HUNDREDS of boaters took to the towpath of Paddington Basin in London to demonstrate against the Canal & River Trust’s licence fee increases. They were also protesting at plans to introduce differential pricing based on mooring status.
Activists from the boater community were joined on Easter Saturday by members of other groups in solidarity, including Right to Roam, London Renters Union and Don’t Pay. The protest was organised by the National Bargee Travellers Association (NBTA) which also claimed a stretch of the Regent’s Canal had been “largely abandoned” following the introduction by CRT of chargeable moorings at £25-35 per night.
NBTA secretary Marcus Trower said: “Hundreds of boaters and supporters alike turned out for this demonstration of community, solidarity and resistance. Before we arrived, Paddington Basin was empty, but we’ve demonstrated exactly what boaters mean to the waterways by filling it with life, celebration and a sense of community.”
There were a number of musical and dance performances throughout the day as well as food and drink served, multiple boater-run stalls, an NBTA information booth and a unity march on CRT’s Little Venice office. Marcus added that NBTA hopes the trust will sit down with boaters, drop policies like the licence surcharge and ensure that their contribution to the waterways is acknowledged and their way of life respected. Otherwise, boaters will continue to fiercely resist these plans, he said. CRT’s licence surcharge came into effect on April 1, current proposals specify a surcharge of an additional 25% on boats without a home mooring on top of a projected 34% increase in the standard licence fee within the next five years.
NBTA chairman Pamela Smith commented: “Our community has had enough. Boaters are the lifeblood of the waterways – keeping them safe, vibrant and welcoming. We’ve been at the forefront of reviving the canals, and giving them new life and purpose since they fell into neglect in the 1960s.” She added that CRT needed to get its house in order and ensure it’s not remembered for undoing what successive generations of boaters have worked hard to build. Various boater organisations aside from the NBTA have also voiced opposition to the surcharge, including the IWA and NABO.
