Fury over Broads Authority bid to fund post with toll cash

[jillR]

The British Marine Federation, the Broads Hire Boat Federation, the Royal Yachting Association and the Norfolk and Suffolk Boating Association have united in opposition to the proposal which they claim would contravene the legislation which established the authority.

 

At tomorrow’s BA meeting, members will be asked whether the new role – costing £45,000 – should be fully funded from the national park grant, or whether 30pc of the cost (£13,500) should come from toll money.

Opponents argue toll money is legally ring-fenced for navigation expenditure but an officer’s report to members says the BA’s legal advice is that it is an acceptable use of toll cash.

A spokesman for the alliance said: “The Act is clear on what constitutes navigation expenditure. Employing someone in a marketing and promotion role does not fit that definition and to attempt to stretch the definition in this way defies comprehension.

 

“In a paper presented to the navigation committee in December 2010 the authority’s chief executive stated that tourism development was something that should be funded entirely from sources other than the tolls.

“Reductions in government grants have caused him to abandon that view. If this proposal succeeds, what will be the next non-navigation matter to be funded by a raid on tolls income?”

 

A BA spokesman said the authority had decided that it should have a continuing role in the promotion of the Broads once a three year European funded programme finished this summer.

The navigation committee had taken the view that this marketing activity should be part funded by boat owners because of the importance of the Broads hire boat industry, the businesses of which provide more than £1m towards navigation income.

 

http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/fury_over_broads_authority_bid_to_fund_post_with_toll_cash_1_2274099

 

jill

[diesel falcon]

I live out of the Broads area ,and i can honestly say if you didn,t know the broads existed ...you never would, in day to day life they are not mentioned whatsoever , there are referances on the television ocasionally on documentries ect ,but no trageted tv or radio advertising at all ,so what would we actually get for our£  13 500 .........another office based burotwit no dought producing leaflets to be distributed  IN the broads area (if your there already you know abou them!!) ,sounds sad but when i mention to people where i keep my boat  some just turn round and say where,s that!!.

[ExMemberBobdog]

when i mention to people where i keep my boat  some just turn round and say where,s that!!.

 

Speaking selfishly ... good!  As a Norfolk man I'd prefer our county (including the Broads) to keep the secrets of it's beauty so that we can enjoy it in peace and quiet with not too many crowds.  OK, I know the Broads businesses need trade to survive, but there's a trade off between profit and overcrowding.

[C.Ricko]

We have been told the salary but what is the budget?

There are many organisations having a 'stab' at marketing this area (some I am a member of) but they all seem to be achieving very little and not working together.

I fear this new position will become another 'eating out guide' or 'Guide to Green Boating' which the BA have been involved with...

They may as well give the budget to someone who will spend it wisely.

[ranworthbreeze]

Hello Clive,

I totally have to agree with you and feel if the Broads is not promoted correctly with regards to tourism involving all parties concerned such as the hire industry, the licensed trade, accommodation and entertainment in its many forms, it will be money wasted with no results.

Basically just spin and a job for the boys or girls, sadly there is far too much of this these days.

Regards

Alan

[C.Ricko]

The Broads only have the hire boat capacity equivalent of a decent holiday park in hopton or Caister.

I realize that most boats are way more expensive to hire but there is plenty of stock which could compete with the price of a caravan.

I feel that too much promotion has gone towards the 'posh' activities where the majority of river users just want to know where the fish and chip shops are or where to get a decent breakfast.

I also think that too much marketing has been banging on about the Broads being a 'green' destination which has quite frankly turned people off coming, the fun aspect has been abandoned in favour of walking and bird watching .

It has also been pointed out that most of the country if asked don't have a clue where the 'Broads' are, let's just market the 'Norfolk Broads' and save a load of time and money....

[neilp1962]

Since making my booking I've told loads of people where we're holidaying this year, and not one person has ever previously considered a boating holiday. Strangely, my enthusiasm for this together with showing people the boat (smartphones are great for this type of thing) has made almost everyone envious and loads of them are now at least looking at websites to see what it's about. I'll bet a couple of them will book next year.

 

That's exposure, generated by the right sort of marketing, ie what is of interest to the average hirer. It's not solitude and the environment, it's having fun on the precious week or two we're allowed from the drudgery of work and making the place seem attractive. I'm not telling people I'm going on a glorified dodgems or river racetrack, I'm telling them I'm going to be completely chilled, in a beautiful part of our magnificent country with a nice meal in a riverside pub most evenings. People love the sound of that and in my opinion that's how the broads should be marketed.

[jillR]

what a brilliant and constructive post neil

 

thank you    

 

jill

[ranworthbreeze]

Hello Jill,

By all accounts at the BA meeting on Friday it was decided that the full costs of £45000 would be paid from the National Parks budget and none out of the Navigation account.

Regards

Alan

[Hockham Admiral]

Since making my booking I've told loads of people where we're holidaying this year

 

What a lovely post, Neil.. Welcome aboard from us!  

[Hockham Admiral]

Hello Jill,

By all accounts at the BA meeting on Friday it was decided that the full costs of £45000 would be paid from the National Parks budget and none out of the Navigation account.

Regards

Alan

 

The Chief Executive was quoted as saying:

 

"Given the small amount of money involved, it was not worth the argument"       

[Paladin]

The argument was over whether 30% of the cost should come from navigation income - i.e. £13,500, not the full £45,000. Still a substantial amount to my bank manager!

[C.Ricko]

How much money is in the budget to spend? There will have to be an amount and where will that come from, I guess there will be no performance indicators to see whether the exercise is effective.

[LondonRascal]

This is an issue that seems to come up time and time again – and its not just the Norfolk Broads – it is Norfolk as a whole.

 

I recently read a book which had a passage about Norfolk describing it as the ‘forgotten part of England’.  Indeed, the public transport that gets you to Norwich is not the best, most reliable or new.  The stock compared to other lines is very dated and so it starts to build a picture that perhaps the area as a whole is somehow ‘forgotten’.

 

There are plenty of areas in the country that (at lease in London) will get a mention – tube posters and so on for Wales, Scotland, Cornwall, Devon etc – these adverts are not paid for by a holiday park on the Welsh coast for example, it will be the Welsh Tourist Board and yet when it comes to the Broads, nothing. 

 

The Broads has to rely on mentions here and there, the weather on ITV being filmed from the banks of the River Ant, the odd mention on the likes of Country File.  And yet when you arrive in Wroxham (for example) you have leaflets everywhere about where you are – boat trips, day boats, hire craft, holiday cottages and chalets you name it – WHY this information cannot be spread wider afield I know not.

 

Of course it is up to the businesses to advertise (if they wish) they products and services in a medium they feel works for them, but it is not down to them to promote the area as a whole – and that job seems to be a very confused mish mash – ‘Britain’s Magical Waterland’ won’t sell the area if that message is not being put out to the masses.

 

In short it seems nobody can really agree on what they wish the Broads to be sold as being – a tranquil river system? An adventure holiday full or family activities and fun? Somewhere you come for a good time and party with your mates...They of course cater for all sots of people, but I think we need a single message and campaign everyone can get behind and ‘read from the same Hymn sheet’ from.

 

Quite how an authority - who from what I read on various forums - can’t get things right as far as transparency and they core roll goes, will be able to promote the area to the rest of the UK (and/or Europe) and encourage new people in I cannot begin to fathom.

 

Something pretty simple might do the trick...Big poster picture of boats, river and ‘Go boating and have fun’.  Mention the Norfolk Broads, website and phone number...at least people might think ‘oh boats..Norfolk..what’s that all about then...’

[ExMemberBobdog]

Thass cus we do different here bor.

[LondonRascal]

Reading your reply Jonzo made me smile – because we are all here bringing some very valid and good points to the table – but we are not working for the tourist board and it makes you wonder those who do, just what they think and feel should be done.

 

It reminds me of a conversation I overhead returning to London on the train.  Two young chaps were talking about the client they had just seen in Norwich - they were given the task of brining social media to pubs.  The two of them were coming up with all sorts of ideas about how you get customers in your pub to connect through Twitter and Facebook.

 

As I sat there I thought to myself that 99% of people (maybe 99.9%) will go to a pub to drink, eat and have a good time – watch some sport, read the paper and so on – some might connect to the pub’s WiFi and browse the net – I certainly would not choose one pub over another because they were ‘trending on Twitter’ or it appears I needed to ‘like them on Facebook’ for a free packet of crisps.

 

The problem is the likes of these two guys and their ethos is working its way through companies and culture – sure social media is a great tool, but it has its place (and limits) and returning to the point of the Broads being promoted, one has to be very careful what direction you take a campaign – buzz words and slogans are all very well and might sound ‘super cool’ over a cappuccino in the management meeting on bean bags, but we at the end of the day you are dealing with promoting an area, a place, businesses and activities – a lifestyle – and one has to be as broad as one can to attract the widest range of people (or in buzz word land) ‘wide demographic’.

 

I fear the message is being lost because it is all show and not enough action – not enough joined up thinking.

 

[kadensa]

Robin, I agree with much of what you say, but do you think you could adjust your font as it is really hard to read it.

[littlesprite]

I think with the BA they focus on the "nearly a National Park" side of things, I'm not saying there is a problem with that and I certainly enjoy the peace and quite that everyone else says they enjoy, the getting back to nature, BUT whilst I along with many say they don't want change, why do I like the WRC? and all the shop, pub, showers, swimming pool that goes with it.

 

I think that what the WRC proves is that progress can be made to fit in with the overall experience, not all change is bad,   but then what do I know!  I happen to like wind Turbines both in what they achieve (clean energy) and the way they look like a swan floating in the breeze.