Boaters without a home mooring
Monitoring review update – September 2016
The Process
Boaters have asked us for some more detail about the monitoring process, so we will be updating
the information on our website and adding some frequently asked questions by the end of October
2016. We have also introduced a shorter web address to make accessing these webpages easier
www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/ccmonitoring We want to make sure that the process is as easy to understand as possible, so we will aim to always
review 12 months of sightings when the data is available (as long as the boat has remained in the
same ownership). For example, prior to renewal we will be reviewing 12 months of sightings
(instead of 10 months as previously) and at the end of a restricted licence we will review the
previous 12 months and not just the current six month licence period.
This monitoring process is applied to all boats licensed on the basis they do not have a home
mooring. It includes three groups:
Those on an unrestricted licence
Those on a restricted six month licence
Those who we are awaiting confirmation of their mooring status (referred to as being on a
‘MAC’ code)
Total licenced boats without a home mooring
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Cont Cruiser
Restricted
MAC
The only boats without a home mooring which are excluded from this process are those where the
customer has a disability requiring a reasonable adjustment under the Equality Act 2010 and this has
been agreed by us. Currently there are just over 100 such cases, either ‘approved’ or ‘pending
approval’. These boats are monitored separately and in line with the adjustment agreed with the
customer.
Restricted licences issued so far
We are now in the second year of the process and the graph below shows the number of restricted
licences issued each month.
Number of restricted licences issued - by month
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
2016/7
2015/6
Current caseload
We are currently reviewing around 670 boat licences, either because we have contacted them to
offer a restricted licence or because they are subject to ongoing monitoring whilst they have a
restricted licence.
Since April 2016 just over 300 boaters have been contacted at the mid-point of their unrestricted
licence about our concerns that they may only be eligible for a restricted licence at renewal time
unless their cruising pattern improves in the remaining months of their licence.
New to continuous cruising
Each month we check our records to see which boats are newly recorded as being without a home
mooring and, if the owner hasn’t previously been contacted, we send a letter to explain the
monitoring process to them. Despite the fact the overall number of boats without a home mooring
hasn’t changed very much, in the first six months of this financial year we have sent 1,066 such
advisory letters out to customers.
Number of boats receiving advisory letters
250
200
150
100
50
0
April
May
June
July
August
September
Winter moorings
Boaters without a home mooring will be able to take up a winter mooring, unless they are not
meeting the licence requirements, in which case they may not be eligible. So, if you are a boater
without a home mooring and we have been in touch with you over concerns about your movement:
1. If you have received a “mid-point review” letter (a warning letter received after six months
of the licence period when a boat is not moving enough) you will not be eligible for a winter
mooring unless we are satisfied that your boat’s range of movement has improved
sufficiently since that letter was sent;
2. If you have been issued with a six month restricted licence you will not generally be eligible
for a winter mooring. The only exception will be if you have received a “refusal reminder A”
letter (received at the mid-point of a restricted licence when boat movement has improved)
and we are satisfied that the improved range of movement has continued.
We reserve the right to depart from these general criteria in exceptional circumstances.
Full details about our winter moorings can be found on our website at:
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/boating/mooring-your-boat/winter-moorings
Denise Yelland
September 2016