British Waterways and the Environment Agency withdraw funding for the programme
The cost of a Boat Safety Scheme (BSS) examination is set to rise from 1 April after the Environment Agency and British Waterways withdrew funding for the programme.
To make up for the loss of the financial assistance, which last year ran to £200,000, the BSS is more than doubling the price it charges examiners for official BSS certificates, from £11.25 to £24. This means the end price for examinations will rise to make up for the hike.
Graham Watts, BSS Manager, said: “It’s always been the intention for the Scheme to eventually stand on its own two feet when it comes to meeting the running costs of this important safety aspect of the inland waterways. The Scheme won’t plan to make a profit, but nor does it aim to make a loss, it just simply aims to cover its costs and continue to offer credible and improved customer service to all Navigation Authorities and thousands of individual inland waterways boaters.”
For more on this story, see April’s MBM, out 15 March.
