The Canal & River Trust is inviting boaters to apply to join a volunteer Citizens’ Boater Panel that will help shape the charity’s forthcoming consultation on the future of boat licensing.
The panel is part of the trust’s newly launched boater engagement programme, as it prepares for a major public consultation on the future of boating and licensing across the UK’s inland waterways.
“Boaters are at the heart of our waterways, so it’s important that they are at the heart of the conversation about their future”, says Matthew Symonds, head of boating and customer service at Canal & River Trust.
“We’re inviting boaters to join a volunteer Citizens’ Boater Panel and help us design a better consultation. Whether someone lives aboard full-time, cruises for leisure, runs a business from their boat or uses the waterways in another way, we want to hear from them.
“By bringing together a representative group of around 40 boaters and giving them a genuine role in shaping the consultation, we can build a stronger understanding of the different experiences that exist across the network and develop a consultation informed by real life on the waterways.”
Applications for the Citizens’ Boater Panel are open for six weeks from 5 August and are available to anyone who goes boating.
Trust boat licence holders have received a unique application link by email or text. Those who have not provided contact details, have opted out of trust communications or do not currently hold a trust licence can request an application link through the trust’s customer service team on 0303 040 4040 or via the trust’s online contact form.
The trust says its welfare and licence support teams will also speak to boaters they meet in person, helping to ensure that those who are not online or do not receive trust communications have the opportunity to apply.
Panel members will take part in workshops and discussions between September and November 2026 alongside national boating organisations, boater representatives and local boating groups. During the sessions, participants will look at how licensing arrangements and navigation requirements affect day-to-day boating before helping to draft consultation questions intended to be fair, balanced and easy to understand.
After the consultation closes, the panel will meet again to review the findings with the trust as it develops future policy. The trust says it will adopt a ‘comply or explain’ approach, meaning feedback from the panel will be incorporated into policy where possible. Where this cannot be done, including for legal, financial or operational reasons, the trust says it will explain why.
Applicants will be asked to provide demographic information and details about their boating activities to help create a panel that reflects the wider boating community. Applications will be anonymised, with participants selected using a third-party random selection tool designed to produce representative citizens’ panels. The trust says this approach is intended to prevent any one viewpoint from dominating the process while ensuring a broad range of boating experiences is reflected in the consultation’s development.
More information is available on the trust’s website.
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