The IWA and others have been quick to respond to the CRT announcement about increased licence fees and the extra, somewhat unquantifiable, charges for continuous cruisers. NBTA have responded with a call to action but other boating organisations including the RBOA and NABO have not yet expressed an opinion of CRT’s announcement.
It’s good to see that the IWA in particular appear to have changed their mind about CRT. They were initially one of the most vociferous supporters, calling for the charitable trust to be given control and responsibility for our waterways in the first place, they even signed a ‘Memorandum Of Understanding’ almost as soon as Mr Parry got his feet under the CRT boardroom table and well before having a chance to actually assess whether the trust was going to live up to their promises let alone the IWA’s expectations !
I cancelled my membership of the IWA at that point.
From reading some of the boater blogs and social media groups the proposals from CRT appear to be highly unpopular and frankly I can’t say I’m surprised ! The proposed increases over the next five years are extreme and the effect on the lives of the community of boaters who live on our waterways will likely also be extreme but ranting about that in this post is not my intention.
What we need at this point is solidarity and a cohesive community response. The proposed cash grab by CRT is going to affect all boaters regardless of whether they have a home mooring or not, regardless of the size of their boat, everyone is going to be fleeced in order to bolster the coffers so that CRT can continue their reign of inadequacy and asset stripping when they should be maintaining and preserving our heritage and our home namely the navigation !
So, I am calling on all boaters, I don’t care which boating organisations you belong to or support, I don’t care what type of boat you have, I don’t care if you are living aboard or use your boat for leisure, what I do care about is your voice !
USE YOUR VOICE – PROTEST THE PROPOSALS
Join a movement, a group, an organisation, a campaign, get involved and make your voice heard.
Email your MP, email the DEFRA minister (therese.coffey.mp@parliament.uk) email Rishi Sunak (rishi.sunak.mp@parliament.uk)
and
PROTEST !
Well done telling it like it is !
It would appear that these proposed increases by CRT are diametrically opposite to some of the action the Government is attempting to take during this cost of living crisis we all face but particularly live aboard boaters who in most case if limited options on fuel used to heat & cook
All boaters unite
Solidarity ! Do not be silent, do not be violent !
I am appalled by the CRT with its attitude to Continuous Cruisers and would appreciate background to the policy of increases in annual fees or whatever you may wish to term these increases.
At the same time I would be grateful for the minimising of facilities; for instance the removal of rubbish facilities, showers, etc, at Broad St Wharf, Wolverhampton, and at other points. Is this a policy of CRT to reduce facilities throughout the network to either discourage boaters, or even worse, for boaters, where facilities have been withdrawn to indiscriminately leave rubbish both in and around the network.
I look forward to your comments
Welcome to the club Anthony.
In reply to your questions, no ‘policy’ of increases in our licences has to my knowledge ever actually been stated as such.
As far as I have been able to ascertain no ‘official policy’ about increases in fees has ever been published.
CRT have for the past several years simply increased licence costs more or less arbitrarily without any real discussion taking place. Over the last couple of years, an online ‘consultation’ has taken place but frankly they were perceived as a sham by most people with limited options to the ‘surveys’ and loaded questions, clearly biased to produce a result favourable to CRT’s required outcome and resulting in most boaters simply ignoring them which left CRT able to ‘suit themselves’.
The current licence fee increases and the addition of surcharges are now well documented and the recent reactions of boaters can be read by clicking on the links on our website under the ‘Recommended Reading’ heading in the sidebar. These latest intended increases are intentionally set above the current rate of inflation with further similar increases for the next five years and will impact our community heavily at a time when we are all suffering the effects of the current “cost of living crisis” as our PM has described it.
As such, they are being perceived as a direct attack on those of us who are living aboard our boats and regard them as home, a position CRT does not recognise.
As far as facilities for live-aboard boaters are concerned, I am personally aware of a number which have been removed, again these actions have taken place over the last few years at a number of locations around the system. Bit by bit there has been a slow but steady removal of facilities and it is ongoing.
Recently, CRT announced a number of closures to facilities on the system most notably in and around Birmingham where mooring restrictions are also being introduced and domestic facilities are being closed. In London moorings and facilities are being reduced notably on the river Lee Navigation in the East of London as well as in the areas around Bow and the East End both are areas busy with live-aboard boaters trying to live and work on low incomes in London.
Documenting accurately the number and location of facilities removed over the last five years would take me quite a bit of research but I feel it will be time well spent so in order to provide you with a more accurate picture and in order to add to the information on our website I will endeavour to compile an accurate list and will publish it when complete.
Finally I would just like to say that I personally believe that CRT’s actions and policies towards the community of Itinerant Bargee Travellers, live-aboard boaters and continuous cruisers is a policy of deliberate targetted attack. CRT’s motivation is purely financial and has now become a major issue because of the cessation of government funding which as they were fully aware from day one was only granted for a limited time in order to allow CRT to establish themselves in place of British Waterways.
The period of grace is now over and the support from the public purse is being withdrawn. CRT are in financial panic and we are an expense they do not want.
I hope this helps you to understand both our position and our concerns.
Thanks for visiting and for your questions.
My wife and myself have been cc’ing for 15 years. C&RT have been making life more and more difficult for us cc’ers almost since when they first took over.
Our fuel, food, domestic costs and maitainence have pretty much doubled in the last 3 years. C&RT are now just hammering the last nails in the lid. 😪
@Anthony Ford
I cruise mainly along the Coventry canal, the Ashby canal and the Trent & Mersey canal.
Here is a list of facilities lost on my patch, they have been either closed altogether or partially.
Fazeley. Bins removed and waterpoint shut off.
Sutton Stop. Bin compound taken down and large Biffa ‘skip’ bins replaced with 2 small wheelie bins.
Sutton Cheyney. Facilities closed.