Registration Fees

boatone

boatone

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www.tmba.org.uk
Sitting in rhe sun after breakfast, reading Towpath, for some strange reason I decided to take a look at licence fees on the C&RT network. They have two rates - Canals and Rivers, and Rivers Only. Looking at a boat the size of mine - 34feet- my EA registration fee is about £700 this year . The C&RT charge for Canals and Rivers would be £617 and Rivers Only £370. These rates include VAT at 20% so the CRT actual income is £524 or £308 respectively.
How this issue will be addressed in the event of the proposed transfer of EA waterways to C&RT is going to be extremely interesting !
 
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That certainly would be interesting !

For my residential boat i pay the discounted Rivers Only currently as I moor on the River Lea Navigation and I use visitor licenses to visit the River (Thames). I have another boat with a Gold license which is significantly more expensive despite the boat being a fair bit smaller. I use that boat on canals , CRT rivers and the Thames.
I suspect in the event of transfer to CRT there would be a special case for the Thames and that it would not come under the Rivers only license as it would be much too cheap !!
 
Very probably in exactly the same way as the EA do now with different charging on different waterways.
The EA are the navigation authority for rivers other than the Thames and each one has its own charging structure and licence.
There is no way CART would be able to lump all the rivers together on one licence.... the legal changes required would be colossal.
 
Outinthedinghy said:
That certainly would be interesting !

For my residential boat i pay the discounted Rivers Only currently as I moor on the River Lea Navigation and I use visitor licenses to visit the River (Thames). I have another boat with a Gold license which is significantly more expensive despite the boat being a fair bit smaller. I use that boat on canals , CRT rivers and the Thames.
I suspect in the event of transfer to CRT there would be a special case for the Thames and that it would not come under the Rivers only license as it would be much too cheap !!
Click to expand...

It's still a jolly good deal for you as a Cart licensee (!) For me to use my boat as a resident of the Thames it would cost me around 50% more to but a Gold, but for a CaRT resident I'd get a Gold for about 15% more (I haven't done the calculations recently, but the proportions are about right).

It's a bum deal - so I do what you do in your No:1 boat.
 
As an example - for a 40ftx9ft boat
License fees

740 CRT all waterways (by length)
440 CRT rivers (by length)
667 EA Thames (by area)
920 Gold (by length for vessels up to 3.5m wide)

All figures approximate
 
Outinthedinghy said:
As an example - for a 40ftx9ft boat
License fees

740 CRT all waterways (by length)
440 CRT rivers (by length)
667 EA Thames (by area)
920 Gold (by length for vessels up to 3.5m wide)

All figures approximate
Click to expand...

Just for comparison....

All the Norfolk Broads £353
Anglian Rivers (EA) £609

Makes the Broads look cheap!
 
Don't be under any illusion, that the Thames licence is going to be any cheaper under CaRT. The prices in my opinion are likely to remain hiked, can you see any business (or charity) taking a 30% cut in profits whilst having to fund something that has a big hit on their expenditure. Its more likely that the prices will stay the same and the Thames maintenance and service will suffer greatly, that I think would be the likeliest scenario.
 
Riverleak said:
Don't be under any illusion, that the Thames licence is going to be any cheaper under CaRT. The prices in my opinion are likely to remain hiked, can you see any business (or charity) taking a 30% cut in profits whilst having to fund something that has a big hit on their expenditure. Its more likely that the prices will stay the same and the Thames maintenance and service will suffer greatly, that I think would be the likeliest scenario.
Click to expand...
I am under no illusions at all, but I am surprised how resigned boaters on the Thames seem to be to further decline in services coupled with increasing fees. Government have now stripped public funding contribution to the point where only staff reductions or reduced services can compensate. EA have no remit to promote the river - i.e. be pro-active in seeking new revenue streams, nor do they have any legal right to impose charges on any activity not included in the Thames Conservancy and related legislation.
Outinthedinghy said:
Probably right.
Gradually reduce paid positions in favour of volunteers and eventually the whole thing will come apart at the seams :(
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Successful though the volunteer scheme has been it is no panacea, at least under current practices. Many volunteers do not wish to work weekends and there is a distinct lack of volunteers in the upper reaches. Cracks are already appearing in the current Customer Charter - there was no cover at Romney when I passed through last Friday afternoon and yesterday morning it was being covered by a Team Leader from further downriver.
I doubt it will actually "come apart at the seams" but the current climate can only lead to further customer dissatisfaction and reductions in powered craft boating on the river = further lost income.
The idea of £700+ being a payment simply to have ones craft "registered" for use on the river, with no entitlement to specifically defined services, is a complete nonsense.
 
Do hire boats and the French Bros type of operators pay a higher fee? Would hope they do as they use the river and locks far more than a normal boat owner would.
 
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