IWA has joined a campaign led by the National Bargee Travellers Association (NBTA) to ensure boaters who live off grid or without a home mooring are able to access the Government’s Energy Bill Support Scheme.
Currently, boaters who do not pay their fuel/electricity bills directly and those who are off-grid or without a home mooring are exempt from the Government’s Energy Bill Support Scheme. IWA worked with NBTA on a paper which was submitted to the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
So far, the Government has offered a complicated way of applying for the energy grant with the expectation of being denied, which then allows people to apply for another grant. This route is currently only accessible through a pilot scheme at four specific councils in the country: Wrexham, Chichester, Glasgow and West Sussex, with a full nationwide roll-out anticipated before the end of February.
IWA will continue to work with NBTA in campaigning for access to energy support for all boat-dwellers.
