The Environment Agency has put on hold plans to axe 16 lock-keeper posts and sell off 22 of its houses, with a final decision on the waterways review being postponed until January.
Crunch talks were held at Cookham Lock last Thursday, with Jan Feak, of Reading Road, Shiplake, joining MPs, spouses and the general public in condemning the move to cull the number of lock-keepers.
She said: “The Environment Agency has been made to take notice of the overwhelming public opinion against its waterways review.
“We do welcome the announcement but until the decision is reversed we will still be campaigning hard.
“How the Environment Agency can expect a better service by reducing the number of lock-keepers is something I simply don’t understand.
“At the moment only on very rare occasions would you find a lock-keeper overseeing a second or third stretch of water, but if this move takes place there is a serious danger that this could become standard practice.
“In the winter months there is a huge risk of flooding — you cannot be in more than one place at any one time.
“The fact is people like the reassuring presence that the lock-keepers are there even if they are off duty,” she added.
Waterways minister Phil Woolas MP held discussions with Environment Agency bosses, trade union officials, lock-keepers and their wives and the MPs for Reading West and Maidenhead, which saw a climbdown by the EA.
The Environment Agency Thames waterways manager Eileen McKeever said: “Following a meeting with the minister Phil Woolas and MPs 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.
“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 six months but this guarantee will continue until all negotiations are completed or January 1st, 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.”
Lock-keepers are employed to deal with emergencies, to manage the weirs at times of flooding and to deter and prevent crime, vandalism and anti-social behaviour.
For more information on the campaign to save the lock houses, see www.saveourservice.org.
Published on 30 June 2008
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