CANAL & RIVER TRUST ASKS FOR FEEDBACK ON THE FUTURE OF BOAT LICENSING

12 October 2017

CANAL & RIVER TRUST ASKS FOR FEEDBACK ON THE FUTURE OF BOAT LICENSING

The Canal & River Trust is asking all boaters and boating groups to take part in the final stage of its consultation on the future of boat licensing.

The Trust has published a series of licensing options based on the feedback given by boaters in the first stages of consultation held during the spring and summer. It is now emailing or writing to all licence holders and other boating groups and organisations to invite them to take part. It will then put forward a final proposal, including details of when any changes will come into effect.

The options being consulted on include:

1. Licence considerations for wider beam vessels on the waterways
2. Consideration of the range of licence discounts offered to different customers
3. Considerations in respect of the Prompt Payment discount
4. Considerations for short term licences
5. Licence considerations in respect of mooring status
6. Impact of any changes following the consultation

Ian Rogers, customer service and operations director at the Canal & River Trust, comments: “The consultation sets out to get boaters’ views on the future of boat licensing, including how to make sure that the important financial contribution made by boaters is spread fairly across the boating community. 

“We’ve been pleased to see so much interest in the consultation from boaters and I’d like to thank everyone who’s taken part so far.  Now we’re asking for the entire boating community to take a look at the proposals we’ve developed as a result of these conversations and let us know their thoughts.  Nothing is set in stone and we’re still open to new ideas so we welcome any and all feedback.

“All our boat licence holders will receive either an email with a link to the consultation, or a letter inviting them to take part.  We want the consultation to be as accessible as possible and, for those boaters who may not have easy internet access, we can provide paper copies either by post or from our offices.

“I’d urge boaters to read through the proposals and tell us what they think.  We want to work together with the boating community to shape a licensing system that it simple and fair.”

Boaters have until 18 December to respond to the consultation.  After the closing date the Trust will draw up a final set of proposals to be approved by the charity’s Trustees.

More information about the boat licensing consultation, including reports from stage one and stage two, and the stage three proposals, can be found here: https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/national-consultations

ENDS

For further media requests please contact:

Fran Read, national press officer, Canal & River Trust 
m 07796 610 427 e fran.read@canalrivertrust.org.uk

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