National group campaigns to win energy justice for liveaboard boaters

THE newly named campaign group, UK Boaters for Energy Justice, is continuing its campaign to make sure all boating households get historical energy bill support worth £600, which other households received in 2022/23.

This campaign has been ongoing since a meeting with the MP for Devizes, Danny Kruger, at Caen Hill Marina in June 2023. Mr Kruger heard from both continuous cruisers and people at non-residential moorings about the impacts of being excluded from this support, which at the time was only being given to the minority of people across the UK with a residential mooring (only 3000 received this £600 payment in the UK, excluding Northern Ireland).

Since then, the group has grown from Wiltshire to cover other areas of the UK, including Oxfordshire and Shropshire, and has continued to lobby the Government, perhaps contributing to the decision to launch the £600 scheme for continuous cruisers in the late summer of 2023.

There are still boaters who aren’t eligible for this support, in a variety of situations. Some are unable to continuously cruise for health reasons, but can’t access a residential mooring, so are moored at marinas for part of the year. Some have experienced bereavement so are given leeway to stay at their non-residential mooring, and some have moorings through employment which aren’t residential. They might be paying steep mooring fees and can’t necessarily challenge these due to the precarity of their mooring situation.

Whatever the reasons, UK Boaters for Energy Justice maintains that these households deserve the same support as every other household has been offered and that this would be a tiny cost to the Government, yet a significant benefit to recipients facing increased living costs.

The petition can be found at: you. 38degrees. org. uk/ petitions/ get-vital-ps600-energy-bill-supportto-remaining-off-grid-householdscurrently-excluded-from-support

The group is also looking to grow its campaigns team. It needs members to share posters and leaflets, speak to their friends, or meet with the Government ministers in May this year when the petition is handed in.

For more information email: ukboatersforenergyjustice@ gmail. com or call 07483 377346. The group’s next campaign meeting is online on Thursday, February 29.

PHOTOS: SUPPLIED Bleak winter images from two boaters travelling on the Kennet & Avon Canal who have not received energy bill support, one of whom is having to use a food bank. Mary and daughter Cybil, moored near Devizes, who are affected by the lack of energy bill support in the face of spiralling energy costs.