Cheerio Cycling England then

Reportedly for the chop in the Bonfire of the Quangos....

is there an update on this then ?,

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/7956939/Cycling-Proficiency-test-facing-axe.html

if you have info please post:-

you mean dis
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/8021780/Quango-cuts-full-list-of-bodies-under-review.html

its worth remembering that there are only about three people who actually work for Cycling England with Phillip Darnton.
the main concern is that the funds directed from central government keep going to maintain cycle training grants, and associated work

Also for the chop: "Advisory Board on the Registration of Homeopathic Products"

Also for the chop: "Advisory Board on the Registration of Homeopathic Products"

gutted

bye bye quangos
you served us so well
all your taxi rides
all your posh noshes
all your free jaunts to sunny climes

you shall be missed, but not by me
the school food trust
the british packaging lobby
national chip week
milk development council
wine standards board
football licensing authority

rip

You are Private Eye and I claim my £5

ian hislop will have a field day
he's been exposing posh meals and jaunts for the last 20 years

Baker launches new sustainable transport fund
By Allistair Hayman
"Councils and transport authorities outside London will be asked to bid into a new challenge fund set up to support sustainable transport initiatives, the local transport minister Norman Baker has said.
Mr Baker announced the plan for a new Local Sustainable Transport Fund at the Liberal Democrat Party conference in Liverpool. But he did not say what the fund would be worth, with further details to be announced later in the year, after the Comprehensive Spending Review in October.
But he said the fund would challenge local transport authorities outside London to develop packages of proposals that support economic growth, reduce carbon in their communities, deliver cleaner environments and improved safety and increased levels of physical activity."
from local government chronicle

so,
bidding for funds will replace any direct investment in sustainability,
leaving it open to the vultures from firms like Capita, Serco etc to cream the money off whilst councils struggle with even less money
this is modern government

Loads of this work of course is not just going to be stopped... it's going to be done by other people, under other organisations.

One persons red-tape is anothers essential service

the Audit Commission is getting the chop.

oh, the irony.

Is the monopolies and mergers commision's work going to be opened up to tender? Seems a bit unfair that only they get to do it...

buzzing about this award, worked closely on this with cycling officer from conception through build, yes!
http://www.dft.gov.uk/cyclingengland/2010/10/scheme-of-the-month-links-to-schools-bournemouth/

Good work mate!

The school where my kids go to refuse to put in bike racks/ a bike shed. The reason?
The headmistress believes cycling on the roads is too dangerous, and thinks facilities for bikes will encourage this dangerous practice!

She's a brilliant head teacher in many ways, but this thinking is extremely wrong.

You should get on the PTA.

When i was at primary school we had a similar problem, we could cycle to school as long as our parents then took the bike home for the day then brought it back at 3.20, this of course is fine if the child is still in stabilizers/16" wheels on the pavement, but for me and my brother, bought up on cycletouring holidays, and who cycled in with our parents on the road, it was a different matter! Until they eventually installed racks we used to lock up to the piping on the oil tank for the school's heating boilers!

Confirmation from the Cabinet Office list of quango cuts this morning:

DfT
Cycling England
No longer an NDPB - Abolish body. We have announced a Local Sustainable Travel Fund and will explore ways of marshalling expert input on cycling issues, including to support the Fund.

I notice too that Consumer Focus is being dumped. This isn't a quango in receipt of numerous jaunts, lunches etc. It provided a valuable service to consumers, especially following the demise of EnergyWatch when it took on the role of helping people understand the domestic energy service and market and offer direction and support in resolving disputes with energy companies (many of whom don't give a toss about resolving what they percieve as minor discrepancies).
The function of Consumer Focus is likely to be offloaded onto the CAB. I appreciate that the CAB is a tremendous and very valuable service. However, it is often the opinion of their advisors that their remit is very broad and, depending on the structure of a local office, it can be difficult to provide comprehensive and timely advice on certain matters.

CE needed to go, BC has a Bikeability dept. which could easily expand if required.

^^^^^ you're joking ..... I hope.

http://www.bikebiz.com/news/33018/LibDem-Minister-kills-Cycling-England

Cycling England board member Lynn Sloman said: "If the Government is to build on the last five years’ progress in getting more people cycling, it will need to do more than simply allocate grants.

"Cycling England’s experience is that in order to get results, you need to cut through the red tape, and really support, engage, enthuse and challenge. You need to combine the energy and passion of the cycling NGOs with the expertise of professional local authority teams; you need to share ideas and experience; and you need visionary leadership."

While Norman Baker is the name on Cycling England's death warrant, the real decision maker was Transport Secretary Philip Hammond. He's a motoring enthusiast who, upon moving into the post, said he enjoyed taking his Jaguar car on empty stretches of road.

In a 'future of transport' speech at the recent Conservative party conference Hammond didn't mention cycling once but told delegates congested British cities would be relieved when more electric cars came on the market (cars that are the same physical size as petrol cars).

Motorists who buy electric cars will be gifted with £5000 sweeteners.

Cyclists, however, from March 2011, will be sidelined. No longer will cycling have an umbrella body which can talk directly, and with authority, to Government departments.

Fucksticks.

CE needed to go, BC has a Bikeability dept. which could easily expand if required.

BC have such plans to expand.

It'll probably be sponsored by a blue chip tho, see skyride for the model they appear to be following on these non-sport ventures. This will work great until sponsorship is pulled, then what?

CE wasn't just about Bikeability though. The impacts on other practical cycling projects are yet to be fully known - not looking good though really.

Cyclists, however, from March 2011, will be sidelined. No longer will cycling have an umbrella body which can talk directly, and with authority, to Government departments.

Apart from British Cycling, of course, the governing body for cycling in the UK.
Of which CE's Peter King is executive Director.