Inside the Environment Agency is a blog I recently stumbled across. It makes interesting reading and confirms the experience of those in Kirby-le-Soken and Tendring who have had dealings with EA, though I guess the experience will be the same where ever you live in UK.
A comment on this post, Environment Agency acting as judge, jury and executioner! states
Don’t hold your breath but the EA, a qango, is due to be reviewed and split up. It was a Conservative Party election promise to get rid of all qango’s. The rumour has it this will happen in 2014. Some parts are supposed to go to the Canal and River Trust, formerly British Waterways, then a qango now a charitable trust. What happens to the rest is anybody’s guess. You can be assured as Lord Mountbatten is reputed to have said when his ship was sunk during the war in the Mediteranian and he was sharing some flotsam with a couple of ordinary sailors to stay afloat until rescued. The rubbish tends to rise to the top. It was said in humour and was self deprecating. However you can be sure the bad apples in the EA will look after each other and the good, reliable, honest officers will have a hard time. In all probability whatever they call the resulting shambles it will not improve without a complete independent overhaul. Evidence the name change of EA Wales to Natural Resources Wales. There have been some improvements but most of the rubbish officers are still in place.
A single comment on a blog is hardly conclusive evidence, but it does make you wonder what would happen to schemes in the pipeline, such as the renovation of beach and sea wall from Clacton-on-Sea pier to Holland Haven?
If you have some spare time and wonder and how efficient EA is or why they respond in a curious way to FOI requests I suggest you browse the posts and comments at Inside the Environment Agency
