After the great efforts of the National Bargee Travellers Association (NBTA) and others campaigning for the Government’s energy grant, many itinerant boat dwellers on Canal & River Trust (CRT) waterways are now entitled to £600 each. However, a large proportion of the boating community is still being ignored.

On 17th August 2023, the Department for Energy and Net Zero (ESNZ) and CRT announced that 7,000 liveaboard boaters without a home mooring would receive a £600 voucher redeemable for cash.

The NBTA were the first to get in touch with the Government to highlight the fact that many boaters were missing out on the energy grant that was meant to be available to all households in the UK. They went on to work together with the National Association of Boat Owners (NABO), Friends, Families and Travellers, Derbyshire Gypsy Liaison Group, London Gypsies and Travellers, and the Canal & River Trust in campaigning for the grant which includes £400 for Energy Bills Support Scheme – Alternative Funding and £200 for Alternative Fuels Payment – Alternative Funding. CRT only started talking to the Government about this issue months after the NBTA began their campaign, and that was only after NBTA and other boaters put pressure on CRT to do so.

To be entitled to the voucher, you must have held a licence as a “continuous cruiser” for a minimum of one day between 27th February 2023 and 31st May 2023 on Canal & River Trust waterways. If you sold your boat during this period then you will still get the grant retrospectively. No receipts will be necessary.

ESNZ have informed the NBTA that vouchers will be sent (in order of preference) to:

– An email address;
– If no email address, then by SMS to the registered phone number;
– If no email or phone number, by post to the registered postal address.

There is no fourth option.

Many have now received an email with the voucher that pays the money directly into their bank accounts. The money can also be withdrawn as cash at a PayPoint retailer.

This win was the result of a concerted effort by dedicated people who took up the fight for inclusion and their efforts are hailed by the wider community. “Together, boaters have fought hard for our community and won a victory here,” says a spokesperson for NBTA. “This grant is not a gift from the government, but the result of concerted action and pressure to hold them to their word. The NBTA celebrates that effort and demonstrates what communities like ours can do when we come together and organise for recognition and protection of our way of life.”

Earlier this year, a group of boater activists led a flotilla of boats from Braunston to London on a 15-day journey south to draw attention to the issue and pressurise the Government to follow through on their promise to provide financial support during the spiralling cost-of-living and fuel crises in the UK. The boats moored in Paddington Basin around 1pm on Saturday June 10th and were greeted by a group of supportive boaters in the area, many of whom had also been campaigning.

On 19th June 2023, the boaters handed a petition into Downing Street calling on the government to reverse the exclusion of itinerant boat dwellers and others without a fixed address from receiving the energy grant. The petition was started by the NBTA and gathered just short of 5,500 signatures.

The flotilla and petition hand-in were supported by the NBTA, who have been campaigning for the inclusion of itinerant and off-grid communities since the beginning. NBTA Chair Pamela Smith said: “The fact that boaters travelled half-way across the country to deliver the petition shows the strength of feeling that continues to animate our community on this issue. The government may think that by ignoring us we’ll simply go away, but they’re wrong.” She continued, “Not only has the failure to include boaters and others without a fixed address led to immense hardship this winter gone, it’s contributed to a real and enduring loss of boaters’ trust in the government to deliver for them on a basic level. Boaters will continue to make their anger about this rank unfairness known to their representatives, whether via legal proceedings, continuing to lobby their MPs or when they next have the opportunity to go to the polls.”

Ministers first announced on 26th May 2022 that “every household” would receive at least £400 off their energy bills. But it turned out that only households with a domestic electricity meter qualified. No provisions were made for the many thousands of people in the UK who live off-grid for whom the increased cost of living has placed an immense financial burden, just like many others in this country.

Many itinerant liveaboard boaters are on low incomes or pensions, with 48% earning less than £20k per year. With rampant inflation, stagnating wages and the cost of fuel and food skyrocketing, many are struggling to make ends meet. Most rely on diesel engines to navigate, bottled LPG gas to cook and heat water, and other forms of fuel to heat and light their boats. Many boaters have found their finances dramatically impacted by the cost of fuel to stay warm during the colder months and with no government assistance until now, some are still struggling to recover from last winter.

This win follows on from NBTA’s success in late 2022, when they forced the Government to agree to include residential boaters with home moorings in the grant scheme. Now, over a year after the Government’s initial announcement, another group of boaters have finally received money off their energy costs.

However, while the extension of the voucher scheme is a step in the right direction, it only helps itinerant liveaboard boaters who were licensed as itinerants on CRT water in February, March, April or May 2023: 7,000 people out of a liveaboard boater population many thousands more.

So, this is not the end of our fight. Many people – including itinerant boaters on non-Canal & River Trust waters, some live-aboards with a home mooring, and those living itinerantly on land – remain excluded, despite the grant being promised to every household in the UK. Of 900,000 people thought to be eligible for the grant, around 700,000 are still in limbo. The NBTA will continue to communicate with the government in support of and in solidarity with these communities to ensure that the government truly delivers on that promise.

Boaters have been asked to make sure their contact details are up-to-date on the CRT database by 21st September 2023 *new date* as the Department for Energy and Net Zero would be using CRT’s database to determine who should receive the funds. Vouchers will then be received in week commencing 25th September. Payments will be made until 23rd November 2023.

If you miss out because you were not licensed by CRT during this period, or for any other reason, and you think you are eligible for Legal Aid, please contact the NBTA by e-mail or phone.