Makes life harder on London's waterways

THE National Bargee Travellers Association’s London branch, is calling for a charges reversal.

This is of the implementation of discriminatory daily charges for mooring in London by the Canal & River Trust (CRT), tells the association.

And asks—why is CRT charging a per day fee to moor in London?

To encourage

According to the trust’s website these charges have been implemented to encourage recreational boaters in London, expanding a 'successful pilot of pre-bookable visitor moorings'.

This policy was implemented despite 72% of liveaboard boaters in the London area, surveyed by CRT in 2022, reporting it would make life harder. See the full report here.

A freedom of information (FOI) request made in May 2024 confirmed that no equalities impact assessment was undertaken by the CRT before the implementation of this new policy.

A further FOI request of CRT made in July 2024 confirmed that the existing chargeable moorings were booked only 16.5% of the time in the six months prior.

Dubious justification

As a publicly funded charity this measure of 'success' is a very low bar indeed, and the justification for rolling these out to more places in London is dubious.

What the NBTA says is the real motivation: decimating London’s canal communities

One strategy to get rid of liveaboard itinerant boaters in London (see the 'Managing moorings on London’s busy waterways'. consultation) has been the rollout of 'chargeable visitor moorings' with a daily cost of between £25 or £35 per night (i.e. up to £245 per week, or extrapolated out as a cost of £12,775 per annum) to moor on the public towpath.

Despite the under-utilisation of existing chargeable moorings in Little Venice, Rembrandt Gardens and Paddington, in April 2024 CRT added more chargeable visitor moorings in Kings Cross, Camden and Islington.

More chargeable visitor moorings

CRT has also claimed that it will be turning even more of the public towpath into chargeable visitor moorings across Haggerston, Broadway Market and Victoria Park in the East, and Kensal Rise in the West.

The impact of these policies on the boating community—and for these once thriving places which many Londoners enjoy— has been profound.

Why does this matter to London?

These popular parts of the canal are now mainly empty which has a knock-on effect for people—both residents and tourists —who enjoy London’s canal network for walking, cycling and other forms of recreation.

As anyone who has lived in London for a while will attest, the once mostly abandoned canal and river network was dangerous, dark and a hotspot for antisocial behaviour. Today, itinerant liveaboard boaters in London have made the waterways a friendly, vibrant, colourful and interesting place for all Londoners to use and spend time.

Return to the bad old days

If liveaboard itinerant boaters are pushed off the water by CRT, London can expect large swathes of the network to return to the bad old days.

Why does it matter for people outside London?

This precedent of effectively privatising specific locations on the canal network is part of a broader trend that groups such as the Right to Roam have been campaigning about.

Once these new daily charges to moor are established in London, boaters in other parts of the country are also at risk of losing their long-held rights.

Discrimination and hardship

Despite social media influencers, Burberry advertisements, or television shows glamourising canal boating as a lifestyle, the reality is that liveaboard boaters contend with many disadvantages, as well as discrimination—from accessing health care provision to registering to vote.

An additional punishing expensive fee to stop and moor on the canal network only adds to this adversity.

We can’t let this special community and unique way of life fall victim to privatisation and finance.

If Londoners want to preserve their boating community, they’re going to have to stand with boaters fighting these hostile and discriminatory charges which are part of a strategy to displace liveaboard boaters. A strategy no one but the CRT wants.