Consultants Push ahead with Report

Post date: Dec 16, 2011 7:27:51 PM

Without any consultation with OPLAC the consultants have gone ahead and finalised their report. It will now go to the PLA board for approval and then they will attempt to implement it, with large increases being billed to most licence holders. RBOA members are trying to find out if RBOA have been consulted, either way it is looking like Rex Walden has achieved no changes at all with his 'supportive' approach. The rumoured increase in costs allowances from 15% to 20% he was hoping for has not materialised.

Anyone looking at the public response can see that the consultants have failed the Terms of Reference their study was set up under, in particular:

6 (a) A methodology for setting the fees for river works licences (including a mechanism for periodic reviews of the fees), that commands a reasonable degree of support from the houseboat community.

The consultants gloss over this by arrogantly and incorrectly asserting:

"The proposals we developed broadly satisfied the key points raised by the licensees and residents at the outset of the review"

The revised report is available on the PLA website here. The only really significant amendment is the previously notified change from 33% take to 30%. One new change is that the PLA will now be able to force licence holders into dispute resolution even if the holder does not want to go and prefers arbitration.

OPLAC have already produced a rough summary based on the revised report we were given 2/12/11 and it is attached below.