CRT boat licence fees: 2013 and beyond

Last year the EA announced that for 2012 thru 2014 they would uplift licence fees annually according to a formula of CPI in July + 2%.
With my TMBA hat on, on 28th September I made a formal submission to the EA that, particularly in view of the disastrous weather this year and its effect on boating, they limit any increase for 2013 to inflation as evidenced by the CPI in July = 2.6% and forego the +2% element of the formula.

I particularly like the following extract from the C&RT report:
Simon Salem, marketing director of the Canal & River Trust, said: “Whilst boaters alone can’t be expected to pay the full cost of looking after the waterways their boats are integral to the appeal of the canals and rivers and therefore to the ability of the Trust to win support from other sources.

“In making a three year decision to peg licence fees to inflation, we have listened to boaters’ clearly expressed desire for certainty over future fees. We have also done what we can to limit increases recognising that the number of boats on the waterways has remained static and that boaters face significant financial pressures as part of the wider effects of recession.”
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(the emboldenment is mine)
 
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boatone said:
Last year the EA announced that for 2012 thru 2014 they would uplift licence fees annually according to a formula of CPI in July + 2%.
With my TMBA hat on, on 28th September I made a formal submission to the EA that, particularly in view of the disastrous weather this year and its effect on boating, they limit any increase for 2013 to inflation as evidenced by the CPI in July = 2.6% and forego the +2% element of the formula.
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Well, unfortunately my submission - and others - fell on deaf ears and I have just heard that the rise in EA Licence Fees for 2013 will be 4.6% as per the formula.

Our national Head of Navigation has confirmed that the three year charging formula, agreed with customer representatives and implemented last year, will be applied to boat registration charges for all Environment Agency-managed waterways for 2013-14.
· The formula is July CPI (Consumer Price Index) plus an additional 2% - July’s CPI this year was 2.6% giving an overall increase of 4.6%.
· The increase means that the registration fee for a medium-sized powered boat on the non-tidal Thames (of between £200 and £300) will go up by £10- £14.
· Last year’s increase has not resulted in any significant decrease in the number of boats registered on our waterways. This, combined with ongoing pressure on grant-in-aid funding, means there is no reasonable case for not applying the formula in full in 2013-14. We will continue to monitor the impact on registration numbers however.
· The additional income will be especially welcome on the non-tidal Thames where we currently have a £1.8m shortfall in our capital investment budget.
· Some good news for customers is that we intend to introduce an adjustment to the registration fee paid by new customers for 2013-14. This will address the existing issue of customers having to pay backdated charges when they register boats mid-year.
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Off to see the new Bond movie tonight .... might get some ideas?
 
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