CRT to increase boat licence fees

boatone

boatone

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www.tmba.org.uk
CRT have announced plans to increase licence fees for wider beamed boats by up to 20% over the next 5 years and will also reduce various discounts including those for prompt payment.
https://www.thefloater.org/the-floa...-costs-for-wide-boats-but-no-ccer-penalty-yet

The TMBA has for some time been questioning the charging regime for the Gold Licence which we believe unfairly benefits canal based users whilst having a negative impact for Thanes boaters, particularly with regard to visitor moorings. Following the decision to reject the CRT proposal to take over the EA navigations we are actively seeking a review to at least ensure a more realistic contribution to Thames revenue.
 
I don't believe CRT have though these changes through properly.

They will quite unfairly affect a lot of river boat users where the beam of the boat is over 7ft. You will get the situation where a small GRP boat owner is suddenly hit with a 10% increase in licence fee for being an inch or so over the beam allowance. Madness. Just a money making scheme really.

The prompt payment discount is being slashed from 10% to just 2.5% but you can get an extra 2.5% discount by paying online with a debit or credit card.

And perhaps the most unusual change is the removal of the 1 day visitors licence. This will scupper trailer boat owners and those who are in the (few) marinas where they don't need a licence other then if they leave the marina. Although I suspect these two groups will just not bother with a licence instead which will lose CRT money!

Personally our fees will go up with a 10% surcharge for width and a loss of 5% of our prompt payment discount. This probably won't amount to a huge amount as we have Rivers Only licence which has this year cost us £340 for 12 months.
 
Also the opportunity to cane the non boatyard/marina proper paid moorings lot has been missed. London is just heaving with boats moored on the towpath, and no chance of visitors moorings between West London & the Lee. Seems so unfair - you've paid £3.5k for your mooring & can't go out cruising because the place is fully occupied by those that don't.
 
Merely a rumour of course...

CaRT apparently not increasing their charges again for the next two years and are selling off BWML marinas and other assets to the highest bidder.
Wonder how the NIMBYs in Limehouse react when the first St Kats type mooring bills land on their decks ? :)
 
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ianc1200 said:
Also the opportunity to cane the non boatyard/marina proper paid moorings lot has been missed. London is just heaving with boats moored on the towpath, and no chance of visitors moorings between West London & the Lee. Seems so unfair - you've paid £3.5k for your mooring & can't go out cruising because the place is fully occupied by those that don't.
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I think they have left the problem of CCers (or so called CCers) aside but with the option of further licence changes for them. Hopefully they will clamp down on those who do not abide by their licence conditions as they are becoming a problem not just in London but elsewhere around CRT waters.

There have been four scrap boats who are supposed to be CCing just dumped on the Lincoln CRT 48hr moorings since October now. The same four boats on the same very limited stretch of moorings with twat gaps between them so that no one else can get moored up. CRT are doing bugger all about it :(
 
One other gripe whilst I'm in a moaning mood. These licence changes were supposed to be revenue neutral. Yet there is no mention of any licence fee decreases to counter all of the licence fee increases that have been announced.
 
Parabordi said:
Yeah but the canal boaters actually get something for their money other than a sticker!
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Many moons ago ie. a long long time :)
Boat is moored on a very visible mid river river mooring in the town centre.

My old Princess 33 was broken into shortly after purchase, bit of hammer damage gaining entry but nothing on board they thought worth stealing.
Two or three weeks later " they" return and cast boat adrift............it ends up on a sea wall sitting on rocks, fortunately no damage .
Locals spot boat,call Peel Ports, who send boat up from Sheerness to make secure with lines ashore and check for hull damage.
The first I know about it is phone call from Garrision Pt Control tower.
Them.... "Your boat is on the sea wall in Strood Bight"
Me...Na not mine.... its moored up securer than the QE2 and probably using more warps.
Them "Your boat is on the sea wall in Strood Bight"
Me You sure..?
Them "Yup"
Me..."How do you know its mine" ?
Them..."The boat is registered with us as mooring at XYZ boat club, we contacted the Commodore and he gave us your works number as nobody on home number."

So at 01.00 following morning attempting to tow boat off the sea wall with some force as boat is likely to be neaped...finally comes free.
Contact Sheerness to try and contact rescue crew to say thank you and what about returning mooring lines they put out ?
No problem, will pass message onto crew and keep the ropes with our compliments. :)
 
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Thinking about this further; if CART had or were going to take over the Thames, would they similarly begin to penalise boats wider than 6' 10" (just because it's their mindset & that's what they do)?

Or, would they look at the issues, and conversely decide to penalise long (thin) boats which aren't suitable for the facilities we have on the Thames?

Perhaps many can remember the EA (was it the EA then?) late 80's/early 90's who had decided to have a prefered size, I think about 30', and were looking to penalise boats larger than that size. If only they had done so then.
 
ianc1200 said:
Thinking about this further; if CART had or were going to take over the Thames, would they similarly begin to penalise boats wider than 6' 10" (just because it's their mindset & that's what they do)?

Or, would they look at the issues, and conversely decide to penalise long (thin) boats which aren't suitable for the facilities we have on the Thames?

Perhaps many can remember the EA (was it the EA then?) late 80's/early 90's who had decided to have a prefered size, I think about 30', and were looking to penalise boats larger than that size. If only they had done so then.
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The EA was formed in 95, prior to that it was the National Rivers Authority from 89 and previously Thames Water from 74 managing the Thames. Before that was the Thames Conservancy founded in 1857. Sorry, I'll get my anorak and go ...
 
Re: Merely a rumour of course...

oldgit said:
CaRT apparently not increasing their charges again for the next two years and are selling off BWML marinas and other assets to the highest bidder.
Wonder how the NIMBYs in Limehouse react when the first St Kats type mooring bills land on their decks ? :)
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not sure if your smiley face indicates that you find it funny that people who are living on residential permits may find their living costs dramatically increased, but if you do then I would urge you to have some compassion for those that may find themselves in that situation. Those on residential permits already pay more than those on Leisure permits and when BWML applied for the permits (which raise more revenue) one of the reasons given was to increase affordable housing. Limehouse, unlike St Kats, is not full of leisure boaters who have a choice as to where to put their boats. 75 out of 126 berths are occupied by people living there as their only home - including families. There have been 5 babies born at Limehouse in the last year which brings the numbers up to 10 children under the age of 8 who call it home.
 
Re: Merely a rumour of course...

ChattingLil said:
not sure if your smiley face indicates that you find it funny that people who are living on residential permits may find their living costs dramatically increased, but if you do then I would urge you to have some compassion for those that may find themselves in that situation. Those on residential permits already pay more than those on Leisure permits and when BWML applied for the permits (which raise more revenue) one of the reasons given was to increase affordable housing. Limehouse, unlike St Kats, is not full of leisure boaters who have a choice as to where to put their boats. 75 out of 126 berths are occupied by people living there as their only home - including families. There have been 5 babies born at Limehouse in the last year which brings the numbers up to 10 children under the age of 8 who call it home.
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They have made that choice. There is no security of tenure living on a boat as there is living in a land based dwelling.
 
Re: Merely a rumour of course...

not sure if your smiley face indicates that you find it funny that people who are living on residential permits may find their living costs dramatically increased, but if you do then I would urge you to have some compassion for those that may find themselves in that situation.
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Half of London would dearly love not to have pay an open market rate for their privately rented accomodation.

The proposed increase in berthing, so vehemently objected to, could possibly have provided the extra income needed to preclude the sale of the marina.
 
Re: Merely a rumour of course...

Fair point but these residents aren't renting their accommodation....they have already paid for it and are just renting water space to put it . The monthly mooring fees are already nearly the same as renting a one bed flat, yet if you rent a flat you don't have to buy it too.
 
Re: Merely a rumour of course...

ChattingLil said:
Fair point but these residents aren't renting their accommodation....they have already paid for it and are just renting water space to put it . The monthly mooring fees are already nearly the same as renting a one bed flat, yet if you rent a flat you don't have to buy it too.
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Again. Those people have chosen to live that lifestyle. They know the risks it comes with when taking it on.
 
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