New chairman of Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council appointed

Waterways Minister Barry Gardiner has announced the appointment of John Edmonds as Chairman of the Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council (IWAAC).

Mr Edmonds' appointment is for three years, from 10 July 2006.

Mr Edmonds brings to the role an extensive knowledge of environmental issues and experience serving on a wide range of advisory bodies. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Society for the Environment and is responsible at Board level for the Environment Agency's navigation responsibilities.

The Government has decided to reconstitute the Council as an independent body with wider terms of reference. Mr Edmonds will be responsible for maintaining the momentum of the existing Council's work while supervising the transition to the new arrangements.

When the new Council is in place, he will be responsible for developing its new remit of providing strategic advice to Ministers, navigation authorities and other interested persons about the use of all Britain's waterways.

BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS

John Edmonds is a Board member of the Environment Agency; non-executive Director of the Carbon Trust and of Salix Finance; visiting Research Fellow of King's College, London; an Honorary Fellow of the Society for the Environment; and Vice President of the National Society for Clean Air.

He is a former General Secretary of GMB Trade Union; President of TUC; Co-Chair of the Trade Union Advisory Committee on Sustainable Development; Member of Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution; Member of Executive of European Trade Union Confederation; Forestry Commissioner; President of Unity Trust Bank; and Visiting Fellow of Nuffield College, Oxford.

John Edmonds is 62 and lives in Surrey. His interests include cricket and carpentry.

Notes to editors

1.  The Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council was created by the Transport Act 1968. Its formal role is to advise the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Scottish Executive, and British Waterways (BW) on strategic policy for the use and development of the 2000 miles of inland waterways managed by BW. For the last ten years or more the Council has also provided strategic advice about the use of all the country's waterways.

2.  Under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006, IWAAC's constitution will be changed to separate it from BW and to give it a new remit to provide strategic advice about the use of all the country's inland waterways. The new Council, to be known as the Inland Waterways Advisory Council (IWAC), is expected to become operational in 2007.

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