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Public / Non-Festival / The Boat Safety Scheme to go private and cost of certificates to double...
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on: March 10, 2007, 12:40:18 AM
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Narrowboatworld: The Boat Safety Scheme to go private and cost of certificates to double
The Boat Safety Scheme, that overlooks the safety of boats, is leaving the umbrella of British Waterways and becoming self-financing from 1st April, and costs will increase dramatically.
From this date the cost of certificates to examiners will double, from the present £11.25 to £24, excluding Vat.
It was ten years ago that the scheme was first launched to support the licensing requirements of the Environment Agency and British Waterways.
In its ten year existence, the Boat Safety Scheme has provided safety advice and information to navigation authorities and individual boaters, operated a verification service through its examiners and continues to develop safety checks as modern safety principles have evolved.
Commenting on the move to become self-financing, Graham Watts, Boat Safety Scheme Manager, explains:
“It’s always been the intention for the scheme to eventually stand on its own two feet when it comes to meeting the running costs of this important safety aspect of the inland waterways. The Scheme won’t plan to make a profit, but nor does it aim to make a loss, it just simply aims to cover its costs and continue to offer credible and improved customer service to all navigation authorities and thousands of individual inland waterways boaters.”
Since being established in 1996 the scheme has been supported financially by both the Environment Agency and British Waterways. In the last financial year this support, both as direct assistance and assistance in kind, equalled nearly £200,000.
We are told the Boat Safety Scheme has reviewed its work over the last 18 months and 'identified areas where it can operate with ongoing greater efficiencies while ensuring that quality assurance systems and administrative processes remain robust'.
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Public / Non-Festival / No extra licence needed for Bridgewater boats
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on: March 10, 2007, 12:38:09 AM
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BW has agreed to extend its arrangement with the Manchester Ship Canal Company to allow pleasure craft displaying a valid Bridgewater Canal licence to travel beyond Burscough and along the Liverpool Canal Link which is due to open in 2008.
Currently, Bridgewater licence holders can travel for a period of seven days free of charge along the Leigh Branch and from Wigan to Burscough and from Wigan to the bottom of Blackburn Locks. In a reciprocal agreement, British Waterways' licence holders can use the Bridgewater Canal free of charge for up to seven days.
Debbie Lumb, General Manager, British Waterways North West commented:
“I am pleased to extend the agreement allowing Bridgewater Canal licence holders to use the Leeds & Liverpool Canal Link. The agreement was reached following a request by a boater on the Bridgewater Canal. With the Canal Link opening by the end of 2008, the extension will allow more boaters to utilise this historic stretch of waterway and experience the new stretch of waterway too.”
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