The Canal & River Trust’s annual National Boat Count has shown a 1.9 per cent rise in boat numbers on its network across England and Wales, and that external economic factors may be affecting boaters, with licence compliance now standing at 93 per cent, down from 94.1 per cent last year.

The national licence compliance picture is impacted by boats in the Canal & River Trust’s London & South East region, which has seen the largest growth in boat numbers in recent years and where licence compliance has dropped to 86 per cent (overall compliance excluding London & South East is 95.1 per cent).  

Since 1 April 2023, boaters have been hit with a rise of nine per cent in licence fees. When combined with the interim increase introduced from 1 October 2022, this will mean an overall year-on-year increase of 13 per cent for those renewing an annual boat licence in the period from 1 April until 30 September 2023.

To help compliance, the trust says it will be continuing efforts to ensure boats are identifiable (unidentified boats are recorded as unlicensed by default) and reviewing its licensing processes and resourcing.

Boat in York UK

The 1.9 per cent increase in boat numbers nationwide includes a 3.1 per cent increase in continuous cruisers. Rises in boat numbers across the network range from 1.1 per cent in the West Midlands to 2.8 per cent in London & South East.

“The National Boat Count gives us a clear picture of what’s happening with boats on our waterways and supports our day-to-day work,” says Matthew Symonds, national boating manager at the Canal & River Trust.

“This year we have seen a small drop in licence compliance, driven by a more significant drop in London, which may suggest that the economic environment is having an impact,” he continues. “As a charity, we’re also faced with a real financial challenge. The cost of maintaining the 250-year-old canal network is rapidly increasing, the damaging effects of climate change are growing more frequent, and the future of our government grant, which currently provides a quarter of our income, is uncertain. The income we receive from boat licences, around 10 per cent of our total, is more important than ever to enable us to maintain the network for navigation.

“We will do everything we can to support boaters to stay on the water, and our boat licence customer support team works with boaters to find solutions on a personal basis – no two cases are the same. We always urge boaters to talk to us, and in most cases we’re able to find a way to keep people on the water.”

The trust takes action to remove boats when all other avenues have failed. In 2022-23, 78 unlicensed, including many abandoned boats, were removed from the network.

The post National Boat Count reveals drop in licence compliance appeared first on Marine Industry News.