BOATERS worried about a rise in costs have taken their case to Westminster.
The National Bargee Travellers’ Association (NBTA), which represents 2000 boaters, is angry that boaters without a home mooring pay higher licence fees and claims that the Canal and River Trust discriminates against continuous cruisers.
The NBTA held a drop-in session at the end of November to publicise its case. It was hosted by Baroness Jenny Jones, a group of MPs and members of the House of Lords.
Nick Brown from the NBTA and a boater, Christine Hemsley, who claims she has suffered an abuse of her rights, made presentations to MPs.
The NBTA claims boaters without home moorings pay fees 30% higher, adding these may rise by up to 130% by 2028. It fears the increases may force many boaters to leave the water.
It adds that its casework team has helped in more than 1000 situations in which it says boaters have been unfairly targeted because they don’t have a permanent mooring.
Baroness Jones said: “The CRT is a charity created in 2012 as a hybrid body to replace the former British Waterways, and manages most of the inland waterways of England and Wales. The transfer of the waterways to the CRT removed any ministerial oversight or accountability. The CRT has no effective regulator, making it unaccountable and this is reflected in its treatment of itinerant boat dwellers.”
A Canal and River Trust spokesman said: “We advocate for boaters’ rights to government, local authorities, and other agencies. The trust is the only navigation authority to have a dedicated boater welfare team, which we have recently more than doubled in size to increase our support offer to boaters. In recent years, more and more people are making their homes on the water, and our welfare team supports those who are struggling with money, health and other issues, including helping boaters apply for appropriate benefits to help them pay their licence fees.
“The trust has an equality policy which sets out our approach to making sure everyone can access and use our waterways. We also have a specific process for making ‘reasonable adjustments’, under the Equality Act 2010, which can include adjustments to our normal cruising regulations for disabled boaters. We urge anyone facing difficulties to get in touch.
“The trust strongly denies any abuse of boaters’ human rights and welcomes details of these allegations so that they can be looked into and responded to more specifically.”
