Boat users on the Broads face another toll increase

Boat users on the Broads are set to pay higher fees, despite calls for increases to the charges to be scrapped.

The Broads Authority has revealed plans to put up fees by an average of 5.9% for most craft on the Norfolk and Suffolk waterways as part of its annual review.

Diesel and petrol hire boats would see the biggest increase of almost 10% but, in a move towards promoting an environmentally friendly Broads, fees for sailing and electric boats would not rise.

The authority has forecast a £400,000 shortfall in its funds next year.

It has increased fees by more than the rate of inflation for the last three years, and it estimated they would need to go up by a further 12% next year to make up for a shortfall in income, due to fewer boats using the Broads and rising costs.

But the authority's navigation committee has called for savings to be found instead of such a large increase, and has instead recommended an average increase of 5.9%.

John Packman, the Broads Authority's chief executive, warned this lower increase could result in services being cut, such as ranger patrols and the amount of dredging work.

The majority of boat users can expect to pay 5.9% more than last year if the proposed charges are approved

Matthew Thwaite, chairman of the Hire Boat Federation, said any increase would be too much, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"We have already had three years of increases above inflation. We should not be having any increases this year," he said.

"The Broads Authority says if we do not have these increases it will impinge on safety, but this is not true.

"There is so much dead wood they could cut down on without affecting frontline services."

There was also criticism of the proposals from the Broads Reform Action Group.

Chairman Colin Chelebrugh said: "The rate of inflation in tolls is causing some private owners to sell their boats and placing an unprecedented burden on hire fleets."

But Ben Falat, chairman of the Norfolk and Suffolk Boating Association, said the proposed increases were fair.

He said they were close to the inflationary costs experienced by the boating industry.

However, he questioned the use of toll fees which should be used only for navigational duties.

"Things like ranger staff are services to navigation and this would fall outside what tolls are allowed to be used for," he said.

A decision over the charges will be made on Friday by the authority.