London boat-dwellers fear review could end travelling lifestyle

Alain Gough-Olaya lives on the houseboat he built while living in the Midlands, before he moved to London to take up a role as a community mental health nurse in Hackney.

He is what is known as a continuous cruiser, a boat-dweller who doesn’t have a permanent mooring, and moves between temporary moorings up and down the River Lea – and beyond – every 14 days.

For access to these, as well as services like bins and places to pump-out waste, he pays about £1,600 a year to the Canal and River Trust (CRT).

“We pay a licence which isn’t really the equivalent to rent, it’s more the equivalent to council tax,” explains Alain. “That licence pays for all of our facilities and our ability to be on the water.”