Increased fees for boat owners across Lancashire from April 2024 - this is how much extra it willl cost

The Canal and River Trust said it is raising the cost of a standard licence by six per cent, and 10 per cent for those with Gold Licences (for boats which also Environment Agency waterways).

The Trust say the rise is based on the latest Bank of England forecasts that inflation will remain at around 4.5 per cent through until April 2024.

Work out how much more you’ll be paying here

Cost-of-living crisis

Richard Parry, Trust chief executive, said: “The recent years have been a challenge for organisations and individuals alike. We know that the cost-of-living crisis will have affected many boaters and we have thought long and hard about the licence fee rises we are introducing. There is support available for boaters, and we urge people who are struggling to get in touch with our team.

“The Trust has been heavily impacted by the adverse economic environment.

"Over the past few years, we’ve faced significant increases in a range of our costs, notably the prices of energy, fuel, materials, and other construction demands. Meanwhile our government grant is reducing in real terms and is due to be cut sharply after 2027, unless our Keep Canals Alive campaign and the multi-organisation Fund Britain’s Waterways campaign persuade Government to revisit its decision.

"We must act now to plug the funding gap, or we risk seeing canals decline and, ultimately, the risk of closures.

“We’ll continue to secure as much income as we can through our commercial and charitable activities and focus our resources on those priority works which are required to support navigation, and on controlling our costs where possible.

This is the £13m project to help preserve the North West’s waterways

"The 2,000 miles of waterways that we care for comprise 10,000 assets and structures, many of which are up to 250-years-old, and they are vulnerable to the extreme weather events that are becoming more common. We are continuing to invest in an extensive ongoing programme of works that will safeguard the future of boating on the inland waterways.”

Income

The cost of the licence, which accounts for around 11 per cent of the Trust’s income, has largely kept pace with inflation since the charity was formed.