Changes to boat licence fees

[Orwellian]

1 minute ago, frangar said:

They agreed a lot of things. Doesn’t mean they keep to them. 

Just think for a minute how they would police it.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

I guess the cost of Blue Signs have risen dramatically, wot with a war and all going on. 

 

4% on license fees is just just shy of an extra million. (?) £900,000 maybe ?

 

To be spent on what? Promoting themselves and an opportunity to mismanage yet more money. 
 

Wonder how much they’ll put the cup cakes up at Ellesmere Port? 

 

[frangar]

Just now, Orwellian said:

Just think for a minute how they would police it.

Well they used to….cycle permits were a thing. Both at a cost then free. You agreed to give pedestrians priority etc.

[mrsmelly]

21 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

And they could still say they are, just 8.16% increase for those renewing in October, when inflation will be running at 11% by year-end.

The inflation thing is a bit of a minefield. One of my pensions is index linked, has been for the nearly 33 years I have been getting it. However, the rate is taken each year in september, so my rise paid from 1st april is often not truly index linked as over the years inflation beyond september has oft been higher.

[Orwellian]

No they didn't they just sold one to anyone daft enough to buy one.

[MtB]

Just now, Goliath said:

I guess the cost of Blue Signs have risen dramatically, wot with a war and all going on. 

 

4% on license fees is just just shy of an extra million. (?) £900,000 maybe ?

 

To be spent on what? Promoting themselves and an opportunity to mismanage yet more money. 
 

Wonder how much they’ll put the cup cakes up at Ellesmere Port? 

 

 

 

CRT being exempt from input cost price rises, obviously. The pay the same for their diesel, their cement, their steel etc as this time last year, unlike normal businesses. And presumably the workforce don't expect a pay rise, working for a charity eh?

 

 

[Alan de Enfield]

1 minute ago, frangar said:

They agreed a lot of things. Doesn’t mean they keep to them. 

 

One of the things that was acknowledged in the BW to C&RT transfer was that the maintenance levels were recognised as "going to get worse" despite the underspending and failure to maintain the 'steady state' of the infrastructure for several years prior to the handover.

 

 

C&RT have certainly achieved that.

 

 

BW spend for 09/10 and 10/11  actual spend vs that needed to maintain a steady state.

[frangar]

4 minutes ago, Orwellian said:

No they didn't they just sold one to anyone daft enough to buy one.

You do realise that was when it was BW don’t you?? And they had lengthsmen who did enforce such things…as well as keeping the fledgling CM brigade in check. 

[Orwellian]

Of course I do and I know they never checked for them.

[Alan de Enfield]

2 minutes ago, frangar said:

You do realise that was when it was BW don’t you?? And they had lengthsmen who did enforce such things…as well as keeping the fledgling CM brigade in check. 

 

And I really believe that we were a 'better society' who accepted that we had certain responsibilities that came with our freedoms. Today it is all about me, me, me and instant gratification piled onto "what can I get away with" & rules don't apply to me.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

18 minutes ago, Orwellian said:

No they didn't they just sold one to anyone daft enough to buy one.

Surely there’s still plenty daft enough to buy one, to make it worth implementing without policing. 
 

A bit like fishing permits?

17 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

 

CRT being exempt from input cost price rises, obviously. The pay the same for their diesel, their cement, their steel etc as this time last year, unlike normal businesses. And presumably the workforce don't expect a pay rise, working for a charity eh?

 

 

You mean they’re not all volunteers?

 

 

Edited August 2, 2022 by Goliath
A spelling that slipped me by

[Arthur Marshall]

14 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

And I really believe that we were a 'better society' who accepted that we had certain responsibilities that came with our freedoms. Today it is all about me, me, me and instant gratification piled onto "what can I get away with" & rules don't apply to me.

And we all know who stressed that there was "no such thing as society".

Just saying...

[MtB]

27 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

And we all know who stressed that there was "no such thing as society".

Just saying...

 

"Stressed" it?

 

She observed it and commented on it, once....

[Lily Rose]

43 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

The inflation thing is a bit of a minefield. One of my pensions is index linked, has been for the nearly 33 years I have been getting it. However, the rate is taken each year in september, so my rise paid from 1st april is often not truly index linked as over the years inflation beyond september has oft been higher.

 

I'm not sure that's a real issue, except in the short term as inflation starts to take off. Taken over a number of years it should be swings and roundabouts with some years the inflation rate being higher in April than September and other years vice versa. During a period of rising inflation it's likely to be higher in September but when it starts to reduce it should be the other way round.

 

Much more of a concern for many with defined benefit pensions (including final salary) is that the index linking is capped, usually at 3% or 5%. Every year that inflation exceeds the cap results in a permanent reduction income. Forever.

 

Mine is capped at 5% apart from the Guaranteed Minimum Pension element which I think is uncapped. Unfortunately that's only a small part of it. I believe the police pension is index linked without a cap though I could be wrong.

 

[mrsmelly]

4 minutes ago, Lily Rose said:

 

I'm not sure that's a real issue, except in the short term as inflation starts to take off. Taken over a number of years it should be swings and roundabouts with some years the inflation rate being higher in April than September and other years vice versa. During a period of rising inflation it's likely to be higher in September but when it starts to reduce it should be the other way round.

 

Much more of a concern for many with defined benefit pensions (including final salary) is that the index linking is capped, usually at 3% or 5%. Every year that inflation exceeds the cap results in a permanent reduction income. Forever.

 

Mine is capped at 5% apart from the Guaranteed Minimum Pension element which I think is uncapped. Unfortunately that's only a small part of it. I believe the police pension is index linked without a cap though I could be wrong.

 

With your work experience I am sure you have it nailed  You are correct also in that my index thing is not capped and is it the cpi or something? Also it can never go down, only up, or stay the same. It has been stagnant on some years. 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

15 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

"Stressed" it?

 

She observed it and commented on it, once....

and never will again 

 

 

 

[Arthur Marshall]

45 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

"Stressed" it?

 

She observed it and commented on it, once....

And, as over so many things, was completely wrong. One of the nicest things about living on the boat was the general feeling of friendly, non-imtrusive support. There was an awareness that if someone suddenly appeared to be living on, something fairly drastic had happened to them and while no-one butted in, you felt watched over in the best way.

I think that is still there, notwithstanding the increased number of posers and pillocks about. The majority of people are fine, it's just the others are noisier.

[Lily Rose]

57 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

With your work experience I am sure you have it nailed  You are correct also in that my index thing is not capped and is it the cpi or something? Also it can never go down, only up, or stay the same. It has been stagnant on some years. 

 

I thought it might still be RPI (which is usually higher than CPI) for the police, but no, it seems it too was changed to CPI in 2011 or thereabouts. Not surprising really, the government have a tendency to use RPI only for things where it works in their favour.

 

Being uncapped is great though, wish mine was. If 10%+ inflation carries on for several years many DB pensions will be significantly reduced in real terms. If we ever get back to 1970s style inflation they will be well and truly screwed!

[Ronaldo47]

Aroind 30 years ago when there was a sharp rise in the cost of a colour  TV licence, the Postmaster General (or whatever government minister was responsible for TV licences) decided to only accept renewal licence applications effective from the expiry date of the previous licence, thereby preventing people from saving  money by renewing early. A legally-qualified work colleage was one of a group that applied for a judicial review, which held that there was no power in the Wireless Telegraphy Acts to refuse an application for a licence that was made earlier than the expiry date of the previous one, and the government did not appeal the decision.  Public servants are not entitled to act arbitrarily but only within the scope of what the law prescribes, but sometimes it may be necessary  to go to law to demonstrate this (as per Boris's illegal prorogation of parliament).  I guess they rely on people not normally having the financial resources to appeal. HMRC are notorious for acting in this way.

[gatekrash]

I think RPI as a measure is being stopped in the next few years - the ONS aren't going to calculate it any more, so pensions that use it will have to change.

 

Mine uses RPI capped at 5% and we've all been advised it'll use CPIH at some point in the future once RPI no longer exists 

[Allan(nb Albert)]

11 hours ago, Tonka said:

And due to lack of water there are 4% less canals to cruise on

Actually, CRT say 8%.

[Quattrodave]

I wonder how much of a pay rise Parry will get this year.... I wonder how much of a bonus he'll get....

[Allan(nb Albert)]

Here is something to think about.

 

In 2021/2022, CRT's plan was that it's expenditure would exceed its income by £2m. Whilst CRT have yet to publish its annual report, I understand the deficit will be £8m. This is despite the fact that CRT reduced costs by abandoning part of its winter works program. 

 

Against this background CRT paid all its staff a bonus of £250 in March This was justified as a once off payment to help with fuel bills. 

 

If they do similar nexr march, they can claim that the interim licence fee increase has enabled them to fund a £500  bonus for every member of staff. 

[JamesWoolcock]

9 hours ago, robtheplod said:

Always amazed boat licenses only make up 12% of their income. I suppose it gives us an idea where boaters are in the pecking order though? 

But don't forget that's the income from boat licences.

It doesn't stop there.

Without boaters with money in their pockets, so few of CRT's business tenants would be viable and able to pay them rent.

The estates department is doing so well that the director for this, Stuart Mills, earns, with his bonuses (not begrudged) more than CEO Richard Parry!

Almost every boatyard is a CRT tenant, and then there are all the other businesses along the towpath side of the cut frequented by boaters where the freehold belongs to the Canal & River Trust, from pubs to shops, to goodness knows what. And many on the offside too.

They have been asked to come clean and show all this in the Annual Report as income derived from boating activity. Some is slowly creeping in.

No boaters, no dosh!

[Lady M]

Absolutely.  It is ingenuous that CRT ignore all this income from boaters in their figures.