conscientious employees of the agency and indeed, we have dealt with many - however there are serious issues with the corporate culture and lack of accountability - both to the public and up through the management chain of responsibility.
This is not the only scheme that has had problems related to utterly toxic management and law breaking.
The very deliberate lying and law breaking by officials in the water permit centre has *not* been dealt with and the present incumbents see no reason to change the way they do business - if issuing what is little more than a fishing rod licence can be described as doing business.
The EA need reminding that the abstraction and impoundment licences are subsidiary to any conditions imposed by the local planners - a fair number of EA issued licences have been rendered essentially useless at the planning stage where the local authority has identified problems that the EA has either created or missed.
If applied to their first cousin - fishing rod licences - the mendacious, intrigue ridden, dishonest way that water licences have been handled would result in NHS A&E departments clogged with officials have said fishing rods removed.
The problem is when the CUTS come it will be the good guys on the ground that go. And the others rotten apples stay in the barrel. Fair austerity !
DeleteWhen I think of Civil Servants and Public Servants like the EA staff I tend to think of men in bowler hats (yes it's my age). I then think of Laurel and Hardy and this seems to fit.
ReplyDelete"Another fine mess you've gotten me into Stanley" seems to fit what is going on. The distress for me is that as a tax payer I am paying for this and will end up paying the inflated pensions of the people behind the mess.
From experience the EA is a drain on business insisting on procedures and reports which they don't bother with when they do work. They have obviously slowed down a good project which could have been generating renewable energy since 2010. Which government renewable target are they trying to miss?
Lienster is a CBE or MBE surely he is a honrable man with this award, tell me why he will not put problem to bed.
ReplyDeleteLying to an MP i hope he knows, what a mess what on earth do they think is happening to the planet. ANOTHER GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT GONE WRONG SACK THE BAD APPLES WITH NO HAND SHAKE
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a tactic I've seen before, "Drag it out long enough and they'll go away and then we can appear the innocent party". The EA are trying to wear you down with the monilith they are taking as usual the allowed 20 days to respond to each communication. The only trouble with that is they do not connect the subsequent communications sent in less than 20 days to the original and therefore answer questions that have alrady been amended confusing themselves and everbody with the contradictions. You must remeber they are civil / public servants solely trained in ticking boxes. They cannot think outside the box and need to have their hands held if the thought is even mildly innovative. Multi-tasking is outside their job description.
ReplyDeleteGrotesque waste off public money, austerity what a joke ,its pretty clear where jobs should be cut!!!!They cannot even see the wood from the trees. Water wheels were put where the power was..DURRRRR
ReplyDeleteYes but nobody cares easy to spend other peoples MONEY
DeleteName and shame
ReplyDeleteTheir own e mails name and shame and its all in the PUBLIC DOMAIN do an FOI request
DeleteInteresting blog,poor show on the EA chairman not sure if he is in the correct job!!!is there a vacancy in the fishing rod licence dept? sadly it does look bad on all EA staff,but it is my understanding any public authority has a whistle blowing policy for any wrong doing including biased behaviour,the only problem is if the man at the top cant control this who do you blow your whistle to??? MIKE from Bath
ReplyDeleteWhistle blowing not required - We've pointed out mistakes, maladministration, "misbehaviour" etc., etc. and they do nothing about it.
DeleteThere is a clear legal duty for civil servants to follow The Civil Servant's Code of Conduct - the EA claim they aren't Civil Servants........
Excuse me im a fisherman i dont want those idiots dealing with my rod licence,your doing a great job of that mill and its a fish freindly turbine not a fish eating kaplan! any chance of a fish pass?? Big John
ReplyDeleteThey're already doing the rod licences obviously - but I reckon there'd be Angler Riots if they spent £100K on fighting a rod licence application.
DeleteNice to see your taxes being so well spent eh?
A fish pass has been offered by North Mill although there are a lot of other places that would have to have them installed before non jumping migratory species have a decent run at the Avon...
The issue of a fish pass is something that hasn't greatly exercised the EA up to now.