Canal & River Trust: boat licence fees for 2021-22

[Ray T]

PRESS RELEASE

 

12th October 2020  

 

BOAT LICENCE FEES FOR 2021-22

 

The Canal & River Trust is today announcing that headline private and business boat licence fees will rise by 2% from 1 April 2021. 

 

Jon Horsfall, head of customer service support at Canal & River Trust, said: “As our navigations and their associated historic infrastructure become older, and the changing climate brings the more extreme weather we’ve seen in recent years, we need to spend more money to care for them and keep them in working order.  Income from private boat licences accounted for around 10% of our annual income last year and helps ensure that we can carry out the vast amount of work necessary for keeping the waterways available to boaters. 

 

“This year we’ve seen the added impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which has caused a 10% reduction in our income.  We acted quickly to support leisure boaters and businesses with concessions on licence fees, giving specific additional support for boaters and businesses with additional needs.  We continue to keep our licence price increases broadly in line with inflation forecasts and shield boaters from a more substantial contribution to the full costs of looking after the more than 200-year old network.”

 

From April 2021 the Trust will continue the phased introduction of additional pricing bands for boat widths over 2.16m (7ft 1”). This means that licence fees for boats over 2.16m wide will be subject to an additional 5% in addition to the 2% annual rise from 1 April 2021.

 

Jon continued: “The changes we announced to the structure of licence fees in 2018, following our national consultation, will ensure that the financial contribution made by boaters towards the cost of looking after the waterways is spread fairly across the boating community.  We have staggered the changes for wider vessels over a five-year period from 1 April 2020 so there’s no sudden impact on any boaters.”

 

More information on boat licences, including discounts, is available here:  https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/boating/buy-your-boat-licence/long-term-boat-licences

 

The Trust has published a Boater Report showing how the charity uses income from boating, and other sources, to maintain the canals and rivers for navigation:  https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/boating/boating-blogs-and-features/boater-report

 

-ends-

 

For further media requests please contact:

Fran Read, Canal & River Trust

m 07796 610427 e fran.read@canalrivertrust.org.uk 

[Alan de Enfield]

Another reason that I'm glad to have escaped - a 7% increase in licence fee.

[Athy]

1 minute ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Another reason that I'm glad to have escaped - a 7% increase in licence fee.

Is inflation currently at 7%? They say that price rises will remain "broadly in line" with it.

[Alan de Enfield]

Just now, Athy said:

Is inflation currently at 7%? They say that price rises will remain "broadly in line" with it.

Don't forget the staggered increase based on the 2018 consultation, so it is 2% increase in line with inflation + 5% staggered increases for boats over 7'.

My increase will (would have been) Inflation + 20% by 2023.

 

 

Based on these considerations, the Trust has decided to combine the current length based bands with new width bands so that craft wider than 2.16m (7”1ft) will pay slightly more on top of the length-based charge.

Three width bands will be introduced from April 2020:

• Band 1: 2.16m (7ft 1”) and below

• Band 2: over 2.16m (7ft 1”) up to and including 3.24M (10ft 7.5’’)

• Band 3: over 3.24M (10ft 7.5’’)

We envisage that ultimately the % surcharge for wider craft will rise to 10% for Band 2 and 20% for Band 3, but it would be introduced in phases over several years

[Athy]

Ah, O.K. That seems fair.

[cuthound]

6 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Don't forget the staggered increase based on the 2018 consultation, so it is 2% increase in line with inflation + 5% staggered increases for boats over 7'.

My increase will (would have been) Inflation + 20% by 2023.

 

 

Based on these considerations, the Trust has decided to combine the current length based bands with new width bands so that craft wider than 2.16m (7”1ft) will pay slightly more on top of the length-based charge.

Three width bands will be introduced from April 2020:

• Band 1: 2.16m (7ft 1”) and below

• Band 2: over 2.16m (7ft 1”) up to and including 3.24M (10ft 7.5’’)

• Band 3: over 3.24M (10ft 7.5’’)

We envisage that ultimately the % surcharge for wider craft will rise to 10% for Band 2 and 20% for Band 3, but it would be introduced in phases over several years

 

So are historic ex- working narrowboats, which typically exceed 7ft 1" (just) subject to the additional 5% surcharge?

[Alan de Enfield]

8 minutes ago, cuthound said:

 

So are historic ex- working narrowboats, which typically exceed 7ft 1" (just) subject to the additional 5% surcharge?

 

According to C&RT - Yes, then an additional 5% (+ Inflation) from next April. Making 10.25% increase over 2 years.

 

Its all on the C&RT website.

 

Fatter boats get another 5% in 2022 and a further 5% in 2023 fiving an overall increase (excluding the RPI increases) of 21.6% increase over 4 years.

[dor]

1 hour ago, cuthound said:

 

So are historic ex- working narrowboats, which typically exceed 7ft 1" (just) subject to the additional 5% surcharge?

I suspect all those working boats will be magically pulled in to just under 7’ 1”.

[Keeping Up]

5 minutes ago, dor said:

I suspect all those working boats will be magically pulled in to just under 7’ 1”.

Similarly, perhaps, to the way CRT have recorded the length of my boat as 66' 12"

[Athy]

13 minutes ago, dor said:

I suspect all those working boats will be magically pulled in to just under 7’ 1”.

But don't they get either free or substantially reduced licences anyway?

[cuthound]

29 minutes ago, dor said:

I suspect all those working boats will be magically pulled in to just under 7’ 1”.

 

I wonder how the conversation with CRT will go when one gets stuck in a narrow lock. ???

Edited October 13, 2020 by cuthound
Clarification

[magnetman]

License fee increase and that new term and condition which says you can not expect the locks to work (or something like that!) 

 

I'm another one glad to be soon getting away from CRT water after two and a half decades, hopefully never to return. 

 

It's all gone pear shaped, to use a nautical term. 

Edited October 13, 2020 by magnetman

[Alan de Enfield]

7 minutes ago, magnetman said:

License fee increase and that new term and condition which says you can not expect the locks to work (or something like that!) 

 

I'm another one glad to be soon getting away from CRT water after two and a half decades, hopefully never to return. 

 

It's all gone pear shaped, to use a nautical term. 

 

I was over 3 decades, (since the 80's) sorry to be going (in some ways) but O' so glad now the decision is made and we are on waters where C&RT have no control.

It is making the decision that is the hard part, but once made its like a weight coming off your shoulders. The relief is palpable

[Momac]

The River Trent has been in decline since Alan moved his boat to Wales.

Increased fees and declining standards are hardly a recipe for success.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 13, 2020 by MartynG

[Arthur Marshall]

It's still mostly fun though, apart from Llangollen in August, which was no fun at all. My fault for going though. Had two other great trips this year. 

I just think the system can't last much longer, and I do wonder what those thousands of boats in marinas will do when it finally collapses. Probably much the same as most of them do now, I suspect.

[TheBiscuits]

1 hour ago, Athy said:

But don't they get either free or substantially reduced licences anyway?

 

No.

 

There is a 10% discount for historic boats if you jump through a lot of hoops, but the actual working boats (ie the fuel boats not the ex-working leisure boats) are already paying an uplift for their trading licence.

[Rob-M]

2 hours ago, cuthound said:

 

I wonder how the conversation with CRT will go when one gets stuck in a narrow lock. ???

They won't be going through narrow locks anymore as that will be against the new T&C's as most narrow locks are listed as 7'.