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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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.
A new branch of the NBTA is forming on the Kennet & Avon Canal! The first branch meeting will take place online on Monday 3rd June 2024 at 7pm. Come to the meeting to discuss and plan actions and support for liveaboard boaters locally!
The General Election will take place on Thursday 4th July, and the polls will be open from 7am – 10pm. Register by 18th June if you want to vote. You can vote even if you live on a boat without a fixed address, by declaring a “local connection” to the place you are currently moored […]
London Borough of Hackney is preparing to enact a Smoke Control Order that will include moored boats for the first time. The Smoke Control Order could fine people up to £300 for producing smoke from a chimney and/or burning wood in a non-Defra approved stove. Don’t let the council fine you for heating your home! […]
The Psychotherapy and Skills Coaching Service for Boat Dwellers without a Home Mooring was one of two runners up in the Special Project category of the Friends Families and Travellers (FFT) annual awards this year. Co-ordinator Helen Brice attended the awards ceremony in Brighton on 25th April. There were 108 projects nominated for the awards […]