TRAVELLING boaters have accused the national charity looking after canals of trying to destroy their whole way of life with plans to hike up surcharges.
They say they have become “moving targets” for Canal & River Trust's plans for charges on the licences of those narrow boat owners without a home mooring and those who live on wide beam boats.
The boaters claim the trust is trying to offset the weight of its budget shortfall by making travelling boaters pay more with an escalating surcharge, which will double their licence costs over five years.
Pamela Smith, 66, chair of the National Bargees Travellers Association who is moored on the Kennet & Avon Canal at Seend, said: “We encourage anyone who cares about the boating community and wants to hold the CRT to account to attend our protest at CRT’s central offices in Birmingham at midday on 25th November.
“CRT’s latest attack on the travelling boater community is discriminatory, unpopular, financially illiterate and quite possibly unlawful - none of which comes as a surprise given the Trust’s increasingly chaotic mismanagement, and desperate attempts to distract from it in any way they can.
“This time, however, they’ve only strengthened the resolve of many in the boater community - both with and without home moorings - to resist their attempts to eradicate our whole way of life and demand one licence for all.
“Hundreds have actively joined the campaign of resistance so far, and anger with the Trust is at a fever pitch."
The CRT, which manages 2,000 miles of the UK’s canals and waterways, is planning to apply the licence fee and surcharge increases from April 1, 2024.
It says the licence fee makes an important contribution to the Trust’s income, accounting for 11 per cent of revenue.
It confirmed licences for all boats on its waterways will increase above inflation for each of the next five years and there would be a surcharge for boats without a home mooring and wide beam boats on top of that.
A spokesperson said: “The Trust welcomes all onto our waterways – including boats with and without home moorings. To claim otherwise is categorically untrue.
"Boaters are central to our canals, and our commitment to maintain navigation remains core to our work.
“With the cost of looking after our ageing canals increasing and the income from the government reducing, the Trust is targeting all income streams to raise the funds needed to keep the canals open for future generations.
"We’ve announced that this means all boaters will see above-inflation price increases each year for the next five years.
“Furthermore, 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. This growth has led to increased costs to manage and meet their needs.
“We therefore feel it is reasonable that the licence cost reflects the utility different boats receive, hence the increase in the surcharges for wide beam boats and the introduction of a surcharge for boats without a home mooring.
“We are aware that 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.”
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