22 July 2026

British Marine is strongly opposed to the Private Members’ Bill as introduced by Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville, the drafting of which was aided by the National Bargee Travellers Association.

The Bill had its Second Reading on 17 July 2026 and will now awaits its Committee Stage where it will be scrutinized in detail by peers and be subject to amendments.

Whilst there is widespread agreement that boat dwellers should be able to access the public services that they are legally entitled to, the provisions in the Bill stray far from that issue and make it neither proportionate nor practical and contrary to existing law. 

If this legislation were to be enacted it could have far reaching ramifications, not least because of the broad ranging definitions within the Bill. “Boat dwellers” are defined as any person for whom a boat on a British river, canal or in British coastal is their “primary residence”, without or without a permanent mooring, and “a boat” includes any craft, ranging from ships to rafts.  The “relevant authorities” who would need to have regard to the rights and entitlements established include mooring operators, navigation authorities, port authorities, riparian authorities and riparian owners. Therefore the impact of the legislation could extend from inland private marinas and navigation authorities to authorities and operators on coastal waters.

To address concerns about boat dwellers having access to services and to give them recognition in law that their boat is their home, the Bill proposes amending section 99 of the Housing Act (2024) and other primary legislation to provide security of tenure for boat dwellers analogous to the Land & Tenant Act (1954). The Bill would prevent navigation authorities from enforcing licensing conditions, including the Canal & River Trust’s continuous cruiser requirements for bona fide navigation. It would constrain the ability of authorities to effectively management finite moorings and safe navigation of Britain’s waters and undermine the long accepted principle that Britain’s inland and coastal waters are a shared space for multiple users and where boaters’ rights and responsibilities must to balanced, and if necessary, enforced.

This is why British Marine was quick to reach out to partners, including the Canal & River Trust, the Broad Authority, and the UK Harbour Masters Association to alert them to our concerns and to make representations to the Government and others in advance of the Second Reading – see details on our public affairs page here. 

We were delighted that the Official Opposition Spokesmen in the Lords, Lord Jamieson, reiterated many of the points we had brought to his attention.  For example, speaking in the Second Reading debate, Lord Jamieson said “the term ‘permanent mooring’ in the Bill risks confusion and would be better replaced with ‘residential mooring’.  He said that  when a person chooses to make their boat their primary residence, they should either have a residential mooring or (when on CRT waters) have a continuous cruiser license and then abide by those conditions. “The relevant authorities must be able to take appropriate enforcement action, but many provisions in this Bill would impede their ability to do so.”

In responding to the Bill, the Minister, Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, said that the Government was committed to tackling insecurities across all housing sectors, including boat dwellers.  However, she also picked up on our concerns saying that “several of the provisions in the Bill would substantially reduce the ability of navigation authorities to enforce licensing requirements and to manage the network fairly…navigation authorities must retain the ability to deal with persistent non-compliance, license evasion, unsafe vessels and potential obstruction of the network”.   In concluding, she made clear the Government’s opposition to the Bill as introduced although also indicated she would be happy to continue discussions on how to make things better for boat dwellers.  

British Marine will continue to work with its members, partners and parliamentarians in pressing for essential amendments to this Bill in order to retain the ability of leisure boaters to have safe and fair access to Britain’s waterways and finite mooring space. 

To read the Second Reading and more about our work on this Bill,  please see the ‘Rights of Boat Dwellers Bill’ section on British Marine’s Public Affairs webpage, click under ‘Campaigns’.   For further information on the Bill and its progress click here.

If you would like to help inform our campaign please contact Joanna Richardson, our External Relations Manager, on Tel 07860 848834 or email jrichardson@britishmarine.co.uk.