Canal and River Trust surcharge for roving boaters sparks protest

About one in five boats on the UK’s canal network are ‘constant cruisers’, which means owners only use public moorings, not private marinas. 

The standard licence normally allows them to stay at these for up to 14 days at a time, before moving on.

All boaters currently pay the same rate for their annual waterways licence, which is on average between £1,000 and £1,500 a year, depending on the size of their boat.

C&RT says the new surcharge 'reflects the utility' different kinds of boaters receive (Image: NBTA)

But the Canal and River Trust (C&RT) is set to impose a new surcharge on constant cruisers, starting at five percent on top of their licence fee this year, rising to 25 per cent by 2028.  

Some constant cruisers, who often live on small, fixed incomes such as pensions, say the surcharge amounts to an attack on their community and way of life.

They’ve decided to fight back.   

On Saturday, November 25, constant cruisers from across the country, including some from Cheshire, will be converging on C&RT’s Birmingham head office to make their objections know.

Constant cruisers make up about 20 per cent of the total boats on the canal network (Image: NBTA)

The National Bargee Travellers Association (NBTA), a campaign group for constant cruisers, are asking those who can to arrive by boat and moor up directly outside the Trust’s offices.

The protestors will then assemble at Birmingham’s City Centre Gardens at midday, before marching back towards C&RT’s head office on King Edwards Road.

NBTA member Gerry Coleman, a constant cruisier who moors at Middlewich, said: “Boaters are coming together to defend our way of life, and demand the continuation of ‘one licence for all’.

“C&RT left us with no choice.

“Their own consultation survey showed most licence holders don’t agree with the planned surcharge, but they’ve chosen to ignore their own data.

“We now have to force the issue.

“We know C&RT’s finances are in a dire state and they’re desperate for more money, but this surcharge isn’t the answer.

“A one percent increase above inflation across all boats would actually generate more income without creating the fall-out which will be so damaging to our community.

“Two per cent would raise double the revenue without heartlessly and knowingly driving many pensioners and low-income earners without home moorings into hardship and potential poverty.

“We’re simply calling for what’s needed: a fair and equal system, with one licence for all.”

C&RT claims it need the extra revenue to make up a for a reduction in the income they receive from the government to maintain the waterways.

They say constant cruisers use more resources than boaters with home moorings, which should be reflected in the price they pay.

A C&RT spokesman said: “We have seen the number of people choosing to boat without a home mooring increase dramatically in the past decade.

“While just one fifth of the 35,000 licensed boats on our waterways do not have a home mooring, they accounted for three quarters of the boats sighted using our waterways in the past year.

“With the cost of looking after our ageing canals increasing and the income from government reducing, the Trust is targeting all income streams to raise the funds needed to keep the canals open for future generations. 

“This means all boaters will see above-inflation price increases each year for the next five years.

“We feel it is reasonable that the licence cost reflects the utility different boats receive, hence the introduction of a surcharge for boats without a home mooring. 

“We are aware for some, this increase may be difficult to budget for alongside other cost of living rises. 

“Our dedicated welfare support team, in addition to our boat licencing support officers, will assist all those struggling wherever possible – including directing them towards benefits that are often available for those living afloat on low incomes.”