Licences

[BoatinglifeupNorth]

5 minutes ago, Tonka said:

 CRT are going to spend a lot of money putting the infrastructure in for electric boats I.e charging points but this will be paid for by those with internal combustion engines. Who are having their infrastructure, I.e rubbish points, elsans etc removed

Pie in the sky if CaRT think electric boats are going to take over, I’ve seen one on the canals in the last 4 month. They will be in Marina’s most of the year.

[magnetman]

Just now, Rambling Boater said:

For those who haven't got a land home to go back to when they can no longer afford to live on a boat, will tax payers be happy to fund somewhere for them to live? 

 

 

You can claim CC licence costs or moorings costs on Universal Credit if you can prove eligibility. 

 

They will need a signed letter from the CRT confirming your costs per annum. The UC will be credited to your account monthly. 

 

This is a fact not a supposition but you do need to be eligible for UC in the first place.

 

As it is the housing element of UC this is not subject to sanctions if you do not sign on at the job centre. 

 

Once you are on it they will pay your housing costs. 

 

 

 

 

[BoatinglifeupNorth]

5 minutes ago, magnetman said:

You can claim CC licence costs or moorings costs on Universal Credit if you can prove eligibility. 

 

They will need a signed letter from the CRT confirming your costs per annum. The UC will be credited to your account monthly. 

 

This is a fact not a supposition but you do need to be eligible for UC in the first place.

 

As it is the housing element of UC this is not subject to sanctions if you do not sign on at the job centre. 

 

Once you are on it they will pay your housing costs. 

 

 

 

 

I think the difficulty will be claiming off the council if a CCer, as you will be moving out of a specific Council area into other Council areas, so would you have to re-submit a claim every time? I don't know how the system works.

Also if CCers want to claim a residential status in order to claim benefit, finding officially recognised residential moorings is difficult. Not that many to cope with the number of CCers.

Edited September 19 by BoatinglifeupNorth

[TheBiscuits]

47 minutes ago, IanD said:

fees will go up, there will be a CC surcharge, and widebeams will be charged more -- all as predicted.

 

And the electric boat discount remains.

 

So ideally you'd want an electric narrow boat with a home mooring.

 

Oh, wait ...

 

 

[Arthur Marshall]

I like the bit about some people not being happy about the increases. I'm trying to work out who are the over-joyed ones...

[Rambling Boater]

4 minutes ago, magnetman said:

You can claim CC licence costs or moorings costs on Universal Credit if you can prove eligibility. 

 

They will need a signed letter from the CRT confirming your costs per annum. The UC will be credited to your account monthly. 

 

This is a fact not a supposition but you do need to be eligible for UC in the first place.

 

As it is the housing element of UC this is not subject to sanctions if you do not sign on at the job centre. 

 

Once you are on it they will pay your housing costs. 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm guessing that would be cheaper for the tax payer than rehousing people in council flats? Especially in the London area.

 

[magnetman]

2 minutes ago, BoatinglifeupNorth said:

I think the difficulty is finding officially recognised residential moorings. Not that many to cope with the number of CCers.

The cc licence itself is accepted as housing costs you don't need a mooring. 

[Arthur Marshall]

2 minutes ago, BoatinglifeupNorth said:

I think the difficulty is finding officially recognised residential moorings. Not that many to cope with the number of CCers.

The implication is that if you are a CC, you are presumed to live on your boat, without needing a mooring, so the licence is the equivalent of ground rent for your house and therefore eligible for benefit.

[magnetman]

lo

[BoatinglifeupNorth]

4 minutes ago, magnetman said:

The cc licence itself is accepted as housing costs you don't need a mooring. 

I rewrote it, what happens when they move out of the council area they’re claiming benefits from. Is it council or Govt who dictates the benifit?

[magnetman]

DwP pay Universal Credit not councils so it makes no difference. 

[davem399]

56 minutes ago, john6767 said:

The link to the consultation is in the email that everyone already has, what am I missing?

I don’t get it as I’m not the designated licence holder for our shared owners boat. 

[Rambling Boater]

19 minutes ago, BoatinglifeupNorth said:

I rewrote it, what happens when they move out of the council area they’re claiming benefits from. Is it council or Govt who dictates the benifit?

 

According to this gov page it looks like UC is replacing housing benefit amongst other benefits. 

 

https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit

 

Seems soon we'll all be under the direct control of our government and local councils will have less say in things. 😉      

Edited September 19 by Rambling Boater

[magnetman]

UC has replaced housing benefit already in the vast majority of new claims. 

[IanD]

57 minutes ago, BoatinglifeupNorth said:

I don’t see why all discounts should be retained, especially electric boats with massive diesel generators or the so called Heritage boats, maybe Heritage boats prior to say 1945, but not all. 
Lets see if the continuous moorers decrease next year.

Not everyone on here would of got it, there’s people on here who aren’t boating anymore, so useful to those who want to keep up to date with what’s going on.

 

I agree that the electric boat discount seems unfair to everyone else, personally I would be happy if it went. But I'm pretty sure that CART want to encourage the use of electric/hybrid boats to be "green" and cut noise/fumes/pollution, maybe even with a long-term view to providing charging points (but little evidence of this network-wide), and are keeping the discount to encourage boaters to switch -- like government incentives to switch to EVs or heat-pumps.

 

It should also be pointed out that the numbers of both electric and heritage boats are very small so removing the discount would have very little effect on what other boaters would pay, but this doesn't change the perceived "unfairness"...

[Tonka]

1 minute ago, IanD said:

 

I agree that the electric boat discount seems unfair to everyone else, personally I would be happy if it went. But I'm pretty sure that CART want to encourage the use of electric/hybrid boats to be "green" and cut noise/fumes/pollution, maybe even with a long-term view to providing charging points (but little evidence of this network-wide), and are keeping the discount to encourage boaters to switch -- like government incentives to switch to EVs or heat-pumps.

 

It should also be pointed out that the numbers of both electric and heritage boats are very small so removing the discount would have very little effect on what other boaters would pay, but this doesn't change the perceived "unfairness"...

Maybe CRT feel that they deserve a discount because of the lack of charging points.

[IanD]

1 minute ago, Tonka said:

Maybe CRT feel that they deserve a discount because of the lack of charging points.

But on that basis composting toilet users should get a discount because there's nowhere on the canals to dispose of their waste... 😉

Edited September 19 by IanD

[Tonka]

11 minutes ago, IanD said:

But on that basis composting toilet users should get a discount because there's nowhere on the canals to dispose of their waste... 😉

Put in the elsan disposal point 

[haggis]

16 minutes ago, Tonka said:

Put in the elsan disposal point 

And block.it with the partially dried stuff from the compost bin ?

[Tonka]

Just now, haggis said:

And block.it with the partially dried stuff from the compost bin ?

Just keep flushing or have the tap running as they do it surely.  

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

41 minutes ago, Tonka said:

Put in the elsan disposal point 

yep,

in which case they could simply return to the cassette toilet. 👍life can be simple
 

after all is said and done, the compo toilet is really a money making scam for those who make them

[bigcol]

Ive just replied to this crt letter with below

 

What a load of Tosh!!!

First of all, let’s hammer the wide beams, 

1) wide beams haven't got the full use of the system

2) what’s left of the canals, the inability of using the sides of the canal

2a) vegetation of trees and bushes which plays havoc with narrow beams as well, making a lot of areas unpasseble.

3b The sides of the canal all boats have problems getting in close to moor as lack of dredging. Some sides have got less than 18”

 

But none of this maintenance never gets done!!

Being here at a marina on the canal, I’ve never Never seen the canal here dredged!!!!! The directors /managers should be ashamed of them selves

I imagine your pay checks are above 4 figures!!, instead of getting pay increases, you should loose your jobs.

 

The whole network tunnels bridges locks the whole Network  inc buildings just 21 years from start to finish as it were.

All made and dug out by hand took 21 years in total!!!

 

from 1759 to the early 1770's and from 1789 to almost the end of the eighteenth century. 

 

CRT hasn’t dredged 1/2 a mile!!  In 15 years !!!!!!!!!!

infact has anyone seen a significant amount of dredging done at all.?

In fact does make CRT management look stupid don’t you think

a precious national treasure

 

which hopefully, gratefully can continue to enjoy for a little while yet.

and be part of a larger community that’s learnt to make do

 

Colin

 

Sent from my iPad

 

On Sep 19, 2023, at 10:56 AM, Canal & River Trust <customer.services@canalrivertrust.org.uk> wrote:
 



 

 

Important news for boat licence holders View this email in your browser   Licence fee changes Hello, I am writing to let you know about some changes to future boat licence pricing following a consultation with boaters. Alongside growth in income from other commercial and fundraising activity, the changes will help support the long-term future of the 2,000 miles of waterways that we manage across England & Wales.   Boat licence fees will need to rise above the baseline inflation rate for each of the next five years. In addition, we are introducing a surcharge for boats that continuously cruise and increasing the surcharges for wide beam boats to reflect the greater utility they receive.   The above-inflation increases for all boat licence holders, and the new surcharges, will take effect from 1 April 2024. Details will be announced in November using the latest inflation forecasts.   Our canals are facing some daunting challenges and, if we don’t act now, the future could look bleak. The government recently announced significant cuts to public funding for the canals over the years ahead, whilst high inflation rates and the ageing infrastructure has seen the cost of caring for canals rise. We’re re-doubling our efforts to further grow volunteering and to raise increased funds across all our activities, from all our users and supporters, so we can deliver the additional ongoing investment that the network needs. The boat licence fee represents around 11% of income, going towards vital maintenance and repairs. Whilst the scale of the investment required is in no way to be borne by boaters alone, the increases from boat licences will make an important contribution.   Alongside the changes to boat licensing, we are continuing to grow income from our property and non-property endowment, and from other commercial sources such as hosting utilities and water transfer, which together contribute over 40% of our income. We are targeting a step-change in income generation from towpath users and other supporters, with fundraising income projected to grow by 10% each year – while other commercial waterways income, including from anglers, paddle sports and moorings, is also set to increase.   Boat use has changed over the years, with rising numbers of people choosing to continuously cruise, and to choose wider boats. Most boaters without home moorings spend more time on the waterway network, and make more use of facilities, than those with a home mooring. Wider boats take up more space on the water than their narrow beam counterparts. We believe that reflecting the utility people get from their use of the waterways network, and the cost of supporting different boat use, is the fairest way to decide licence pricing – as reflected in the responses from the recent boater consultation.   We also considered whether the various licence discounts currently offered are sustainable. From 1 April 2024, there will be a reduction in the discounts for prompt payment and for paying online as this has become the standard method used by the vast majority of boaters. The electric boat, historic boat and charity boat discounts will be retained.   We will continue to control our costs as far as possible given external pressures, while focusing our resources on the priority maintenance and repairs that are required to support safe navigation, and we will continue to lobby the government to rethink their short-sighted decision on our future funding.   We recognise that these changes to licence pricing will not be popular with everyone, but the income we receive from boat licences is more critical than ever. The cost of the licence has largely kept pace with inflation since Canal & River Trust was formed and now, together with increases in income from all possible sources, we must raise the resources needed to keep the network alive for future generations, averting a return to the decline of the mid-20th century when canals fell into disrepair in the face of insufficient funding.   The consultation report can be found here, alongside an equality impact assessment:National consultations. For more information on boat licensing, visit: Licence your boat. Our ultimate aim is to secure the future of the network so that boaters, like yourself, can continue to enjoy, and benefit from, this precious national treasure. Richard Parry Chief Executive Canal & River Trust

[magnetman]

I reckon the CRT have spotted the increasing use of their canals as places for people to live. 

 

Obviously it is a Good Thing to have people living on boats but if it is too cheap it can cause bias problems. 

 

I think this will have been modelled and looked at and the increases, whatever they turn out to be, may be part of a strategy to manage the situation going forwards. There are new people on boats all the time and bearing in mind what living on a boat entails it could get dodgy it it got too popular. 

 

 

[IanD]

1 hour ago, Goliath said:

yep,

in which case they could simply return to the cassette toilet. 👍life can be simple
 

after all is said and done, the compo toilet is really a money making scam for those who make them

 

I don't have one but that's a bit unfair -- for a few boaters like @peterboat with the space to compost the waste properly (e.g. on the bank) and then use it (e.g. on a garden) they're an excellent solution.

 

But not for most boaters on the canals who (expensively!) installed them on the assumption they could bag'n'bin the waste, now CART have banned this...

Edited September 19 by IanD

[haggis]

3 minutes ago, IanD said:

 

I don't have one but that's a bit unfair -- for a few boaters like @peterboat with the space to compost the waste properly (e.g. on the bank) and then use it (e.g. on a garden) they're an excellent solution.

 

But not for most boaters on the canals who installed them on the assumption they could bag'n'bin the waste, now CART have banned this...

I think we all know this and while thread drift I don't see that this post has anything to do with composing stuff being put in an elsan .