The Politick

Where it can be said or thought.

Resist the criminalisation of trespass – write to your MP

Tuesday, May 11th, 2021

Friends, Families and Travellers has launched a new tool to support Gypsies, Travellers and members of the public to write to their MP to register their concerns about the Policing, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. This new law will criminalise both peaceful protest and the nomadic way of life.

The Bill proposes extremely harsh legislation to criminalise trespass, which will criminalise Travellers living on roadside camps and is likely to impact upon everyone who is or wishes to live nomadically by culture, choice or necessity, including liveaboard boaters without a home mooring. 

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Secretive anti-liveaboard group set up by DEFRA – please write to your MP now!

Tuesday, January 15th, 2019

A multi-agency working group on “residential houseboats” was set up by the DEFRA Inland Waterways Policy Land Use section over a year ago in December 2017, “tasked to look at the issue of illegally [sic] moored houseboats”.

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Minutes of meeting between boaters, CRT and Michelle Donelan MP published

Wednesday, August 10th, 2016

We are now able to publish the minutes of the meeting between liveaboard boaters, Michelle Donelan MP and CRT Chief Executive Richard Parry. The meeting was minuted by Wiltshire Council’s Peter Dunford, Community Engagement Manager for Bradford on Avon. Also included is a record of the discussions. You can download them here:

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Make sure you can vote in CRT Council elections

Sunday, November 22nd, 2015

The election for the CRT Council is under way. Polling opened on 13th November and ends on 11th December at midnight. There are two candidates who are liveaboard boaters without home moorings who we believe will support our interests.

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Voter registration is changing

Monday, October 13th, 2014

Liveaboard boaters without a fixed address can register to vote by declaring a local connection. The form to use has changed and requires more information such as your date of birth and National Insurance number. This change has been made because of the move to individual voter registration, rather than household registration. Boat dwellers with no fixed address have always needed to register individually so the change is not so great for us.

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Can you help to deliver voter registration forms this week?

Sunday, March 17th, 2013

The K&A boaters action group has a big pile of voter registration forms that we would like to deliver to as many boats as we can this week, starting tomorrow (Monday 18th March). We need some help doing this!! If you can cycle along a stretch of towpath delivering these forms, please ring/text 07928 078208 or email info@boatingcommunity.org.uk

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Boaters, use your vote in 2013 (and afterwards)

Thursday, March 7th, 2013

Something that us boaters may or may not be aware of is that we still have the right to vote even though we don’t have a fixed address. There will be local elections for Wiltshire Council (and other Councils) on May 2nd this year, and our votes could make the difference between continuing Wiltshire’s support for liveaboard boaters or not. If you fill in and send back the electoral registration form before April 17th 2013, you will be added to the electoral roll in time to vote. Here is the form boater_electoral_registration

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Another CRT resignation ahead of Parliamentary scrutiny of waterways partnerships

Saturday, February 2nd, 2013

Councillor Fleur de Rhé-Philipe, Chair of the Kennet and Avon Local Waterway Partnership, resigned this week. Tamsin Phipps, who represents canoeists on the Partnership, is now acting as the temporary Chair.  The Partnership is about to release its review of the K&A local mooring strategy proposals.

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Petition: Security for towpath boat dwellers

Thursday, July 19th, 2012

Liveaboard boater Simon Greer has started an online petition for security for towpath boat dwellers. You can sign the petition here:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/447/522/923/security-for-towpath-boat-dwellers/

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BW transfer becomes law with concession to itinerant boat dwellers

Tuesday, July 3rd, 2012

Both Houses of Parliament passed the BW Transfer Order on 27th June following debates on 25th and 26th June. In the debate in the Commons First Delegated Legislation Committee, Waterways Minister Richard Benyon announced that the Navigation Committee of the Canal and River Trust (CRT) “… will include at least one boater without a home mooring who understands and campaigns for the interests of itinerant live-aboard boaters.”

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