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Boat licensing on CRT waterways is set for change following the publication of a report by the commission appointed to look at the current system.

The 36-recommendation document calls for a complete overhaul of how the trust manages movement, enforcement, communication and congestion. 

The three-member commission describes the current system as “sub-optimal, overly complex and widely mistrusted.”

It concludes that while the system is not on the verge of collapse, it is no longer fit for the way thousands of today’s boaters live and travel. With almost 9,000 boats now without home moorings and rising urban congestion, the report argues that the 30-year-old framework has become stretched to breaking point.

The full 81-page report can be found at canalrivertrust.org.uk. However, we have condensed its salient points as follows:  

End of Bona Fide Navigation?

The headline recommendation is the call to scrap the existing interpretation of “bona fide navigation” for licence holders without a home mooring. The current requirement – centred on a pattern of movement over time – is criticised as confusing, hard to enforce and the cause of significant conflict between boaters and CRT.

The report says the 14-day maximum stay at any one place should remain, since it is widely supported and vital for keeping the system open. But it should be clarified as 14 days inclusive (moor on day 1, leave by end of day 15), eliminating ambiguity.

What comes next is up for consultation: a new, simpler movement requirement designed to be easier to understand, easier to enforce, and more aligned with both boater lifestyles and CRT’s charitable duties. The term ‘continuous cruiser’ should also be dropped in favour of a clearer, less divisive definition.

Stronger Enforcement Tools Recommended

The report concludes that CRT’s current enforcement powers are too limited and  currently leaves the trust "operating with one hand tied behind its back". To address this, the Commission proposes:

• Civil fines for overstaying and minor breaches

• Power to tow and store boats if fines remain unpaid

• Removal of statutory delays in dealing with abandoned or sunken boats

• The option – under strict safeguards – to use reasonable force when removing vessels after court orders

• Use of tracking devices for persistent non-movers in congested areas

However, the Commission also stresses that enforcement must become fairer, kinder and more accurate, with improved data, clearer notices and a better initial approach to minor issues.

Congestion: Difficult Decisions Ahead

Urban congestion, especially in London and on the Kennet & Avon, is highlighted as a structural problem that licensing alone cannot solve. The Commission recommends a sector-wide discussion on potential tools such as:

• Price differentiation in high-demand areas

• Rationing of licences or mooring capacity

• Service improvements linked to higher-priced regions

• Renewed effort to create more residential moorings

These proposals are described as precautionary but necessary if demand continues to grow. 

Repairing Relations With Boaters

Beyond technical changes, the report calls for a cultural shift. Relations between CRT and many boaters are described as marked by “distrust and suspicion.”

Recommendations include:

• Clearer, plainer language in all communications

• Greater transparency about how licence income is spent

• Support for an independent boater advice charity

• Consistency in terminology, tone and policy

What’s Next?

Some changes could be implemented quickly; others require legislation. CRT has not yet published its response, but the report sets the stage for the most significant rethink of licensing since the 1995 Act.

Under the commission’s recommendations, for boaters the years ahead are likely to bring clearer rules, tougher enforcement, and a renewed debate about the future shape of the inland waterways.