The Broads Authority Bill will be deposited in Parliament on Monday November 27th in line with the timetable set at the beginning of the year.
A 1st draft of the Bill was published in April this year and distributed to a wide range of organisations seeking their views. This version was amended in the light of the comments received and a 2nd draft sent out at the end of May. Further changes have been made and the Authority has been able to resolve most of the issues raised. On 3rd November the Authority formally and unanimously approved the draft of the Bill to be put before Parliament.
The Bill, which updates the 1988 Norfolk and Suffolk Broads Act, will give the Authority new powers to make the Broads a safer place to navigate, enable government funding to be used on maintaining the waterways and modernise the working of the Authority.
Under present arrangements boat owners have to pay for the entire maintenance of the waterways, which includes dredging, patrolling, maintaining moorings and tree clearance, through their tolls. The new Bill will combine the Navigation and General Accounts into one pot so that government money can help fund the waterways maintenance.
The Bill will also give the Authority powers to:
- * Effectively apply the National Boat Safety Scheme to reduce the risk of fire and explosions
- * introduce compulsory third party insurance to boats, which has been an ambition for many years
- * license hire boats - a key recommendation of a Maritime and Coastguard Agency report,
- * enter land to manage overhanging vegetation which poses a hazard to navigation
- * give the Haddiscoe Cut a public right of navigation
- * make possible the transfer of responsibility for the navigation on Breydon Water from the Great Yarmouth Port Authority
- * make a voluntary agreement to manage water skiiing statutory and distinguish between water-skiing and wakeboarding so they can be managed separately
- * control the pollution from rogue boats
- * remove the outdated requirement for a separate Norwich Navigation Officer
- * widen the range of bodies which are involved in the appointment of members to the Authority by the Secretary of State.
The Government has helped with the costs of the Bill by providing extra National Park Grant of £100,000.
A wide range of interested parties have been consulted on the Bill, including the Royal Yachting Association, British Marine Federation, Inland Waterways Association, Norfolk and Suffolk Boating Association, Broads Hire Boat Federation, the Environment Agency, the National Farmers Union, British Water Ski and the Eastern Rivers Ski Club.
One of the immediate benefits of this consultation has been to review the role of the Authority's Navigation Committee, strengthening it as an advisory and scrutiny body on navigation matters. In particular a new format for the publication of all navigation income and expenditure has been developed.
The Bill is expected to complete its passage through Parliament by the autumn of 2007.
Kerry Turner, Chairman of the Broads Authority said
"This Bill, when enacted, will bring some important changes to the management of the Broads, particularly in relation to the safety of users. Over the last nine months we have worked hard to get agreement on its contents and I am delighted that we have reached the next stage, its deposit in Parliament where I hope it will receive widespread support."
If anyone would like further information on the Bill details are posted on the Authority's website broads-authority.gov.uk or speak to the Authority's solicitor Keir Hounsome on 01603 756037.
Reproduced by kind permission of
Broads Authority.
