Canal & River Trust: National Boat Count 2022

[Ray T]

CRT PRESS RELEASE

 

27th June 2022  

 

NATIONAL BOAT COUNT 2022

 

The Canal & River Trust’s national boat count, completed this spring and used to support the day-to-day work carried out by the Trust, has shown a further 3.3% rise in boat numbers on its network across England and Wales. It also shows a licence compliance rate of 94.1%.

 

The last full annual boat count took place in 2019, with the pandemic affecting the counts scheduled for 2020 and 2021.

 

Over the course of the last three years the survey shows a slight drop in the percentage of licensed boats, down from 96.5% in 2019 to 94.1% this year, together with an increase in boats taking a licence without a home mooring with indications that boats appear to have left marinas to continuously cruise.

 

Matthew Symonds, national boating manager at Canal & River Trust, said: “The last few years have been difficult for most of us, including many boaters. The rise in the number of boats sighted, and the slight fall in licence compliance, could suggest that pressures stemming from the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis are affecting use of the waterways. The cost of maintaining the canal network is also rapidly increasing and the damaging effects of climate change are growing more frequent, which means that the income from boat licences, around 10% of our total, is even more important for managing and maintaining the network for navigation.

 

“We supported many boaters throughout the pandemic and will continue to do so where this is needed. Our Boat Licence Customer Support team is out every day helping boaters who might be struggling with their licence requirements and we always urge boaters to talk to us, and in most cases we’re able to find a way to keep people on the water.”

 

Whilst compliance decreased in all Trust regions, the relative decrease was greatest in Yorkshire & North-East and the East Midlands. The East Midlands also saw the greatest growth in boat numbers, with a 13.3% increase on 2019, followed by the North West (5.8%) and London (4.8%). [See notes to editors below.]

 

The pandemic also proved challenging for the Trust with operational constraints, delays in the court system, and an increase in requests for support with licences resulting in the Trust being unable to resolve as many cases as usual.

 

Sadly, on occasion the Trust does have to take robust action to remove boats when all other avenues have failed. In 2021-22, 100 boats were removed from its navigations as they were unlicensed, despite the Boat Licence Customer Support team’s best efforts to resolve matters; many were abandoned boats.

 

Whilst the vast majority of the Boat Licence Customer Support team’s interaction with boaters in overwhelmingly positive, in response to concerns from colleagues about the potential for confrontation, abuse or harm whilst conducting their work, a trial of wearing body worn cameras took place during 2021 in London & the South East. Following the success of that trial, the cameras will now be rolled out to other Trust employees whose role includes day-to-day interaction with those on the waterways which, alongside other procedures, will be a tool to support them while they go about their daily jobs.

 

-ends-

 

For further media requests please contact:

Fran Read, Canal & River Trust

m 07796 610 427 e fran.read@canalrivertrust.org.uk

[Slow and Steady]

5 hours ago, Ray T said:

the damaging effects of climate change are growing more frequent

Eh? What a cop out! It's totally pathetic to use this as an excuse for lack of preventative maintenance.

[TheBiscuits]

33 minutes ago, Slow and Steady said:

Eh? What a cop out! It's totally pathetic to use this as an excuse for lack of preventative maintenance.

 

How does planned preventative maintenance stop flash flooding that takes out chunks of infrastructure?  Never mind CRT, there are many governments who would be interested in a sensible answer to this question.

[Slow and Steady]

3 hours ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

How does planned preventative maintenance stop flash flooding that takes out chunks of infrastructure?  Never mind CRT, there are many governments who would be interested in a sensible answer to this question.

Er, because it's nothing new? Weird weather events have been with us all my 60 year life. I remember it snowing on my birthday in June in the 60's in Rugby for example.

 

What has changed is the locals on the ground that had the knowledge to react before things got out of control have been sacked and replaced by a map on a computer. Not just CRT, it's the new way. I used to meet an old Guy in the Fens (Mildenhall) who had been laid off but was constantly badgered when odd places and homes were flooded because nobody knew where all the odd local sluices were except him. He'd offered to educate them but there was nobody to educate and they simply didn't understand how it all worked as a system. Can't remember whether he's worked for EA or the local council but his job had simply disappeared. Poor fellow was about 80 and they were still bugging him.

Edited June 27, 2022 by Slow and Steady

[Puffling]

30 minutes ago, Slow and Steady said:

Er, because it's nothing new? Weird weather events have been with us all my 60 year life. I remember it snowing on my birthday in June in the 60's in Rugby for example

Weather is not climate. What you cite is anecdotal. The plural of anecdote is not data. Scientific methods show the climate is changing.

 

If you lived somewhere such as Bangladesh or The Maldives, you'd not be arguing, Canute-like, against rising sea levels. You'd be living the nightmare right now.

[Ronaldo47]

2nd June 1975, a blizzard at Ilford in East London where I was then working,  snow stopped play at the  Essex County  Cricket ground in Chelmsford,,  2" snow settled on ground in Yorkshire. 

 

A friend was working in the London office of   a Norwegian shipping company  at the time, and mentioned that a visiting director said " Now I understand why the English always talk about the weather!" .

 

But winters have certainly got warmer over the past 30 years.  We haven't had enough snow here to build a snowman since the mid-1990's.  In the mid-1980's, snow used to lie on the ground for at least a month 

Edited June 27, 2022 by Ronaldo47

[reg]

10 minutes ago, Ronaldo47 said:

2nd June 1975, a blizzard at Ilford in East London where I was then working,  snow stopped play at the  Essex County  Cricket ground in Chelmsford,,  2" snow settled on ground in Yorkshire. 

 

A friend was working in the London office of   a Norwegian shipping company  at the time, and mentioned that a visiting director said " Now I understand why the English always talk about the weather!" .

I had a nice ride out to near Buxton in the dales on my little suzuki ts125,  plimsolls, jeans and lightweight jacket. Pitched tent, woke up next morning to a snow covered camp site. 

Had a cold ride to nearest cafe where a very kind lady sat me in front if the radiator and supplied with hot drinks and food.

Very memorable weekend.

 

Edited June 27, 2022 by reg

[Heartland]

The CRT Boat Count presumably refers to CRT waters. Is there a count that reflects movement between other waterway and does the Environment Agency have a similar count ?

[David Schweizer]

On 27/06/2022 at 23:00, reg said:

I had a nice ride out to near Buxton in the dales on my little suzuki ts125,  plimsolls, jeans and lightweight jacket. Pitched tent, woke up next morning to a snow covered camp site. 

Had a cold ride to nearest cafe where a very kind lady sat me in front if the radiator and supplied with hot drinks and food.

Very memorable weekend.

 

 

Small point, but Buxton is in the Peak District, not the Dales, which are in Yorkshire and Cumbria.   We were living in Buxton in 1975, and I well remember the County Match between Derbyshire and Lancashire on 2nd June being Snowed off.

 

 

Edited July 3, 2022 by David Schweizer

[reg]

Quite right about peak district, old age playing its little games again.

I was on the very busy camp site at or near Buxton, woke up to a covering of snow and a lot of very busy campers packing away.

[Bod]

94.1% of boats are licenced.

Correct or not?

I feel that figure is for identifable boats, one's not showing a name or number have been ignored.

 

Bod

[Alan de Enfield]

14 minutes ago, Bod said:

94.1% of boats are licenced.

Correct or not?

I feel that figure is for identifable boats, one's not showing a name or number have been ignored.

 

Bod

 

That figure is also the national average - there are huge regional variations.

I seem to remember that the survey a year or two ago showed approaching 10% evasion in the "London", but the rest of the "South East" was 1.5%, whilst the "Central East" was 2.5%