A fleet of houseboat owners are on course for victory in their campaign to halt hefty increases to their mooring fees.

The chief executive of the Port of London Authority (PLA), Richard Everitt, this week bowed to campaigners’ demands for a rethink into its charging policy.

The PLA came under fire after houseboat owners reported some mooring fees had quadrupled in the past three years. A small group of boat owners in Hounslow were said to have seen a 2007 charge of £2,787 rise to £9,400 following a review the same year.

Actress Susan Penhaligon, who moors her boat on the River Thames, at Brentford, and is a member of campaign group Oplag (Organisation of Port of London Authority Customers) said the pricing situation was so bad her 75-year-old neighbour could be forced out of her floating home.

However, in a radio interview on Sunday, Mr Everitt said: “Ms Penhaligon has asked me to have a look at [the 2007 review] again and I can assure her [and others] that I will do that to see if we can get a broad consensus on how we should charge these mooring fees.”

Ms Penhaligon told the Hounslow and Brentford Times: “It’s a victory in the sense [Mr Everitt] said he would meet us.

“What we are trying to now is set up a meeting with him and go with suggestions on a fairer and more reasonable way forward.

“It is absolutely a positive step - I do have to say again we are not trying not to pay, we just want it to be a fair increase.”

Parliamentary candidate for Brentford and Isleworth, Andrew Dakers, said many constituents would be “delighted” with the news.

He added: “I think that what is essential now is that some of current increases that have been proposed are put on hold until a satisfactory compromise is reached.

“The license fee that the PLA is charging comes alongside the income tax and the council tax that people living on boats are paying just like the rest of us. So there needs to be a bit of a reality check on the part of the PLA.

“They should not see the house boat people as a source of revenue for funding tow paths and locks. That really has to come from elsewhere.”

For more information visit oplac.org.

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