Annual Scrutiny 2015
Examination of Chief Executive and Chairman of Natural
Resources.
Response from the South East Wales Rivers Trust
This response is
as a critical friend, bringing forward points that unless addressed
could mean that the Rivers Trusts in Wales are unable to function
successfully.
- In common with all
the small Rivers Trusts in Wales the South East Wales Rivers Trust
has always relied on grant funding to carry out its work to benefit
the environment, bringing with it social, educational and economic
benefits to local communities and beyond. The Trust was formed in
2007 and has delivered a large programme of improvements across the
former Industrial Valleys of South East Wales from the Ebbw Fach in
the East to the Ely in the West. Our organisation is volunteer
based and sets out to run value for money projects with funding to
work on the riverine environment to make improvements to comply
with the Water Framework Directive.
- Our concerns
centre on the Competitive and Partnership funding arrangements that
were announced by Natural Resources Wales last year. During the
time between the official launch and the opening of the system for
applications, there was a lot of uncertainty about the timing of
the bid process, but we were assured that it was likely that the
deadline for submitting applications would be December
1st 2014.
- However, when we
were invited to apply in September, we were told that the deadline
was only six weeks away. This left us at an extreme disadvantage to
try and look for the 50% match funding that was
required.
- Whilst we
appreciate that Natural Resources Wales has a responsibility to
ensure best value from expenditure, the match funding requirements
have a disproportionate impact on small organisations such as ours.
Larger organisations have better fund raising resources, and
financial reserves that can act as a guarantee for match funding so
that credible bids can be submitted and processed while match
funding is sought if it isn’t already in place. Our Trust has
none of these resources, and as a result had to submit a JWP bid
knowing that we were unlikely to find the required
match.
- Rivers Trusts were
set up to carry out some of the duties that Environment Agency
Wales was finding difficult to achieve. We managed to obtain
EU funding from Afonydd Cymru as well as small grants from
Countryside Council for Wales, and with the help of unpaid
volunteers have carried out excellent projects to help bring our
rivers towards the European WFD standard. This success encouraged
Environment Agency Wales and then Natural Resources Wales to joint
fund a number of projects under the old funding arrangements, and
we were able to deliver outstanding value for money. However, the
new funding system stands to put this all in jeopardy.
- This is no better
demonstrated than the case of our Clean the Clun project. NRW gave
us a grant of £25,000 in June of 2014 to launch a small-scale
catchment restoration on a tributary of the River Ely. We recruited
an excellent project officer who has made a tremendous impact in
the nine months that the project has been running. We were told to
apply for funding under both the JWP and Competitive funds to
continue the project for the next three years. In December we
learnt that while we were going to be given some funding. Imagine
our disappointment and surprise when we learnt that it was only 15%
of the annual project budget, meaning that the Trust would have to
find 85% match funding for a project that is working to restore the
worst performing river catchment in South Wales. At this funding
level, the project is untenable, and it is likely that when the
current funding runs out at the end of June 2015, the project
officer will be dismissed and the volunteers that have been
recruited will be disbanded.
- One of the
fundamental issues we face is the difficulty in obtaining match
funding for river restoration work. Given that much of this work is
driven by the requirements of the Water Framework Directive, the
response of many potential funders that we have approached is
‘Why would I give you money to pay for work that is the
responsibility of Welsh Government and Natural Resources
Wales?’ We recognise that one of the best sources for match
funding is the EU, but the length and complexity of the bidding
process is beyond a small organisation such as a Rivers Trust,
again swinging the balance in favour of the large organisations
that have the resources to bid for and win European
money.
- We are also
concerned at the amount of overall funding that has been directed
to river restoration and fisheries. Based on discussions with other
River Trusts, we have concluded that the proportion of funding that
has been allocated to our sector does not reflect the importance of
the fisheries to the Welsh economy, or the importance of the rivers
in delivering ecosystem services. We look across the border to the
Trusts in England that have benefitted over the years from the
River Improvement Fund and more recently the Catchment Restoration
Fund from DEFRA and can only conclude that rivers simply
aren’t a priority in Wales.
- The future is more
uncertain as the Sustainable Fisheries Fund as it was, originally
ring fenced by Welsh Government for this purpose, has now we have
been told due to new ways of working, been put into a central pot
for all departments to bid for. This means less for fisheries
and more uncertainty. A look at what was achieved by
fisheries through the use of this fund would produce some
staggering outcomes of cost benefit.
- The following question was posed in the West Wales River
basin Management Plan: Removal of barriers to fish migration
through the sustainable fisheries programme in
Wales. This statement flies in the face of the above
where for reasons, still not explained properly, the ring fencing
of this fund was taken away. The question should be asked was this
decision taken with the approval of the Welsh Assembly
Government.
Yours sincerely,
Anthony Rees MBE
Chairman