Boat residents ask why they did not get energy bill help

People living on boats in Devizes say they have been ignored

People living on boats in Wiltshire have been talking about how they have been excluded from the Energy Bill Support Scheme.

The scheme ended in March with some boaters missing out on the £400 payment promised to all households. A petition with almost 6,000 signatures was handed in to Downing Street on Monday.

"The cost of living has impacted on me hugely. I pay £100 a week for coal, wood and electric," one boater on the Caen Hill locks in Devizes said.

"It's a disaster and the government needs to be called to account - why are we ignored?"

Boaters who hold a continuous cruising license have no permanent address have been excluded from the extra energy funding offered to other households.

It's a situation that has led to the Canal and River Trust saying it is "incredibly disappointed" that there has been no resolution.

• Listen to boaters from Caen Hill Marina speak about their concerns and hear Devizes MP - Danny Kruger's response

A Government spokesperson said: "We covered around half the typical household's energy bill this winter, but we know this has been a difficult time for many people facing high energy bills - including those living on boats.

"We understand some households in boats without a permanent mooring were unable able to provide proof of address and therefore could not receive this support, but those on registered moorings did qualify for an alternative funding scheme offering £400 support with their energy bills."

Boater Anthony Van Rood said it was an "injustice"

Anthony Van Rood is retired and lives on his canal boat.

Mr Van Rood said not having a permanent address and therefore not paying Council Tax should not exclude him from energy bill support.

He said: "It's quite an injustice. Local authority funding isn't just funded by Council Tax.

"I don't pay Council Tax but I pay every other tax."

HGV driver, Craig, said the exclusion had left "a bitter taste in people's mouths"

He said: "This was a promise made - every household would receive help with their energy bill.

"The beautiful manor houses in Wiltshire at the top of the Council Tax band - all those people have received help with their energy bills.

"The people on low incomes, who are classed as key workers who live on canal boats have not received a penny."

Pamela Smith, Chair of the National Barge Travellers Association, has been campaigning over the issue

The National Barge Travellers Association (NBTA) has been campaigning for the rules to be changed.

Chair of the NBTA, Pamela Smith said: "We started a petition 13 months ago to include off grid households in the Energy Bill Support Scheme.

"Some off grid households have now been included but a lot are still excluded."

The Canal and River Trust said it was "disappointed" there has not been a solution

The Canal and River Trust has offered to help the government find a solution.

Matthew Symonds, national boating manager, said it had been "incredibly disappointing that there has been no resolution".

Mr Symonds said that the trust had "consistently highlighted the need to include live-aboard boaters who do not have a home mooring in the scheme".

"We have offered to help by providing confirmation of boat licences where no home mooring is declared."

"Despite the scheme closing, the government has asked us for further advice and information, and we will continue to work with them to try and find a way for boaters to get this support.

"We have encouraged all boaters to write to their local MPs and tell them about the impact this is having on a sizeable proportion of the boating community."

Devizes MP Danny Kruger visited Caen Hill Marina to speak to boat dwellers

Boaters moored at Caen Hill Marina met with their MP, Conservative Danny Kruger, to tell him their concerns and to ask him to take action.

He said: "It's not right that households are excluded from this scheme when it was promised to all households" but said "it is very difficult to design a scheme for homes that are not fixed in one physical place".

Mr Kruger said that he will seek a clear explanation from government as to "why a technical solution to this problem can't be found".

He also committed to investigating the possibility of a retrospective payment for boat dwellers and inclusion on any future government support schemes.

Discrimination against the boater community is not the reason for the exclusion, according to Mr Kruger.

He said: "I don't think that there is any deliberate discrimination going on in government.

"I don't blame individuals either ministers or civil servants but I do think the system as a whole has so far failed this community."