The National Bargee Travellers Association (NBTA), which represents thousands of itinerant boat dwellers living on the UK’s waterways, is calling for the end of the Canal & River Trust’s (CRT’s) current enforcement policy. CRT – the charity that manages the majority of the UK’s inland waterways – has this week published the full results of […]
NBTA to run Volunteer Caseworker training course in October
The National Bargee Travellers Association (NBTA) will be holding an online training course for Volunteer Caseworkers to join our dedicated team. There are three sessions within the training course. They will be held online on 20th and 27th October and 3rd November 2024 from 3pm to 6pm. NBTA Caseworkers help boaters to deal with enforcement […]
Kennet and Avon NBTA meeting, 20th August, online
The next online meeting of the K&A NBTA branch will be on Tuesday 20th August 2024 at 7pm . Get involved and have your say!
Boat Safety Scheme issues urgent safety alert for some Morco LPG water heaters
The Boat Safety Scheme (BSS) is working with Morco in support of its on-going campaign to find and fix potentially dangerous models of its LPG water heaters that may leak gas causing fires or explosions.
Is it really about money?
As many of you know, the main reason Canal & River Trust (CRT) has given for imposing a surcharge on the licence fees of the 20% of boats that don’t have a home mooring is that it needs more money. CRT says this is due to two things: firstly inflation, and secondly cuts to its […]
NBTA is hiring! We’re looking for a paid national organiser
National Organiser – National Bargee Travellers Association (NBTA) Are you passionate about community empowerment and protecting the rights of waterway residents? Join the NBTA in our mission to encourage boat dwellers of the UK to organise themselves and strengthen the sense of solidarity. About Us: The NBTA is a volunteer organisation dedicated to upholding and […]
CRT plans to restructure its enforcement team
In a meeting between NBTA and Canal & River Trust (CRT) in May 2024, CRT informed us that it would be carrying out a major restructuring of its licence support [ie enforcement] and welfare teams to separate welfare from enforcement. CRT has been consulting with staff and unions with a view to implementing the new […]
Boaters can use household recycling centres after complaint to Council
Itinerant boat dwellers have been turned away from local authority household recycling centres due to not being able to produce evidence of local residency such as a Council Tax bill. A liveaboard boater family travelling around Hertfordshire and Essex challenged this exclusion recently on the basis that it amounted to discrimination. They complained to both […]
Environment Agency consultation on registration fees, ends 16th August
The Environment Agency (EA) is running a consultation on increasing its boat registration charges by 9% from 1st January 2025. The deadline for responding has been extended to 16th August 2024 as a result of the General Election. Please respond to the consultation if you use or live on EA waterways either permanently or temporarily, […]
The Glide Path
With some confusion and a seeming lack of wide alarm at a 5% rising to 25% surcharge on the licence fees of boats without a home mooring, CRT’s ‘glide path’, which introduces incremental and differential licence pricing between now and 2028, could well be intentionally deceptive.