A Rights of Boat Dwellers Bill has been introduced in the House of Lords. The Bill was presented by Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville on Monday 8th June 2026. The Bill aims to close gaps in the law that deny boat dwellers, both with and without a mooring, the rights enjoyed by people who live in bricks and mortar accommodation. The second reading of the Bill will take place on 17th July 2026 in the House of Lords.
The full title is “A Bill to recognise the rights of boat dwellers on Britain’s rivers, canals and coastal waters to have their dwelling recognised as their lawful home with the rights and protections attached to that; to make provision for a system of temporary moorings that recognises those rights for those without a permanent mooring; and for connected purposes”.
The Bill was read for a first time and was ordered to be printed. It is a Private Members’ Bill, which was chosen at random in a ballot in the House of Lords at the start of the current Parliamentary session. Baroness Bakewell was a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Gypsies, Travellers and Roma between 2018 and 2024, and a member of the House of Lords Select Committee on the Middle Level Bill in 2018.
While the NBTA welcomes the greater recognition of rights for itinerant boaters, it reserves judgment on the specific measures proposed in the Bill until the details have been fully considered.
The full text of the Bill is here https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/66541/documents/8329
Information about the Bill is available here https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/4141
More information:
https://parliamentnews.co.uk/it-is-time-the-law-gave-boat-dwellers-a-home-worth-the-name/
See also:
https://bargee-traveller.org.uk/crt-lobbied-against-security-of-tenure-for-moorings/
https://bargee-traveller.org.uk/nbta-mentioned-in-house-of-lords/