IWA Responds to C & RT Above Inflation Increase on Boat Licence Fee.
26 October 2016.
The Canal & River Trust has announced that private and business boat licence fees will rise by 2.5 % from 1 April 2017 after having capped licence fees to inflation for the past three years.
According to C & RT the rise in licence fees will raise income to ensure that the Trust can continue to sustain the increased spend on waterway maintenance over recent years. Over the past three years the Trust has spent considerably more on caring for the waterways, with the amount spent on maintenance and repair in 2015 / 16 rising to £ 128 million, over 15 % higher than was expended in 2013 / 14. In the same period the proportion of income from boaters has reduced from 19.9 % to 18.3 % of total income.
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The Trust is also announcing that, following feedback from boating customers and the boating volunteers who sit on its Navigation Advisory Group( Licensing and Mooring), it will be carrying out a wideranging review of the structure of boat licensing fees to help guide potential changes to the structure of licence fees from April 2018.
There will be an extended period of engagement and consultation with boating organisations, boat clubs and societies. Individual boaters will also be given the chance to be heard to ensure that any proposals are based on a full understanding of the range of views from across the Trust’ s wide range of boating customers.