Britain’s boaters say water-dwelling becoming unaffordable

ON WAVY GROUND Emma Chonofsky, 29, reads a book in her houseboat, "Ethel the Unready", which she named using a combination of her grandmother's narrowboat name and the name of an Anglo-Saxon English King, in Apsley, Hertfordshire, Britain April 4, 2025. —PHOTOS BY REUTERS

LONDON—The roughly 35,000 people for whom the waterways of England and Wales are home are worried that what has long been a low-cost alternative to living on solid ground is being made unaffordable by government spending cuts and inflation.

Especially in London, the waterways managed by the Canal and River Trust have been a refuge for those priced out of the capital’s bricks and mortar property market.

Increasingly, however, the trust, which operates as a charity, has been passing on costs after the government reduced its funding.

Emma Chonofsky, who lives on a narrowboat about 48 km northwest of London, said the license she needs from the trust last year increased to over $1,600 from around $1,200 annually, a rise of 33 percent, with further increases scheduled until 2026.

Emma Chonofsky, 29, reads a book inside her houseboat, “Ethel the Unready”, which she named using a combination of her grandmother’s narrowboat name and the name of an Anglo-Saxon English King, in Apsley, Hertfordshire, Britain.

“My budget has completely gone out the window,” she said, also citing increases in the cost of the coal, diesel and other products she needs to keep her boat “Ethel the Unready” running.

Permanent moorings for those who live on the roughly 2,000 miles of waterways managed by the trust are costly and in short supply.

Chonofsky is therefore one of around 7,000 boaters classed as a “continuous cruiser”, meaning she must move her boat every 14 days.

Emma Chonofsky, 29, displays a photo of her grandmother, inside the “Ethel the Unready” houseboat, which she named using a combination of her grandmother’s narrowboat name and the name of an Anglo-Saxon English King, in Apsley, Hertfordshire, Britain.

While a cheaper option than a permanent mooring, her new license includes a new surcharge for continuous cruising, which she says amounts to a public service.

“We report damage, we use the locks, we keep things running. If we disappear, it’ll be a huge loss—culturally and practically,” Chonofsky said.

Emma Chonofsky, 29, looks on inside her houseboat, “Ethel the Unready”, which she named using a combination of her grandmother’s narrowboat name and the name of an Anglo-Saxon English King, in Apsley, Hertfordshire, Britain.

Funding shortfall

In 2023, the government said it would reduce the Canal and River Trust’s core annual funding from 52.6 million pounds to 31.5 million pounds by 2027. The trust said this would leave a shortfall of around 300 million pounds over the next decade.

“The cost of materials, labor and infrastructure work is rising, and our government grant is being reduced,” Matthew Symonds, the charity’s head of boating said.

Emma Chonofsky, 29, reads a book on houseboat “Ethel the Unready”, which she named with the combination of her grandmother’s narrowboat name and the name of an Anglo-Saxon English King, in Apsley, Hertfordshire, Britain.

The trust said boaters were not being asked to bear the full cost of its funding shortfall and that it wanted to preserve access, while keeping aging waterways safe and functional.

“Our goal is to make sure they’re around for generations to come—and that means everyone has to contribute a little more to keep them afloat,” Symonds said.

Emma Chonofsky, 29, makes tea inside her houseboat, “Ethel the Unready”, which she named using a combination of her grandmother’s narrowboat name and the name of an Anglo-Saxon English King, in Apsley, Hertfordshire, Britain.

Edward Crann, 31, a freelance creative consultant, said he bought his 18 m steel narrowboat during the pandemic for 39,000 pounds after years of renting on land.

“I just wanted somewhere I could put my stamp on. Owning bricks and mortar wasn’t an option,” he said.

Crann said the higher fees would prove unaffordable for some.

“There are people on the water scraping by. If fees go up and moorings get privatized, they won’t make it. You risk erasing an entire community,” he said.

Reuters

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