A FLOTILLA of boats has arrived in London after a 15 days journey south from Braunston.
This is to protest the continued exclusion of itinerant boat dwellers and others without a fixed address from receiving the £400 Government Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) and £200 Alternative Fuels grants, which the government promised to 'every household' in the UK last May.
Supportive boaters
The boats moored up in Paddington Basin around 1pm on Saturday 10th June, and were greeted by a group of supportive boaters in the area, many of whom have also been campaigning for the government to follow through on their promise to provide financial support during the spiraling cost of living and fuel crises in the UK.
On Monday 19th June at 1.30pm, the boaters—led by flotilla organiser and retired teacher, Anita Weedy—will hand in a petition to 10 Downing Street to include all off-grid households in the Energy Bills Support Scheme.
The petition currently has 5,437 signatures and was started by the National Bargee Travellers Association (NBTA) who have been supporting the flotilla protest and campaigning for the inclusion of itinerant and off-grid communities since the grants were first announced in May last year.
