Young people who have bought residential canal boats after being priced out of the conventional property market have reacted with horror to news that they face costs almost doubling in five years.
Boat owners say their traditional way of life could be wiped leaving them homeless out if the Canal and River Trust presses ahead with plans to increasing prices to live off the grid by up to 75%.
This month the Trust hiked costs for boat licences with a new surcharge for ‘continuous cruisers’ who live on boats but do not have a home mooring where they stay for longer periods.
Boaters have protested the charges claiming they are discriminatory and an attempt to remove low-income people living off grid from Britain’s waterways.
In the shadow of West Ham’s football stadium on the River Lea, there are more than 150 boats moored on a three mile stretch of water.
Young people who have bought residential canal boats after being priced out of the conventional property market have reacted with horror to news that they face costs almost doubling in five years. Terence Baude (pictured), 34, and his partner Abai Lavender, 34, have lived on board the Athair Enion for four years
Drew Roche (pictured), 30, and Nienta Nixon, welcomed their son, Morgyn, onto their boat less than a fortnight ago
Boat owners say their traditional way of life could be wiped leaving them homeless out if the Canal and River Trust presses ahead with plans to increasing prices to live off the grid by up to 75% (pictured: A canal boat sailing down the River Lee Canal between Hackney and Clapton)
Terence Baude, 34, and his partner Abai Lavender, 34, have lived on board the Athair Enion for four years.
They gave up the lease of their flat in Hackney and moved onto the water following the birth of their first child. Now they also have a nine-month old child.
He told : ‘I was living in Hackney Wick. We are a family of four and there would not have been enough room in our old flat. If you look at the properties around here, they are so expensive.
‘Between April and September this is an idyllic way to live. Winter is a bit more of a struggle. You have to keep the windows open or else things get damp.
‘Rent is expensive but there are major costs on a boat. We paid our fees in October so the price increases haven’t hit us yet. I work as a jeweller in Farringdon, so living on the river is great for me.
‘There is a great community. We paid about £1,500 for the licence. It will go up next time. Then we had to pay £1,000 for work on the engine. Then you have to budget £2,000 every second year to paint the hull.
‘Also there are upgrades such as solar panels and lithium batteries. We can run the washing machine or the oven without needing to start the engine. If you have lead-acid batteries they need regular charging from the engine. It is a big investment, but is still cheaper than a property.’
Drew Roche, 30, and Nienta Nixon, welcomed their son, Morgyn, onto their boat less than a fortnight ago.
‘We moved onto the boat two and a half years ago and I wouldn’t change it for the world. Anyone who wants to put me off the water is going to face a battle. There are talk of “safety zones” where nobody will be allowed to moor, but this is part of a purge to get rid of us.
‘Boats are not a problem when they are static. There are problems along here with the lack of places to refill with water or to pump out waste.
‘Everyone along the river is committed to maintaining the environment. It would be brilliant if there was greater access to places to dump rubbish.
‘Every time we move we are helping keeping the system alive. The propellor cuts weeds. The system was designed to have boats. This is an important part of our culture. I have lived in London all my life and I work in the building industry. But I love living on the boat. It is an impressive legacy that the Victorians have left us with.’
Terence Baude and Abai Lavinder Caption pictured aboard their canal boat the Athair Enion
A sign protesting against ‘the boat cull’ on the window of a canal boat on the River Lee Canal
A general view of canal boats moored up against the banks of the River Lee Canal
Nienta added: ‘The boats provide safety for people walking along the canal. We have seen women walking at night who are afraid they are being followed. They can knock on a window or stand by a boat. This is the type of place where people help each other.
‘It is a great community.’
Drew added: ‘God knows what would happen if they were to move us off. I design buildings for a living, but since moving onto a boat I have never been so relaxed.’
Outside London on the Grand Union Canal, Ricky Bartram-Carter, an NHS worker, says the change will increase his bills by 64% in the next five years and force him to delay his retirement.
Mr Bartram-Carter, 65, bought his 54ft wide beam boat ‘Five O’Clock Somewhere’ five years ago for £80,000 in order to live mortgage free following his divorce.
He said: ‘I am coming up to retirement but it’s put that on hold. The rising cost will make it impossible for me to retire.
‘My licence is up for renewal in September and that is when it will hit me.
‘I’m angry because we are getting nothing for the extra money, most of the facilities CRT provides are broken. They say continuous cruisers use them more but that’s not true. There are no shower units anywhere near me.
‘There are a lot of people in desperate situations who can’t even afford to light their fires, they won’t be able to pay so all this is doing is criminalising them and putting more homeless only local authorities.’
He added that most continuous cruisers have a positive impact on the waterways by cutting back overhanging branches and clearing other people’s litter but believes CRT is choosing to prioritise holidaymakers.
He said: ‘We move every 14 days but we are being penalised for it. They are decreasing the mooring spots available to us so more can be used by holidaymakers.’
Magda and Jeremy at their canal boat on the River Lee Canal between Hackney and Clapton
Outside London on the Grand Union Canal, Ricky Bartram-Carter, an NHS worker, says the change will increase his bills by 64% in the next five years and force him to delay his retirement
Mr Bartram-Carter, 65, bought his 54ft wide beam boat ‘Five O’Clock Somewhere’ five years ago for £80,000 in order to live mortgage free following his divorce
All of those boats have to move every two weeks or face action from the Canal and River Trust, who are responsible for maintaining 2,000 miles of canals and rivers across England and Wales.
From April 1 the base licence fee will increase for all boats with an additional fee is applied to boaters without a permanent mooring, such as a marina. Wide-beam boats face even higher charges. At the end of this period, 2029, some boaters will be paying 75% more than they are now.
Continuous cruisers must already move every two weeks and over the course of a year, they are required to travel 20 miles one way and 20 miles back.
One canal boat owner, a 27-year-old video producer from London, said she fears she fears her bills will rise by £1,000 per month due to the changes.
She said: ‘This will massively affect me because I have set my life up in a certain way. I spend around £150 per month on bills at the moment.
‘I wanted to get on the property ladder but couldn’t afford to buy a house. For a lot of young people, particularly creatives, who want to live in London and have jobs in London this is the only way they can do it but it’s being taken away.’
Anita Weedy, 58, bought her 54ft electric boat two years ago after realising her 90-hour per week job as a carer was only earning her enough to pay her bills.
She quit her job, sold her house and has travelled the waterways of England with her dog Charlie, seven.
A general view of the River Lee Canal between Hackney and Clapton in London
Continuous cruisers must already move every two weeks and over the course of a year, they are required to travel 20 miles one way and 20 miles back
She said: ‘My hope had been that the money I made from selling my house would cover me until retirement but my costs going up by 25% is going to make me run out of money before that.
‘This surcharge is punching down on the poorest. I am really angry about it because of the divisiveness of it.
‘It feels like they don’t want us here any more so are pushing us off. What they will end up with is a whole lot of people refusing to pay it.’ said the surcharge intended ‘to reduce the number of boats without home moorings. We are being singled out and they don’t want us to exist,’ he said.
‘They genuinely seem to believe we are taking the mickey and think everyone should have one particular place to live. But the reality is we live a different way of life that suits us.’
The Canal and River Trust claims they have to increase prices as they receive no grant from central government. They say every time a boat uses a lock it costs the charity approximately £90.
A spokesman told : ‘There are more boats on our network than at any time in its history. This greater usage puts additional strain on maintaining our 250-year-old network – it’s been estimated that it costs our charity around £90 every time a boater uses a lock, for example.’
The Trust said they are facing a real term cut of Government funding of approximately £300m over the course of ten years.