Authority to rethink charges

THE campaign led by actress Susan Penhaligon, who moors her boat on the  Thames, at Brentford, looks like getting the authority to rethink its increased mooring charges.

The Chief Executive of the Port of London Authority (PLA), Richard Everitt, pictured, has bowed to the demands of the campaigners, and  stated that he will now meet them in their attempt  to halt hefty increases to their mooring fees, Alan Tilbury reveals.

As reported in narrowboatworld, The PLA came under attacked after the moorers had reported some mooring fees had quadrupled in the past three years, with some of them to have been threatened with a charge  of £2,787 rise to £9,400 following a review.

Susan Penhaligon, shown as she appeared in Coronation Street, is a member of campaign group Oplag (Organisation of Port of London Authority Customers) told the pricing situation was so bad her 75 years old neighbour could be forced out of her moorings.

In a radio interview on Sunday, Richard Everitt  explained:

"Ms Penhaligon has asked me to have a look at [the 2007 review] again and I can assure her [and others] that I will do that to see if we can get a broad consensus on how we should charge these mooring fees."

Positive step

She responded:

"What we are trying to now is set up a meeting with him and go with suggestions on a fairer and more reasonable way forward.  It is absolutely a positive step—I do have to say again we are not trying not to pay, we just want it to be a fair increase."

Reality check

Parliamentary candidate for Brentford and Isleworth, Andrew Dakers, responded:

"The licence fee that the PLA is charging comes alongside the income tax and the council tax that people living on boats are paying just like the rest of us. So there needs to be a bit of a reality check on the part of the PLA.

"They should not see the house boat people as a source of revenue for funding towpaths and locks. That really has to come from elsewhere."